TIPS FOR MAKING QUALITY GIFS
hello everyone! every so often I get an ask or a dm asking for tips on making quality gifs! I’ve decided to make this post with tips on how to make the best possible gifs, tumblr’s tagging system, and how to get the best possible traction for your posts. it will also serve as a masterpost for extensive and helpful gif tutorials, as this is not quite a tutorial. this post assumes you already know how to make a gif, or alternatively it can help you find amazing tutorials that can teach you.
I make my gifs on photopea, a free online version of photoshop. check out the sourceblog @photopeablr and I also have a personal resource blog @rosecolouredresources.
okay, tips and tutorials under the cut!
FILE SIZE
for me (and I think most all gifmakers would agree), making quality gifs starts with the file size of the footage you’re using. for hq gifs you’re going to want to be working with at least 720p. 1080p is what I suggest you use, and of course 4k is the best of the best, but 4k can come with its challenges (which I will get into later). when downloading I always try to download MKV files. here's a little information about mkv vs. mp4 files.
- 720p or lower
if all you can find is lower quality files (720p or lower) don’t fret; there are ways you can make the footage appear more HQ. there are two methods @hellboys has tutorials for. this one uses will explain how to use noise and this one is the updated version explaining how to use grain.
- 1080p
I personally use 1080p footage, with the average file size being around 20gb. files that size aren’t necessarily needed to make hq gifs but it is my personal preference to use files that size, as they make crisp, clear gifs without frequently crashing photopea (the way 4k footage does). I always look for the word "REMUX" on downloads, if possible. remux is short for remultiplex and it is quite complicated but this just essentially means that it is a straight rip from a bluray, thus making it of higher quality.
- 4k
4k files will undoubtedly give you the best quality footage, but when using photopea I just don't find the hassles to be worth the difference in quality. 4k frames take much longer to load because they are much bigger, and often i run out of RAM and it crashes the website on me. i can't speak to how it works on photoshop, but I believe 4k is much easier to manage on photoshop if that's what you use!
if you need help finding websites for downloading, reddit is a great place to start, or you can send me a dm and I'll try my best to help you find a website that works for you.
FRAMES
I use the method of importing frames to make gifs. something important to note, if you use this method too, is to not skip frames. this can make the gif appear choppy and of lower quality.
TUMBLR DIMENSIONS
make sure you're using the proper dimensions for tumblr! this will affect the quality when uploaded! here are the proper dimensions for tumblr by @photoshopshitilike.
NOTE: these dimensions are still correct but your gif doesn't have to be under 3mb. the most recently updated size for gifs is 10mb.
SHARPENING
sharpening is an integral step in making hq gifs. I personally am terrible at sharpening, so this action by @bloompsds saved my life. as they state in their caption this is a sharpen action for photopea, and it may look totally different in photoshop. one thing to note about this action is it was made for photos in mind not gifs, so there is an extra layer you must delete (example photo below, the first frame that says copy needs to be deleted)
I'll list some sharpening tutorials or tutorials that cover sharpening for photoshop at the end.
GIF SPEED
gif speed is something that is more personal preference for people, some prefer slower gifs and some prefer more natural speed gifs. the most popular speed for photoshop is .05; for photopea the equivalent of this is about 200% (this is the speed I use). below I will explain further why I suggest using a .05/200% speed for most gifs.
COLOURING
colouring is a very important part of the process, I however don't think I am the right person to teach colouring. i'll link some great tutorials at the end.
TUMBLR TAGGING SYSTEM
this tutorial on the tumblr tagging system by @sourceblogcentral is EXTREMELY helpful for new creators and I suggest following it and learning the best tags for your specific post.
GAINING TRACTION
in my experience the best way to gain traction for your gifsets besides making sure your gifs are of high quality, is to try and get your gifsets reblogged by sourceblogs. a sourceblog is a blog dedicated to different fandoms, genres, or type of media. for example there are sourceblogs for characters, fandoms, movies, tv, gaming, etc.
many sourceblogs will only reblog high quality content and gifs that are of "proper" speed.
though there is no proper speed, and some people prefer slower gifs, this is a reason I suggest .05/200% speed.
of course put your gifs at the speed you like best, especially if traction and exposure are not important to you. I just wanted to mention this, as it took me a long time to realize my posts weren't being reblogged by sourceblogs because of the speed I set them at.
TUTORIAL MASTERLIST
extensive gif tutorials — photoshop
how to: make high quality gifs by @cal-kestis
gif making guide for beginners by @galindaelphaba
gif tutorial by @kylos
gifmaking for beginners by @hayaosmiyazaki
my gif process by @jenna--ortega
extensive gif tutorials — photopea
how to make a gif with photopea by @lacebird
free giffing tutorial by @ashleysolsen
sharpening tutorials
sharpening tutorial by @football
sharpening tutorial by @anya-chalotra
colouring tutorials
simple coloring tutorial by @bottoms-movie
color manipulation tutorial by @usergif
coloring tutorial by @rosamundpkes
gif coloring tutorial by @miwtual
color correcting and fixing dark scenes by @kylos
coloring tutorial by @magnusedom
guide to coloring yellow tinted shots by @ajusnice
coloring tips for tinted scenes by @tesb
subtitles, fonts, and watermarks
your guide to gif subtitles by @clubgif
your guide to font pairing by @clubgif
a guide to watermarking by @kitconnor
