What you’ll need:
Photoshop CS (This is tested on CS3, but may work on other creative suites as well.)
MPEG Streamclip (Available here: Squared5)
A video file or Youtube link
Steps:
1. Open up MPEG Streamclip. If you are using a youtube link, open the video through the “Open URL” function. If you are using a file on your hard drive, open through the regular open function.
2. Once the file has opened (and finished loading, if it’s a youtube clip) find the section you’re wanting to make into a gif file. MPEG Streamclip allows for you to go frame by frame using the arrow keys, which lets you be very very accurate. Take advantage of this.
Once you have found the section you want to start at, press the i key on your keyboard. This will mark the “Selection In”, otherwise known as the beginning of your video file. Then, use the arrow keys to find the end of the clip you want.
Note: Don’t make your gif file too long, or it will be too big to bother using. If you want a really high quality gif, it needs to be only a second or two long. If you’re willing to sacrifice quality for length, use a longer clip, and we’ll get to that later.
3. When you have found the ending of your desired clip, press the o key on your keyboard. This is the “Selection Out” option, which will mark the end of your file.
4. Click on File, and then choose an export function. I like to use Export to Quicktime, because I then avoid getting the Divx watermark on my files that come with avi files often. Save the video file to somewhere you can find easily.
5. Now open Photoshop. Go to File -> Import -> Video Frames to Layers. This is where we’ll be making the video into a gif. You’ll get a pop that gives you the option to edit down the video further, which shouldn’t be necessary. If you kept your video short, leave the options to the defaults and click ok.
Note: If you opted to do a longer clip, this is where you’ll be saving on file size. Check the option for “Limit to every # frames”. Every 2 frames should be fine, and the motion will still be pretty fluid. If your clip is really long, and you don’t mind it being jumpy, you can save more space by going every 3 or 4 frames.
6. Go to Window -> Animation. This will allow you to see all of the frames you’ll be working with, and give you the option of playing it.
7. (Optional) This is where you can do edits.
To adjust the image size: Image -> Image Size
To adjust the speed of the frames: Select all of the frames, and then click the black triangle underneath with a second count next to it. I find the speed they set it at, 0.04sec, is way too fast, but 0.1 is a little too slow. Choose a time of your own choosing.
8. Once you have the picture looking like you want to (I don’t know how to add text on top yet, I’m sorry), click on File -> Save for Web & Devices. Click the 4-Up tab so you can see the different options you have. You can adjust the colours and stuff. I tend to like taking the larger files, simply because the colours stay true for the most part.
9. PROFIT! Really, it’s that simple. It might seem a little tricky at first, but it’s really easy to get into the routine of it. I can normally get a pile of gif files out in a few minutes, because all I do is adjust the size.
The Finished Product!
I hope this tutorial has helped people! If you found it useful, please leave a comment below, I’d really appreciate it!
You. Are. Awesome.
excellent article! Thanks