Re: Animated Gifs

Is this getting through?  My email program is doing weird things tonight...

Hi Paula,
I was scanning through my email and saw your message.  It doesn't appear as
if anyone has answered your questions, so I will start the ball rolling and
toss it out to the group for further answers and help.

The first step to preparing an animation is to have a storyboard.  Know what
you want to achieve.  Then, the easiest way I have found to make the frames
(and I'm sure others will have their own ways!) is to create the image in
PhotoShop, save a copy (referred to as SOC in my personal writing lingo).
In the original image, flatten the layers, and make a new layer as an
overlay.  Create your  second frame on the new layer. If things start
getting too messy, click the eye icon in the first layer(on the layer
palette).  This will hide the original artwork, but also will maintain the
same canvas dimensions, etc., as well as easily let you see how your
animation is progressing by clicking back and forth between the eye icons on
the layers.  Once your second image is finished, hide the original artwork
layer and SOC.  Continue doing this until you have all of your images
created and saved as copies.
I would personally save the original as a backup, and as a reference for
future works.
I am also assuming here that you know about file formats and compressions,
etc.
As for rotating an image in an exact manner, nothing beats using the
Layer->Transform->Numeric or Shift,Ctrl and T.
This will allow you input exact measurements instead of trying to eyeball
the 'movement'.
In Gif Construction Set, click File New, then File -> Animation Wizard.  It
will ask you what files you want to import.
Once all images are included, you can go back and click on the lines which
read 'Control Block' to reset the number of loops and the length of time in
between the images, etc.
Hope this helps.  If I am not clear enough (try these steps first!!!) you
are welcome to email me back.  I am a tired soul right now and may have
forgotten a step or am being too vague.

Cindy
douglass(at)sprintmail.com
http://www.measurespec.com/

-----Original Message-----
From: Paula Gregorowicz <paulag(at)enter.net>
To: hwg-graphics(at)hwg.org <hwg-graphics(at)hwg.org>
Date: Wednesday, December 10, 1997 2:45 PM
Subject: Animated Gifs


>I am totally new to this animated gif thing & just downloaded Gif
>Construction Set.  The problem I seem to be having is I can't get the
>first step figured out (preparing individual gifs for animation).
>
>How wouldI go about making "frames" of the same gif.  For instance, a
>logo which is horizontal  (-----)  which I want to make into individual
>frames of the same size but where the logo is rotated a bit each time
>and then save them into separate gif files.  This seems to be what I
>need to do to animate this thing in gif construction set but I can't get
>this first step together.  When I try rotating in Photoshop it changes
>the size of the image, the logo  & all sort of things, so when it is
>later animated it looks like its spazzz city. I've been searching the
>web for a tutorial but it seems people refer to making these frames like
>its as easy as and as familiar to everyone as brushing teeth!
>
>Thanks in advance for any help
>
>-paula
>--
>Paula Gregorowicz
><paulag(at)enter.net>
>=============================================
>Web Design Portfolio <http://www.sskye.com/paula/webdesig.html>
>Home Page <http://www.enter.net/~paulag>
>Sheryl Skye Home Page <http://www.sskye.com>
>WATERBASE <http://www.waterbase.com>
>=============================================
>

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