OBJECTIVES

1.
Animate a sequence of images using the layers panel in Adobe Photoshop.

2.
Apply a time duration and continuous loop to the sequence of images.

3.
Export the series of frames as an animated GIF file.

How to Create an Animated GIF

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Have you wondered how to create an animation out of still images? All you need is Adobe Photoshop and a series of still images that you would like to animate.

GOAL: Use Photoshop to create still-frame animation

View the video for instructions or follow these easy steps:

STEP 1

Open each image in Adobe Photoshop. (You can save them as JPEG images.) Copy and paste each image as a new layer into a single Photoshop file. Each image should be a slight variation of the previous image. Be sure to place them in the right order in the layers panel.

Turn the visibility to off by clicking on the eye icon and dragging the mouse down to hide all layers.

STEP 2

Go to Window < Timeline. Then click on "Create Frame Animation."

STEP 3

Click on the options menu at the top right corner of the timeline and select:

"Make Frames from Layers."

STEP 4

Select the "Forever" option in the playback area of the timeline to loop the animation.

STEP 5

Select the first frame in the timeline and hold down the shift key to select all remaining frames, including the last frame at the end of the sequence.

Change the duration to the desired amount of time. I used .2 seconds for the Typography example and a combination of .1 and .2 seconds for the "I love type" animation.

STEP 6

Choose File < Export < Save for Web (legacy)

You will see a preview of the animation. Select GIF and the appropriate optimizaton settings according to the file size and quality that you need. Keep in mind that increasing the dither will increase the quality of the image while increasing the file size as well. I used 720 X 540 pixels for the image frame size.

PREREQUISITES

Basic knowledge and experience with Adobe Photoshop, using the Layers panel, Image size menu, and adding the Timeline function

(Adobe Photoshop CC 2015 on a Mac was used for this tutorial.)

EXPLORE

I currently teach Electronic Document Design at the Graphic Arts & Imaging Technology Program (GAIT) in the Department of Art at Appalachian State University. Learn about the print production, cross media production, and packaging production degrees.

This is a fun project that students used to explore typography in the Introduction to Graphic Design class, led by Taekyeom Lee and Yi-Chen Chang, in the Graphic Design department at Appalachian State University

See another animated GIF sample here.

View the storyboard lesson