Photoshop tutorial 004.

PHOTOSHOP TUTORIAL 004.

Create a GIF
So, going through the requests, I have seen a very interesting one, much different from all the others - a request for a tutorial on how to make GIFs through Photoshop. Therefore, we'll be doing that today.


Basically, I have a couple of examples of how it can be done, yet in all of them, you would need some sort of video editing program, and here's the reason why:
#1 - in the first example, you will be needing a video clip that you will want to turn into a GIF
#2 - and in the second example, you will need to create your own screen-captures to make a GIF (HOWEVER, if you have a player that allows to take screen-captures (for example: GOMplayer), then it will do.)

First, let's create a GIF with the first technique:
Once you have a video clip that you would want to turn into a GIF (in an AVI or MOV [quicktime] format), open your Photoshop (x86) and do the following:
       File -> Import -> Video Frames to Layers
Find your video clip on your computer, select it and click on "Load".
Once you have done that, a little window will pop out looking like this:



Keep everything as it is, however, to shorten the images in the GIF, thus make the size of smaller, limit to every 2 or even 3 frames the file. Then click on OK. Now the images will load, and it might take a couple of seconds, so don't panic if it's not opening like a normal image right away. Once it's opened, it will be in its original video size, and for me that is 1280x720 px, which is way too big for a GIF. I will change the size to 310px in width, at first, because when you change the size of a set of images like it, it always leaves some sort of transparent tiny line on the sides, and I will try to avoid that. And NOW, I will cut the image on the sides, so we don't have any unneeded lines appearing: open the Canvas Size and cut somewhere 10px in width and height. There, it's pretty now, but it's still not a GIF - it's just a set of images, however, before making anything move just yet, I'd like to apply a colouring to the gif, and for that ALWAYS use PSD colourings that you simply can grad on top of your layers, otherwise you'll be making this GIF for years and years. (Or, if you create your own colourings, just create filter adjustments and put them all above of all the layers). I applied a quick edit, and I'm ready to make it into a moving image.

Click on Window and then on Animation, and a little window will pop out at the bottom of the screen - that's how you make your image move. The next few steps will contain a lot of captures, because I will be needing to show you the steps, for you to properly understand them.

That's how the window will look like:



However, you will need to fix the speed to 0,1 f/s, and for that you must select all of the layers in the Animation Window (click on the first layer, hold SHIFT and then click on the last layer), after which click on the time set and choose 0,1 seconds.



Click on play to see the outcome.
To save a GIF, you need to click on File -> Save for Web&Devices and then click on Save (check that the format is GIF and not something else, in the window that will pop out during the savings)

TO TAG A GIF BEFORE SAVING IT:
To tag a GIF is very easy also; all you have to do is add a text while being on the first layer of the Animation window. I'll tag mine with "DefyingxMars. Anya A. tutorials", click on play to make sure that the tag is present on all the layers (if it's not, then while being on the first layer of the Animation window, create copies of the tag layers in the Layers Window and delete the old ones, this way all the Animation layers will have the tag in the same place), and then save the GIF.

There, that is the easiest way to make GIFs, however it's not always the better one, seeing as how, for example, on tumblr, you have a size limit, therefore you need to literally count the layers allowed in one file. So, in such cases, you can create a GIF using the cap-by-cap example, and for that, you would need screen-captures of the moment (second by second).
Once you have the screen captures you need, go to Photoshop and click on
Files -> Scripts -> Load Files into Stack
after which a little window will appear, looking like this:



Browse and find the screen-captures on your computer, select them and click on OK, then load them all into one file (just click on OK in the popped out window). From there, you will have one file with lots of layers, and each of those layers will be one of the screen-captures that you have uploaded. However, the Animation window will contain only one layer, yet don't panic - you're one click away from having the full set: click on the menu of the Animation window and then click on "Make Frames from Layers". There, you have your layers, and from that point, do the rest as I have explained above.

And joy, you have your GIF, and mine looks like that:

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Written on Wednesday 10 October 2012 at 17:15 by DefyingxMars