GIFS

What did we do?

For this assignment, we discovered how to make GIFS in photoshop! I enjoyed making gifs and I will definitely be making more!

We had a step by step process of learning how to make gifs. First we went to the computer lab and arranged our seating order to sit next to the people who may need help. Then we watched how to make a gif without taking notes or looking at our computers (we watched on the projector screen) then the next time we watched and followed along with our own computers and went step by step, this is when I took notes. Then we made our own GIFS.

For the first gif we all made a ball bounce back and forth (I documented this in the youtube video below).

Here are the instructions that I wrote down while following the tutorial:

How to make a GIF ball bouncing back and forth-

- Open photoshop

- File-New document

- Select Web

- Un-check artboard

- Click and drag layer panel to middle

- Create a new layer

- Save as reel_gif to desktop

- Use elliptical marque to make circle. Hold down shift for perfect circle

- Choose color by clicking foreground color box

- Edit, fill, foreground color and circle should be filled with color.

- Deactivate the marching ants (command D)

- Window, timeline

- Create frame animation and click

- Move ball to bottom corner or starting position

- New layer on timeline and move to the second position

- Tween, select okay

- Fly out menu, select frames, copy frames, paste frames

- Fly out, reverse frames

- Command S to save

- File, export, save for web (legacy)

- Select GIF

- Looping options-forever, save to desktop with the same name

- Open with firefox and it should play in a loop

- Each GIF should have its corresponding psd document on the desktop

What did you learn?

I learned how to animate a still image in photoshop. I also learned how to “paint” my own image to animate it. I did not know that photoshop could make GIFS, I knew that you could edit photos in photoshop but I always thought that GIFS were made in another application like Adobe Illustrator. In my opinion, the instructions to make a GIF seem clear cut and easy for me. I made a few more and now that I have all of the steps memorized, I can make them pretty quick. I definitely would like to make more just for fun.

What do you want to know now?

I would like to learn how to make a GIF that has multiple things going on. For example, make a GIF that has more than one animated character and learn how to make a walk cycle for them. With more practice, I feel like this could be easily done.

I would also like to know if it could be possible to create a video GIF through photoshop.

How might we work with these tools in classrooms?

This assignment has the potential to tie into multiple other lessons, for example, students could use their own artwork and drawings to scan and put into photoshop to animate them. Students could also animate a still image that they take with a camera, or draw their own image in illustrator (or photoshop) so that it can be animated by making a GIF from it. GIFS are so popular right now through texting, social media, etc., so I can see students really getting involved in this assignment.

Attached is a video collage that I created of the GIFS I made.

1. Butterflies (my drawings)

2. Cactus (drawn in photoshop)

3. Dancing bird (drawn in photoshop)

4. Grackle with moon phases (found images)

5. Bouncing ball (from tutorial)

After I posted this, i made another GIF. This website cannot support GIFs so I just took a screen shot of it. (The cactus friends).