How to create animated GIFs using Photoshop

One of the main features of this wiki is that in the galleries scenes are usually saved in animated GIF format.

Known our motivation for animated GIFS, then we will share the method to create them using Photoshop, which is the fastest method and guarantees the quality known to date.

IMPORTANT NOTE: It is mandatory that you know how to get screenshots from FFmpeg, since we need to obtain frames accurately.

There is also an alternative method to create animated GIFs without using Photoshop, but it requires a very high Internet connection speed (and if you do not have it, I do not recommend that method). In any case, the method of using Photoshop is the best for me.

This method may be somewhat tedious at the beginning, but with practice it is done very quickly, you will see.

Frames (download them one by one)
We will start this exercise assuming that, with FFmpeg, you managed to get the frames of Jungle de Ikou! - EP3 (this episode, in my opinion, had one of the best animations with respect to the current anime standard). And like any anime series, then it must have 24 frames per second (24 fps).

One of the scenes that most captivated me was the destruction of a building whose external structure is composed of glass windows that reflect even the hand of the giantess. Seeing each frame is a visual delight.

You will have to download the following frames one by one (in its original resolution, which is 704 × 528). It's not that I want to torture you, but the Wikia rules forbid us from giving a download link.

Explanation about frames per second (fps)
In general, animated series and films based on drawings have 24 frames per second (but those of European origin have 25, which is a negligible difference). This means that every second that passes, 24 frames have been used during the animation footage.

Reinterpreting this data, we can say that each frame corresponds to a stay of 1/24 seconds on the screen. Approximately:

1/24 seconds = 0,04166666666666666666666666666667 seconds (precise) 1/24 seconds = 0,04 seconds (approximate)

And this is the reason why the frames have been given a speed of change of 0.04 seconds.


 * NOTE 1: If you work with a European animation (that is, 25 fps), you will continue using 0.04 seconds, since 1/25 = 0.04 (exactly). Therefore, the difference is negligible.
 * NOTE 2: You are likely to stumble upon an animation video based on drawings that use 30 fps. This is not normal, it has unnecessary frames. Therefore, when you extract your frames with FFmpeg, give it the value of 24 (the command "-r 24").

Identify the speed of each frame
At the beginning of the tutorial we had eliminated several repeated frames. Because of this, we will have to identify the rate of change of each one. This is simple, since we should simply see the difference (or "distance") between each frame, and this we can easily observe through the file names of the extracted frames. At the side of each file we will put the difference between the one that follows less the one of the file itself, also a number of asterisks so that it is more "graphic" (for didactic reasons):

zzb3771.png (3) *** zzb3774.png (2) ** zzb3776.png (2) ** zzb3778.png (2) ** zzb3780.png (2) ** zzb3782.png (2) ** zzb3784.png (2) ** zzb3786.png (2) ** zzb3787.png (1) * zzb3790.png (3) *** zzb3792.png (1) * zzb3793.png (1) * zzb3794.png (1) * zzb3795.png (1) * zzb3796.png (1) * zzb3797.png (1) * zzb3798.png (1) * zzb3799.png (1) * zzb3800.png (1) * zzb3801.png (1) * zzb3802.png (1) * zzb3803.png (2) ** zzb3805.png (1) * zzb3806.png (1) * zzb3807.png (1) * zzb3808.png (1) * zzb3809.png (1) * zzb3810.png (1) * zzb3811.png (1) * zzb3812.png (1) * zzb3813.png (1) * zzb3814.png (1) * zzb3815.png (1) * zzb3816.png (1) * zzb3817.png (1) * zzb3818.png (1) * zzb3819.png (1) * zzb3820.png (1) * zzb3821.png (1) * zzb3822.png (1) * zzb3823.png (1) * zzb3824.png (1) * zzb3825.png (1) * zzb3826.png (1) * zzb3827.png (1) * zzb3828.png (1) * zzb3829.png (1) * zzb3830.png (1) * zzb3831.png (1) * zzb3832.png (1) * zzb3833.png (1) * zzb3834.png (1) * zzb3835.png (1) * zzb3836.png (1) * zzb3837.png (1) * zzb3838.png (?)

Note that at the beginning it is a bit unstable, but then the other frames acquire a uniform pattern in "(1)", except "zzb3803.png" (since its consecutive is 2 frames away). The last frame has (?), But we can give it the value of (1) to follow the pattern of its previous ones.

To all these numbers we will multiply them by 0.04:

1 × 0,04 = 0,04 2 × 0,04 = 0,08 3 × 0,04 = 0,12 4 × 0,04 = 0,16 ...etc.

And so we can know what is the speed of each frame, that parameter we will enter in the timeline that Photoshop.

zzb3771.png (0,12) *** zzb3774.png (0,08) ** zzb3776.png (0,08) ** zzb3778.png (0,08) ** zzb3780.png (0,08) ** zzb3782.png (0,08) ** zzb3784.png (0,08) ** zzb3786.png (0,08) ** zzb3787.png (0,04) * zzb3790.png (0,12) *** zzb3792.png (0,04) * zzb3793.png (0,04) * zzb3794.png (0,04) * zzb3795.png (0,04) * zzb3796.png (0,04) * zzb3797.png (0,04) * zzb3798.png (0,04) * zzb3799.png (0,04) * zzb3800.png (0,04) * zzb3801.png (0,04) * zzb3802.png (0,04) * zzb3803.png (0,08) ** zzb3805.png (0,04) * zzb3806.png (0,04) * zzb3807.png (0,04) * zzb3808.png (0,04) * zzb3809.png (0,04) * zzb3810.png (0,04) * zzb3811.png (0,04) * zzb3812.png (0,04) * zzb3813.png (0,04) * zzb3814.png (0,04) * zzb3815.png (0,04) * zzb3816.png (0,04) * zzb3817.png (0,04) * zzb3818.png (0,04) * zzb3819.png (0,04) * zzb3820.png (0,04) * zzb3821.png (0,04) * zzb3822.png (0,04) * zzb3823.png (0,04) * zzb3824.png (0,04) * zzb3825.png (0,04) * zzb3826.png (0,04) * zzb3827.png (0,04) * zzb3828.png (0,04) * zzb3829.png (0,04) * zzb3830.png (0,04) * zzb3831.png (0,04) * zzb3832.png (0,04) * zzb3833.png (0,04) * zzb3834.png (0,04) * zzb3835.png (0,04) * zzb3836.png (0,04) * zzb3837.png (0,04) * zzb3838.png (0,04) *

Since the vast majority are 0.04 seconds, then when selecting all the frames, we give them a value of 0.04 to be able to modify the relatively few frames that have other speeds.


 * NOTE: As it was said before, in the animes the fps usually have a fairly regular pattern, you could even stumble with constant patterns of 8 or 12 fps, which greatly facilitates the work.

What would happen if I did not delete the repeated frames?
You would have more frames and therefore the GIF would become heavier. It is easier to work, since its frame rate is 0.04 seconds (for all), but it makes the GIF file heavier. Therefore, it is better to prevent than to regret, that is, it is always good to eliminate repeated frames.

Do I have to check the frames one by one?
Yes, it is mandatory. But neglects, in general, anime series has "framerate" (rate of frames) regular, that is, sometimes its framerate is a constant of 8 fps (8 frames per second) or 12 fps, which facilitates the elimination of repeated frames since the pattern is well known.

Should I save animated GIFs at the highest possible resolution?
YES, because that way smaller resolutions can be obtained from there. Read the next question.

But this is not too big for a GIF? Can not I make it smaller?
From any image, Wikia can offer you smaller versions of that.

For example, if you want this image, whose resolution is 704x528, to have the resolution of 400x300, then do the following:


 * 1) Below the image there is an option that says "Size of this preview". Choose anyone, in my case, I chose 320x240.
 * 2) Look at the URL:  https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/giantesses/images/5/5a/Gif_Photoshop_Tutorial_Muestra_1.gif/revision/latest/ scale-to-width-down/320 ?cb=20171220025750 
 * 3) "scale-to-width-down/320" means that the image has a width of 320 (the height is proportional to this number, since it respects the geometric scale of the image). Change that number for the one you want.
 * 4) But if you want to change the size of the image based on the height, then change "wight" to "height" and the number will be the size of its height in pixels. For example, if you want your height to be 450, then the URL will be:  https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/giantesses/images/5/5a/Gif_Photoshop_Tutorial_Muestra_1.gif/revision/latest/ scale-to-height-down/450 ?cb=20171220025750 

So you can use it as an avatar in a forum or publish it on other websites that do not tolerate animated GIFs with high resolutions like tumblr (maximum tolerated width: 500px).

Why is this process slow?
It's not slow! In fact it is the fastest and most efficient that there is in a way that guarantees quality. For those who are just learning, this is slow, but with practice and experience it is gaining speed.

Are there situations in which it is not necessary to animate?
The blinking or when a character "speaks". When it is said that it is not necessary, it is because you are not forbidden to do so.