Animating images to create a cartoon-like effect can be performed in GIMP. The GIMP program will only animate .
gif files, so the animation will appear more like a cartoon than like a movie. Before you beginning, be sure that all the images you will use are saved as .gif files. Also, it is recommended that all files be the same size and resolution (see the GIMP handout for file resolution and image size); the ideal resolution is 320x240.
Open the .gif file you desire to animate by going to the file menu and selecting open. If you desire to animate several .gif files together into one animation sequence, open all the files. You can open multiple files by highlighting one file, holding down the control key on the keyboard and clicking/highlighting the rest of the files. Once you have all the files highlighted, click the open button.
GIMP: Gif Animation
Create a new file/canvas to work with by going to the file menu and selecting new. Set the height and width to a size that will work well with the size gifs you have opened. For example, if the gif you opened is
12 inches by 12 inches and you create a 5-inch by 5-inch canvas, the gif will not fit on the new canvas. To see the size in inches, click the
drop down and change from pixels to inches. Change the resolution from 72x72 pixels per inch to 150x150 pixels per inch. Also change the fill color to transparent. If you cannot see the advanced options, click the plus button to expand your view. Once you have set all the canvas options, click the OK button to create the new file.
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Click on the first gif you want to animate, go to the select menu and click all. Then go to the edit menu and select copy. To locate the gif you want to animate, refer to the name of the file, which will appear on the top of the window.
Navigate to the new canvas recently created; go to the edit menu and select paste.
To locate the canvas you want to paste on, refer to the name of the file, which will appear on the top of the window as untitled until the file is saved and named.
To use the same image to create the animated gif, you will need to create multiple layers of the same image. To do this, go to the layers dialogue box (if you cannot see the layers dialogue box go to the dialogs menu and select layers), highlight the copied layer, right click it and select new layer. Then right click the layer and select duplicate layer. If you want to create the gif out of multiple images, continue to copy and paste all images until you have every image added to the new canvas.
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To use the same image to create the animated gif: Click, drag, rotate and edit the images to give the animated impression, using the move, rotate and other editing tools. To test the sequence of the images for the animation, turn on and off the view of each layer. The bottom layer will be the first image shown in the animation. Turn the layers on in order to view how the animation will appear using the eye icon next to each layer. If the layers are out of sequence, highlight the layer and use the up and down move arrows to adjust the sequence.
Bottom layer
Second layer
Third layer
To create the gif out of multiple images: Copy and paste all the images to be used in the sequence onto the new canvas in the order of motion. Be sure to right click each pasted layer and select new layer. To test the sequence of the images for the animation, turn on and off the view of each layer. The bottom layer will be the first image shown in the animation. Turn the layers on in order to view how the animation will appear using the eye icon next to each layer. If the layers are out of sequence, highlight the layer and use the up and down move arrows to adjust the sequence.
Bottom layer
Second layer
Third layer
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After you have all the images on the canvas and have tested the animation order, go to the file menu and select save as.
Name the file and select the folder/area you desire to save the animated gif to. If you cannot see the select file type area, expand it using the plus button. Scroll to find the GIF image file format and highlight it. Then click the save button.
Change the radio button to save as animation and leave the convert to indexed radio button selected. Then click the export button.
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If you get the warning below, click OK if you are sure each image layer is not falling off the canvas.
This warning lets you know the program will crop anything that is falling off the canvas.
Use the gif options below as you desire. If you only want the gif to go through the animation sequence once, uncheck the loop forever box. Once you have the options selected, click the OK button. If you want each frame to appear by itself in the animated sequence, change frame disposal to one frame per layer/replace and the gif layers will replace each other in the animation sequence. If you want the layers to build on top of each other in the animation sequence, leave the frame disposal to I dont care.
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To preview the saved animated gif, navigate to the location the gif was saved to. Right click the gif, select open with and click Internet explorer. If you want to adjust how fast the frames are transitioning from one to another, go back to the layers dialog box and double click in the 100ms area. Then type in the number of milliseconds for the transitions in each layer and go through the save as process again to see the new timing.
Options for presenting/using animated gifs: 1. View each gif using internet explorer 2. Create a PowerPoint and insert the animated gif on a slide, it will play during the slideshow 3. Insert the animated gif into Windows Movie Maker (this is not highly recommended as it will distort the images) 4. Open the file in QuickTime Player 5. Open the file in Real Alternative
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