GIF+Animation+Tutorial

Create Gif Animation Tutorial for using Photoshop CS5

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/quick-photoshop-cs5-tutorial-create-animated-gifs/ 1. An animated GIF is a series of images that plays in succession. We need to take screenshots of all the images we want to use for the sequence of the animation. 2. Take the screenshots and place the images that you want to use for the animated GIF in a folder. You can optimize the individual images at this stage. 3. In Photoshop CS5, create a new image that is a fit for the raw images you have in the folder. Here we are using an image size of 397px x 400px.

4. Drag all the images you had saved in the folder into the new document in Photoshop. When you drop the images into the new document, the first image displays an overlaid cross. Now, click the //Commit Transform // checkmark on the top-right or press //Enter // to position the images as separate layers. Keep clicking till all the images are loaded and visible in the //Layers // panel.

5. You can rearrange the layers according to the sequence of the animation.

6. Go to //Window – Animation //, to open the Animation palette.

7. From the Animation palette menu (the downward arrow on the top-right of the palette), click //Make Frames from Layers //. You can also click //Reverse Frames // if needed. The layered file is placed on the Animation palette which each layer changing into an individual frame for the animation.

8. Click the small icon in the bottom-right corner to change the view of the palette from Timeline view to Frame (//Convert to Frame Animation //) view. Select all the frames in the animation palette.

<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 21.33px;">9. In the next step, we set the time delay for each frame according to the animation we want to produce. Click the drop down button just below each frame. Custom delays can be set up in the menu which pops up. Each frame can be set individually with specific time delays. If all frames are selected, all frames can be set to the same time. You can also use the pop-up (marked //<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Forever //) to set the animation loops. //<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Forever // can be used if you want it to loop indefinitely or any specific amount from the pop-up.

<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 21.33px;">10. The animation is ready to be saved as a GIF file. Go to //<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">File – Save As // (alternatively, //<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Save for Web & Devices //). The complete animation looks like this:

<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 21.33px;">More advanced Photoshop animation techniques can involve tweening but the basic principles of animation remain the same. The method described here is short and sweet and could come handy for bloggers without advanced animation skills. Try your hand with this [|Photoshop tip] and let us know if you found it useful.