Avatar Garage

[MKA]

Can somebody help me get started on making an animation gif?

Is there a free program to use with instructions on how to do it?

What I want to do is take a few clips from a mpg movie and photoshop a couple pictures in it and make a little scene. Like the Zidane gifs where people photoshpped things into the animation.

So what do I need?

[Stuey]

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Can somebody help me get started on making an animation gif?

Is there a free program to use with instructions on how to do it?

What I want to do is take a few clips from a mpg movie and photoshop a couple pictures in it and make a little scene. Like the Zidane gifs where people photoshpped things into the animation.

So what do I need?

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Here is link a tutorial I made earlier.

I am hesitant to give much advice on the how tos of this stuff as I am pretty sure I am doing things the hard way. So anyone that knows of an easier way please help me.

I find I can do almost anything with just imageready7. The trick is learning how to use the program to get it to do what you want. What you describe...

Like the Zidane gifs where people photoshpped things into the animation.

is actually pretty easy to do. I do it by just adding a layer to the animation and placing it in the proper place in each frame. A layer is like a sheet of acetate some parts has images on them and the rest is transparent allowing layers below to show through. So when stacked one on top of the other and by moving the layers in different ways in each frame you create motion.

Layers can be positioned in many ways. The order they are stacked is very important and greatly effects your result. At the same time you can slide/rotate/resize/skew them in any direction (they don't have to be stacked evenly). Plus you can change the "type of transparency" of each layer. Allowing just certian colors to "bleed though" while blocking others. There are lots of other variables you can control and by using a combination of these anything can me done.




This is a very simple concept and once you learn how to use it you can make things that appear very advanced. Just getting the 30 day trial of photoshop/imageready cs2 and reading the help/tutorials in it would be more than enough info to learn to do what you discribe. I warn you though it is boring stuff to learn. Once you get a few key ideas though you can pretty much learn stuff by just experimenting . I experiment by trying to make people things they request and it is a much funner way to learn.

[Stuey]

Below is a list of software and tools use in creating avatars.

Image editors

GIMP All about GIMP
Freeware I have never used but sounds very good.

Photoshop CS2 (Imageready comes with this)
You can get a free 30day trial of this program I can't link that to you though as you need to register to get to that page. Just look around on that site you will find it.

Ulead GIF Animator
I have never used this one but it might be worth looking at the free 15 day trial it is always highly rated.

Image converters

I find I can do everything I need with WMM(windows movie maker) and it is included with windows.

Super C
I have not used it but seems like an awesome tool and it is free.

Screen Capture Software

ZD Soft
I like this one and it is all I use currently.

Firefox extension called unplug
This seems like a great tool I just found it and have not used it much yet.

Other people should quote this post and edit it if they know of better programs that should be added.

[ChipWrecked]

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http://artfiles.art.com/images/-/Linda-H...-C10034590.jpeg

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Hiya Amp,

You would think a still image like this would be easy to convert to an avatar but often these are the hardest.



In the past you have pointed out lots of stuff that makes good avatars great so I am sure this is not what you wanted. The image is just to stong for a 80x80 frame. It loses the details that make the original so good. I can fram it closer and get the good details of her face but the picture is better when the whole thing is in view with the gun and her buff arms. The image is also rectangular and to resize it without ruining it they need to be square. So it poses lots of problems. Here was a quick idea I had to try and get around some of these things.



Best I can think of at the moment and the timing and the panning is not as smooth as I would like but I was not sure it was worth putting the time into getting this right.

Edit: or maybe we can have her cocking the gun?

meh I don't like that one at all.

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I think the one-handed shotgun pump would be the clip to use.

[slush fund]

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could i please get a moving one from so i married an axe murderer. mike myers dad with this face

and at the end saying ORLY? thanks

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I have been looking I can't find a source for this. Is this close?

Anyways just wanted to let you know I am not ignoring you but I am stuck. I will get it someday I am sure.

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i appreciate you looking for me. i was looking around that site and how about the clip from Anchorman where Jack Black kicks Baxter off the bridge and where he says, "that's how i roll" ending it with PWNED!! thanks again

[Knuckles]

If you are up for one more can I get from :06 to :09 from this video made into an avatar, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IR_tq0fsjU

[DukeSucks]

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If you are up for one more can I get from :06 to :09 from this video made into an avatar, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IR_tq0fsjU

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[Knuckles]

Thanks alot that kicks ass.

[Stuey]

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I think the one-handed shotgun pump would be the clip to use.

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[uberoval]

How hard would it be to make one from tha scene in "The Jerk" where Navin is looking at those "defective" oil cans spring leaks then it pans to the hillside where the sniper is shooting at him. Thanks way in advance.