Animated GIFs are instantly attention-grabbing and much simpler to create than you might think. With today’s tools, even beginners can quickly create their own animations.
Before embarking on the creation of animated GIFs, it’s essential to understand certain fundamental concepts such as color palette, image size and transparencies.
A GIF, or Graphics Interchange Format, can contain up to 256 colors. Although this may seem restrictive, it’s more than enough for simple animations and stylized drawings. If you need to include photos or complex graphics, we recommend reducing them to a maximum of 256 colors using graphics software such as Adobe Photoshop or GIMP.
In terms of size, animated GIFs are often small, but can reach up to 65,535 × 65,535 pixels. Dithering is used to create color gradations, sometimes giving images a coarser appearance.
Another feature is transparency: the GIF format can include color transparencies thanks to the GIF89a version, enabling the creation of a variety of shapes instead of the traditional rectangular frame.
Many online tools make it easy to create animated GIFs. Among the most popular, Giphy’s GIF generator is an excellent choice for getting started. On the site, you can create GIFs from personal or online videos.
You can choose between GIF Creator and GIF Maker. With GIF Creator, you can convert video sequences into animated GIFs by uploading a video or inserting a URL. You can then define the start and end of the image sequence, add text or stickers, and fully customize your GIF.
With GIF Maker, you can create a collection of GIFs from a series of images. It’s a highly intuitive tool that allows for a great deal of creativity. That said, don’t forget to explore the many options available, as they can significantly enrich your GIF.
For advanced customization, we recommend exploring the features offered by these tools, such as the addition of filters and special effects available on the platform.
Adobe Photoshop is a powerful tool for creating animated GIFs from sequences of continuous images. Here’s how:
When you’re happy with the result, save your GIF using the File command > Export > Save for Web (legacy). You can then configure the loop type and save the final file.
Adobe Photoshop remains the benchmark for advanced users who want precise control over their animated GIFs.
GIMP is a free alternative to Photoshop for creating animated GIFs. It also offers an automatic animation option. Here are the steps:
First, load each image onto a separate layer. Then go to the Filters menu > Animation. Here you’ll find options such as Rotating Globe, Fade and Wave.
Once your animation has been set up, you can check the rendering using the Play animation command. To export, use File > Export as, add the extension “.gif” and check Save as animation.
GIMP stands out for being free and for its ability to quickly create high-quality animations with simple but effective tools.
In addition to software for PCs and Macs, there are many mobile apps that let you create animated GIFs directly from your smartphone or tablet. These apps are very handy for creating animations with just a few gestures, and most are available on both iOS and Android.
GIPHY CAM is an application developed by Giphy.com. It lets you create GIFs from your personal videos and photos, while offering fun effects and filter options. This application is ideal for adding a unique touch to your creations.
ImgPlay is another popular application. In its Lite version, a watermark is applied to your GIF, but the Pro version, available for 5.49 euros, offers a wider variety of filters, stickers and customization options.
GifArts lets you select from one to fifteen images for your animations. Filters, stickers and fonts are also available to customize the style of your GIF.
GTWO’s GIF Maker lets you create looping video sequences from 5 to 25 seconds long. This application is particularly intuitive and remains an excellent option for quickly creating animated GIFs.
JIBJAB offers video editing that transforms your own photos into animated GIFs. Although it requires registration and subscription to use all its features, it offers a unique and creative approach.
iPhone users with iOS 11 or higher have an extra trick: they can create animated GIFs directly from photos taken in Live mode without third-party applications. The Infinite Loop, Bounce and Long Exposure effects offer unprecedented simplicity and creativity.
Creating an animated GIF has never been so quick and easy. Whether using online tools like Giphy.com, desktop software such as Adobe Photoshop and GIMP, or handy mobile apps, there are plenty of ways to bring your ideas to life with just a few clicks.
To begin with, you’ll need to find a video from which you can select an excerpt to design your Gif. Once you’ve downloaded the video, go to ADOBE EXPRESS to cut it up. But you don’t have to. You can work on your Gif from the original video. As ours is far too long, we prefer to rough it up first.
Then go to the ADOBE page dedicated to Gif creation. Simply upload your video and then select the slice you wish to loop. Don’t take too long an excerpt, otherwise the file will be too large to be broadcast on the networks.
In our example created with ADOBE EXPRESS, we’ve extracted 3 Gifs of different lengths, from the longest to the shortest from the left. Although the files are of different lengths, they are more or less the same size. If you shorten the length of the extract, ADOBE EXPRESS improves the resolution. That’s why we have files of the same size in MB.
Long extract (8mo)
Half-length extract (7.9mo)
Long extract (8.32mo)
The gifs we’ve created are a little too large for the web. Even so, 8 mo isn’t too big. Now we’re going to lighten our 3 gifs by giving them a size of 330px (mobile format). We use the online tool ONLINE CONVERT (green).
Gif long resized 330 pixels = 2.65mo
Resized mid-length gif 330 pixels = 1.44mo
Short resized gif 330 pixels = 0.74 mo
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