— GIF tutorial.

Okay, so I’m not exactly an expert when it comes to GIFs, but I try my best.

And since I’ve gotten a few questions over the last few days, I’ve decided to make a tutorial. Please bear with me.

Programs I use: Quicktime Player 7 and Photoshop CS5/4.
I use a Mac, so I can’t speak for Windows users. Sorry!

1. Export movie file.

- I open a video file with Quicktime Player 7.
- Select the section that you want to make into a GIF.

- Select ‘Trim to Selection’. *If your videos really long, you can trim it off chunk by chunk so it’s easier to get the frames you want.

- It’s easier if the section is only a few seconds long.
- Then select ‘Export’, and as a .mov file.

2. Import into Photoshop.

- Select ‘Import’ > ‘Video Frames to Layers’

- Then open the .mov file you just created.
- Adjust settings to your fancy. *I usually use ‘Limit to Every 2 Frames’. Anything more than 2 is way too choppy for me. (3’s usually my limit)

- Now make sure you have the ‘Animation’ window selected.
- Edit away.

3. Editing.

I say: to each their own. Everyone has their own preferences. And it took me a while to get my own routine going and work out the kinks. So here are some tips:

- I use my PC to colour. My Mac is too crafty to be trusted.
- Sharpening the GIF is a pain in the ass. You have to do it layer by layer. I don’t like doing it. But I do it anyway. Sometimes.
- Use Adjustment layers.
- Remember to change the frame time. I usually use 0.08, but more if I have less frames.
- That’s pretty much it.

Here’s a before and after, with only three adjustment layers, LIKE WOW RIGHT:

4. FINISH.

- ‘Save for Web & Devices’

- Make sure the width is 500 pixels or less. Freakin’ Tumblr won’t accept anything bigger.
- To make things easier, select the little button on the upper right hand corner and select ‘Optimize to File Size’ and set it as 1000 kb.
- Make sure your GIF is 1000 kb or less.
- Adjust number of colours accordingly.

- Once done (and it doesn’t look like shit), you may SAVE and UPLOAD.

And the finished product:

Voila.

Please direct questions to my Assbox, please.