Animated Gif (Definition,Image bank,Work diary, Straight images)

Definition-

An animated GIF is an image encoded in graphics interchange format (GIF),which contains a number of images or frames in a single file and is described by its own graphic control extension. The frames are presented in a specific order in order to convey animation. An animated GIF can loop endlessly or stop after a few sequences. Animated GIFs are a quick-and-easy way to present dynamic content, especially in Web pages.

Animated GIF is an extension of the GIF standard, which allows animated images to be created by cramming a set of frames into a single file for sequential playback. Even with multiple images on the same file, the file size can still be made small because of the way GIF is encoded and because of a limited colour palette. This means that the resulting image lacks detail and is of lower visual quality compared to other image formats.
*insert gif*

Instructions on how to make a GIF-

1. Resize your images to a smaller size. e.g. 72 dpi, 900 x 600 pixels. Import the images into the Photoshop file, and organise the layers as the sequence that you want to animate. 

2.Select Window, Timeline,

3    3.Select Create video time line

4    4.Drag the images into the time line and adjust each clip duration to e.g. 5 frames

·            Order the images in the sequence that you want to show.

5    5.To test the animated gif you need to press the play button

      6.To loop the video you will need to select the “set the playback options button” and then press play.

      7.To save the animation you need to select File, Save for web.

    

    8.At this point you need to ensure the animation is looped see the image below and that you have selected a gif  file option and 128 dithered 

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I took these images for my gifs by going to the same park i did with my friends for the sequencing photos, i decided to use swings for my gif as it was a continues movement so that i could try and produce a smoothly running gif. I took around 20 photos for the gif with my Nikon D3100 DSLR camera by using a tripod to hold up the camera and keep it steady, i correctly adjusted he shutter speed so that i could get enough photos for the gif and i used the burst mode so i could just hold down the clicker and capture the most photos within the couple of seconds.

Image bank-

Work diary- 

This was the first gif that i and ever produced in photoshop.

To produce the animation, i opened up photoshop with the 9 images of my friends swinging on the swings, and i loaded the photos into a stack so that they could be made into separate layers. Once that was completed i opened up a timeline, i then created a layer in the timeline for each layer, then i made a frame for each layer, so that every single layer was now on my timeline. I then individually selected each frame and i changed how long it would appear for which was 0.2 seconds for each frame, before witching to the next frame. I then looped my gif forever o that its continues and doesn't stop. and lastly i save d it for the web so i could upload to my blogger.

Whilst making this gif, firstly i had a total of 18 photos which i had all stacked and made into layers then frames, but when i played all of the images as a gif it just went on for far too long and it too away the smoothness of the flow i deleted 9 of the frames so that i could still have a decent time on the gif, in total the gif lasts just under 2 seconds, where as with the other frames it would have been 4 seconds which could be too long for the viewers. So after i correctly decided how i wanted the gif to be, i did consider changing the gif into black and white, but i thought that having the colours seen would be better as it keeps the innocence to the gif. Because of the gif being of swings in a playground, the colours of the swings and the grass goes with the idea of children, as normally a child would use the swings but in this gif it could be seen that my friends are releasing their inner child by using the swings. To improve this gif i would make the ending of the gif a bit smoother, even though the majority of the gif runs ok, you can still tell when it ends even with the loop. So, i would just make sure that the last frame is similar to the first one so the loop goes goes around without the audience noticing. 

Straight image-

This animated gif was the first i had created in photoshop. I wanted to capture the full movement of my friends on the swings because i though it would be interesting to see the swing movement on a reaped gif. I think that  the overall outcome of this gif was good as the movement was continuous so it allowed me to create a steady flow. My friends are also nearly swinging in sync and it would have looked really good if they had been. I shot the photos from a side view of the swings so that i could show the side of view instead of the front as it wouldn't really of looked as good or have flown so well because of the position. But by me doing that i got the post in the direct centre of the photos, however even though its right in the middle, it doesn't really effect the movement or flow of the god, so i think that the gif  looks better with the pole as it ascots as a barrier between the right and left side. However my framing was off for the photos as the front left post is a bit more left out compared to the right, but i also think thats because the ground waste completely straight, as the post furs test away on the other side of my friends is straight and in the middle.  I think the fact of there being clouds mades the gif better too as you can see them slightly moving and so with a blue sky there wouldn't have been this effect and the only thing moving would have been my friends and the small patch of long grass. Overall i think this gif was a success as i managed to get the positing of the camera right for what i was trying to capture, and i took enough photos to produce a smooth fast flowing gif.

After creating this gif it has given me some inspiration to try and make a gif for my project, maybe of a bird flying or landing. Or some leafs falling or moving in the wind. To do this i would need a tripod which i don't have so i may not be able to do a gif, but i could try a sequenced photo instead.