Employees of Swing Technologies, maker of a photo app called SWNG, will join Microsoft’s Skype team to boost its imaging technology and customer experience expertise.

In a statement, Microsoft’s corporate VP for Skype, Amritansh Raghav, said Swing brings “an impressive track record of delivering great user experiences and brand design around the technology they develop.”

Tommy Stadlen, Swing’s co-founder (pictured, right), said: “This is a unique opportunity for the team to bring our ideas to a global audience…We believe in the power of brands and technology, so the Skype mission and values resonate strongly with us.”

Swing is based in San Francisco and New York with the mission “to reimagine the photograph.”

Its debut SWNG app allows users to create interactive “living photos” including 3D selfies and slow-motion videos: many of its senior employees have been recruited from Apple and Instagram.

Swing is backed by investors and individuals including Twitter co-founder Biz Stone.

The move is likely a wider revamp of Skype which is moving from just a calling app to a messaging app with features such as the recently announced Cortana integration.