Even if you can’t define a GIF, you’ve probably seen it before. It is the invention of the early Internet, but it is more popular today than ever before. In this article, we will describe to you in more detail what a GIF is and how to make an animated GIF.
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Tip 1 – Find and remove duplicate media files from your Mac
Duplicate media files can clog your disk space and make your Mac run slowly as a result. That is why it is very important to scan your Mac for duplicate files regularly and remove unneeded duplicates. You can do this quickly and safely with the help of the application Duplicate File Finder by Nektony.
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What is a GIF?
GIF is a digital image, usually animated, which consists of several frames that infinitely change in a cycle. In fact, a GIF file is just an image file. GIF is one of the popular digital image formats, along with JPEG and PNG. But GIF has a quirk – it can also be used to create animated images like the one below.
GIFs are considered to be animated images because they are not actually videos. Rather, they are more like flip books because firstly, they have no sound and secondly, the GIF format was not originally created for animation.
The GIF format was first published in 1987. They were very popular at the dawn of the Internet when YouTubedid not even exist and computers were not powerful enough to play HD videos. However, nowadays, it is still a significant part of the internet culture. In fact, GIFs may be more popular now than ever before. Giants like Instagram and Facebook have even made them an official part of their platforms.
How to make a GIF from a video online?
Bright, funny, and fast-loading GIFs are an essential part of blogs, websites, and social networks. GIFs have become a great way to digitally describe your emotions and moods.
If it happens that you cannot find the perfect GIF and you need to make one yourself, you should know that the choice of tools and applications for this purpose is extensive. Below we listed some of the GIF-maker apps and websites.
Best GIF-maker apps and websites:
- Gify
- Gifs
- GIF Brewery 3
- Gif Me! Camera Creator
- GIF Toaster – GIF Maker
Despite the fact that there are a huge number of ready-made GIFs, creating your own is a simple matter and will only take a few minutes. You can create GIFs online using any of the GIF-maker apps mentioned above, but we will show you how to make a GIF using an example application called Gify.
To make a GIF from a video, you should go to the Giphy website and select “Create” in the upper right corner, which will take you to the editor. There you will see the option to upload your video or add it by pasting the video URL. You can enter media URLs from YouTube, Vimeo, and other resources.
After you select the file, you should select the desired part of the video and the duration of the GIF.
Now you can start styling your GIF by adding text, filters, or stickers. As soon as your GIF is ready, simply click on the Continue button. You can now share the GIF on social networks or on your website. To do this, just copy the link to the GIF.
How to make a GIF in Photoshop?
If you prefer not to use online tools to make animated GIFs, there are many ways to create them offline. The best offline tool that will give you full control over the process and ensure high quality is Adobe Photoshop. Let’s take a look at how to turn a video into a GIF using Photoshop.
To make a GIF in Photoshop follow the steps below:
- Launch Photoshop.
- Click on the File in the menu bar, select Import and select Video Frames To Layers…
- Find the video you want to use and click Open.
- Click OK to convert the video frames to a single-layered file.
- Click on Window in the menu bar and select Timeline.
- Click the Arrow icon and select Create Frame Animation. Then click the button to create a new frame animation.
- Click on the Menu icon in the upper right corner of the Timeline panel and select the Make Frames From Layers option. To preview the animation you can use the Spacebar.
- To loop your animation, you should click the Repeat menu from the bottom of the Timeline panel and choose Forever.
Congratulations! Your animated GIF is almost ready. The last step is Exporting it from Photoshop. To do this, go to File in the menu bar and select Export -> Save for Web (Legacy)… In the opened window, you should change the following settings:
- next to Present – choose GIF 128 Dithered,
- set the necessary Width and Height in the Image Size section,
- select Forever from the Looping Options menu.
Now click the Save… button and select a download direction.
FAQ
How do I make an animated GIF free?
To make an animated GIF for free, open the Giphy website and select Create in the upper right corner → enter the YouTube/other video link → select the desired part of the video and the duration of the GIF → add text or filters → click Continue → share the GIF on social networks.
What is the best program to make animated GIFs?
Best programs to make animated GIFs are:
- Gify
- Gifs
- GIF Brewery 3
- Gif Me! Camera Creator
- GIF Toaster – GIF Maker
Can Photoshop make GIFs?
With the Photoshop app, you can turn any video or even a series of photos into animated GIF files. This format is especially popular nowadays for sharing your emotions and mood in social networks.
