gif animations for website

# 1 12-10-2003 , 04:10 PM

Subscriber
Join Date: Oct 2002

Location: USA

Posts: 1,172

I'm finally starting to learn how to create gif animations; something I should have learned a long time ago. Really, I'm just asking for an opinion here. I have two gif animation programs I downloaded from download.com. The first is Easy Gif Animator and the second is Advanced Gif Animator. The advanced version costs $50 to register for commercial use, while the easy gif version only costs $19. The $19 animator is cheap, but has a drawback: The file sizes are twice as big as the advanced animator and there doesn't seem to be any way to reduce them.

Is it worth the extra $30 to create 30KB gif's as opposed to 60KB gif's? I'll be using these gif's on my tutorial pages on my website. There will probably be 3-5 gif's per tutorial. Each tutorial will be one big page.

Usually, I wouldn't mind spending the money to buy something I really need, but I just bought a $150 hard drive a few days ago and want to save up enough to buy flash. YEAH THAT"S RIGHT DAVID -> FLASH SOFTWARE! lol

If I used the $19 animator, we're looking at around 240KB's worth of gif's which have to be loaded onto the page.

If I used the $50 animator, we're looking at around 120KB's worth of gif's which have to be loaded onto the page.

Decisions, decisions.....

*EDIT* By the way, if any of you know of any better gif animators out there that have small file sizes and are either cheap or free, feel free to recommend them. Thanks.

www.Darkware3D.com

Last edited by Darkware; 12-10-2003 at 04:12 PM.

Quote

# 2 12-10-2003 , 04:17 PM

SM Tea Boy
Join Date: Apr 2002

Location: Prague

Posts: 3,228

Flash Software Grrrr bugger off and never darken my site again LOL :p

Well if at some point in the future your going to replace the tutorials with flash versions, I would go for the cheaper of the two. Especially if its just going to be a temporary measure.

I think my flatmate was banging out some gif anims the other day when he gets home I'll ask him what he was using.

David user added image

From a readers' Q and A column in TV GUIDE: "If we get involved in a nuclear war, would the electromagnetic pulses from exploding bombs damage my videotapes?"

Quote

# 3 12-10-2003 , 04:37 PM

Subscriber
Join Date: Oct 2002

Location: USA

Posts: 1,172

Actually, I'm not going to be using flash for the tutorials. I was just saying that I had plans to buy Flash, so I was hoping to save the $30 and put it towards that later.

The tut's will have gif's that give examples on how to do simple things - not actually go through the entire process.

It would be swell if I could use avi's or mpg's b/c I can export my images through Video Mach and have 30KB files, but they're way too fast. That's what makes gif's so great - you can get a single image to stay on frame for however long you want.

Guess I'll wait for your "flatmate." Whatever that is.... lol

www.Darkware3D.com

Quote

# 4 12-10-2003 , 05:02 PM

Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2003

Location: Sweden

Posts: 242

You can make animated gifs with ImageReady, which you have if you have Photoshop.

WIP: Marine | Orc | Zulu Units for Civ3 |

Quote

# 5 12-10-2003 , 05:36 PM

Subscriber
Join Date: Oct 2002

Location: USA

Posts: 1,172

Hey! I do have Image Ready. I have never used it before and forgot all about it. lol

Ok, I have my images imported into it, but can't seem to export it to a gif. File>Export is not clickable. (it's greyed out) Maybe I can find a little tutorial somewhere on the net that explains how to do this.....

www.Darkware3D.com

Quote

# 6 12-10-2003 , 05:44 PM

Subscriber
Join Date: Oct 2002

Location: USA

Posts: 1,172

Ha! Got it to work. You choose save optimized as.... and save it that way.

File size is low, quality is good, I've already paid for it. lol This is great. Thank you GreyFox!

www.Darkware3D.com

Quote

# 7 12-10-2003 , 06:32 PM

SM Tea Boy
Join Date: Apr 2002

Location: Prague

Posts: 3,228

He was using image ready LOL i forgot about that one also.

David user added image

From a readers' Q and A column in TV GUIDE: "If we get involved in a nuclear war, would the electromagnetic pulses from exploding bombs damage my videotapes?"

Quote

# 8 12-10-2003 , 08:36 PM

Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2003

Posts: 1,113

I Use Microsoft Gif Animator. VERY good proggy. Much easier than Image Ready.

Armitrex Studios
Now open!!

Quote

# 9 12-10-2003 , 08:57 PM

Subscriber
Join Date: Oct 2002

Location: USA

Posts: 1,172

Wow. If it's easier than image ready it must be REALLY easy. With Image Ready all you have to do is import, tweak your image delay times, and "save optimized as". That's it. How could it be easier than that? lol. Guess I'll have to look into it. Probably won't buy it though seeing as how I already have something that works and is already paid for.

www.Darkware3D.com

Quote

# 10 12-10-2003 , 09:41 PM

Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2003

Location: Sweden

Posts: 242

Nice to be of assistance user added image

WIP: Marine | Orc | Zulu Units for Civ3 |

Quote

# 11 13-10-2003 , 06:09 AM

Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2003

Posts: 1,113

Microsoft GIF Animator is free. I've yet to figure out IR. You make a new layer for your new frame, and then all your frames change to that new layer. its just a big pain. MGA has lots of options for your animation, that are very clear.

Armitrex Studios
Now open!!

Quote

# 12 13-10-2003 , 12:46 PM

Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2003

Location: Sweden

Posts: 242

Originally posted by Ultragames
Microsoft GIF Animator is free. I've yet to figure out IR. You make a new layer for your new frame, and then all your frames change to that new layer. its just a big pain. MGA has lots of options for your animation, that are very clear.

Originally Posted by

You have to choose what frame you want, and then you choose which layers you want to be visible during that frame.

Quote

# 13 13-10-2003 , 12:55 PM

Subscriber
Join Date: Jul 2002

Location: Western Australia

Posts: 510

Originally posted by Darkware
Hey! I do have Image Ready. I have never used it before and forgot all about it. lol

Originally Posted by

LOL! I love it when stuff in life turns out like that! I use a basic program called Animation Shop Pro which comes packaged with Paintshop Pro. Sounds like I'll have to check out Microsoft Gif Animator though!