Animated Storytelling with GIFs
Creating an Animated Story GIF in Photoshop
Animation is a limitless medium for telling stories. Using GIFs, which are file types known for their support of animation, you can tell short stories. These stories can be simple or complex. GIFs can be converted video, a series of photographs, or even drawings/images that have come to life!
Follow these steps to create a looping animated GIF using a video or images in Photoshop:
1. Import a series of photos
Open Photoshop and go to File > Scripts > Load Files into Stack.
Click Browse and locate the photos you want to use. While holding down the Shift key, select all the files and click Open.
Click OK to import the photos into a single layered file.
Note that a number of new layers have been created in the Layers panel on the right side of your workspace.
These individual layers will become the frames of the animated GIF.
Optional: Import a video
If you're starting with a short video, you'll first need to convert the frames of the video into individual layers.
Go to File > Import > Video Frames to Layers....
Locate and select the video file you want to use and click Open.
Click OK to convert the video frames to a single layered file.
Note: Photoshop may not be able to fully import a video that is too long. Use the options in the Import window to limit the amount of frames imported. You can select to import the entire video, or choose just a segment of the video. You can also limit the amount of frames imported to a set interval, such as every 2 frames.
2. Open the Timeline:
Go to Window > Timeline to open the Timeline panel.
Click the arrow on the button in the middle of the panel and select Create Frame Animation. Then click the button to create a new frame animation.
3. Convert layers into animation frames
Click the hamburger menu icon from the upper right corner of the Timeline panel. Click Make Frames From Layers.
This will convert all the layers in the Layers panel into individual frames in your animation.
Click the Play button from the bottom of the Timeline panel (or press the Spacebar on your keyboard) to preview the animation.
Note: If your animation is playing in reverse, click the Timeline menu icon again and select Reverse Frames.
4. Set the animation to loop
Click the repeat menu from the bottom of the Timeline panel and select Forever. This will create a looping animation.
5. Export the animation as a GIF
Go to File > Export > Save for Web (Legacy)...
Select GIF 128 Dithered from the Preset menu.
Select 256 from the Colors menu.
Select Forever from the Looping Options menu.
Click Save... and select a destination for your animated GIF file.
Watch the DEMO video for How to Make an Animated GIF
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x75C4MJjo_A
Links to an external site.
Rotoscoping
Rotoscoping is a technique that dates back to the early days of cinema, when animators would trace live action footage projected frame-by- frame onto paper, either to use as motion reference or directly copy into their work. It is a great way to get started in motion design because you can incorporate captivating movement pretty quickly, without having to know all the principles of animation.
How to Create a Rotoscope Animation in Photoshop
1. Create a new blank document.
2. Open the Timeline panel by going to Window > Timeline
3. In the middle of the Timeline Panel, you will see an option for Create a Frame Animation. Click the arrow to access the drop down menu, click Create Video Timeline.
4. Click the hamburger menu icon from the upper right corner of the timeline panel. Click Set Timeline Frame Rate.
5. Set the Frame Rate to 10 Frames per Second (FPS).
Note: Any frame rate less than 10 will start to make the animation more choppy.
6. Go to File > Place Embedded to bring in the video footage you want to rotoscope.
7. Under Layer menu bar, select Layer>Video Layers>New Blank Video Layer. Now we can start drawing the frames of the video.
8. Set your foreground color to black. Using the Brush tool, select a small, hard brush, and draw the outlines of each frame. Navigate to the next or previous frame with the left and right arrows, or move the playhead on the timeline. Trace as many frames as you’d like in your scenes.
9.Once you've traced as many scenes as you'd like, preview your rotoscoped animation by hiding the original video layer in the layers panel before pressing play.
10. If you are happy with the way it looks, you can then Export the animation as a GIF:
Go to File > Export > Save for Web (Legacy)...
Select GIF 128 Dithered from the Preset menu.
Select 256 from the Colors menu.
Select Forever from the Looping Options menu.
Click Save… and select a destination for your animated GIF file.
Watch the DEMO video for Creating a Rotoscope Animation in Photoshop
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDTU5sg-vJo
Links to an external site.