i wanted to start a new tag game/trend for the end of the year because i thought this would be fun heheh and i'd love to see everyone's results!
1. find the first gif you made this year and remake it to see if your style has changed over the course of the year.
i didn't even look at the first one before jumping in to regiffing it and i had no idea it would end up this different omg i'm not sure which i like better honestly LOL but it changing so much is fun!
2. has your style changed since the beginning of this year? how?
i had no idea but i guess the answer is yes? LMAOO i actually didn't gif much this year. i had a major case of creative burnout from my last job and quit in feb and it honestly got worse before it got better??? and i have only really recovered in recent months i think. so i think i lost some of my previous style and habits after making only like 10 sets the entire first half of the year.
looking back on those sets though, i think i got better at figuring out how to make coloring and lighting more consistent, especially on faces, without it looking stupid LJKDSFLKSF and i think i'm also getting better over time at not making shit too red. i feel like i add more cyan to my red selective color layers than ever before and i think that's a good thing LOL
3. are there any tools/techniques/layers you use more or differently than you did at the beginning of this year?
i think i use color balance a lot more than i used to! i used to use it in the past, but i rely on it more now than ever and it's awesome. i feel like i learned a lot more about curves this year too and use it differently now, but i find that to be a very confusing layer so there is still more to learn LJKFJLKSD and i think i use the brightness/contrast layer less now too.
4. did you learn anything new related to gifmaking this year? if yes, what?
as previously mentioned, i learned more about curves!
i always knew you could use the hand tool to make whatever curve is utilized in that part of the image brighter or darker, and that you can drag the curve line thing itself to make different areas lighter or darker. but somehow it didn't dawn on me to combine those two things. so now i will sometimes use the curves layer hand tool to make a certain part of the image brighter, then go to the curves line and kinda drag the line up or down at different points. it gives you more control over how the curves change than just using the hand tool to change everything. but you have to be careful because shit can look suuuuper weird if you go to crazy with it LMAO and i'm definitely still learning more about it too so hopefully i will perfect it in 2026!
(also this was hard to explain so if y'all don't know wtf i'm talking about, understandable, and if u would like me to make a tutorial of some kind lmk and i can LKJSDF)
5. what are your three favorite things you've made this year? gifs and graphics both count!
this is way easier than usual since i only made like 15 sets total across all my blogs LMAO so i'll have to sayy in no particular order:
hyunjin's birthday set
yangjeongin's 5th anniversary set
and the pink jeongin set
6. what's one tip you think all gifmakers should know going into a new year of giffing?
select black point and select white point...if y'all ever look at my gifs like "that shit was so dark and discolored, how did she make it look somewhat normal" that is how. you can do this with either a curves or levels layer (i'm ngl it looks the same to me so i'm not sure what difference it makes LKJSFLJKS)
then you'll want to go to the eyedroppers on the left. the top one is to select black point, bottom is to select white point, and middle is to select gray point (but i don't use that one personally). you'll want to use select black point to...select a point on your gif that is supposed to be black, and the same for select white point, just with white. i use this as my very first layer, and do my best to select the darkest part of my gif for black point and the brightest/closest to white part for white point. u might have to click around some to find the right black/white point, because sometimes it will end up way too bright or way too dark.
this one will save ur life trust me. it took me way too long to figure it out and i do not want to live without it now JLSDJLSD
7. any gifmaking goals for the new year?
i would like to do a hyunjin birthday countdown again 🙏 not making one this year made me super sad but it was necessary unfortunately. other than that, i hope to gif more in 2026 in general than i did this year, but i also still refuse to gif when i don't feel like it since this is just a hobby ✊ but i think when i feel like giffing more it's a good sign for me in general so hopefully i can nurture my creativity and have more fun with it next year 💓
8. who do you tag to do this next?
since i just pulled this out of my ass pls anyone who feels like answering these questions do it and say i tagged you i would love to see ur progress and thoughts!!
in the meantime i shall tag:
@hyunpic @wolfchans @hyunsung @i2n8 @shorelinnes @strayklds @linoyes i would tag more people but tumblr is freaking out about it and i can't so Okay </3
making my ocs the patron saints of something | link
tagged by: @lilywatt & @cloudofbutterflies92
patron saint of heartbreak - not of comfort. not of condolences. there is a heart and there is a fissure, a fracture, something that starts to splinter and break open. you're the patron saint of the way a heart is rent open. the way it tears itself apart. patron saint of the rift. patron saint of the gash. when they say to "open your heart" to somebody, you are the patron saint of bleeding out.
patron saint of creation - patron saint of explosions. patron saint of More. patron saint of something new entirely, something unfamiliar, something you can't recognize. was frankenstein's monster an abomination or had his like just never been seen before? you're the patron saint of all those new, beautiful things. you're the patron saint of the monsters, too.
ok real answer: i think you could do an angsty canonverse zosan sooo well + i think itd be really fun to see your take on real angst bc your usual style (as ive seen it) has so much humour imbued even in the serious parts that balances so well, so id lovvve to see your angst at full intensity.
and i KNOW youd CRUSH a fake dating fic i would chew through my own leg for that
+ zolu timeloop......
oughhh ok first ily MWAH and second it's so wild because back in my Dark Ages of ficwriting, i did actually attempt full angst a few times (it was super Edgy and very age-appropriate lmao) and i think maybe that's what's been stopping me from trying again? but honestly it would be a true challenge for me since i haven't finished any full-length canonverse stuff and because i have class clown disease™ that makes me need to lighten every situation with dumb humor LMAO
anyway tldr when i write and dedicate it to you, you just have to promise not to throw rocks even if it's horrible ok ok 🫶
(hides my notes for various fake dating and timeloop fics) haha who would want me to write those.... like, me? and those types of fic? insane if true??? (are you in my walls. can you finish my ellipsus notes for me if you're in there too thanks love u)
maren lavellan (inquisition) just living her life. | adelina de riva (veilguard) sneaking out for business- or pleasure? | neri blackthorne (bg3) living it up with her god husband.
was tagged by @tommyarashikage to use this elf meiker and its sooo cute omg i had to do some girls
tagging: @imogenkol @dollthorne @anoramactir @statichvm @pavus @firstaidspray @bigbywlf @carrionsflower @carlosoliveiraa @shellibisshe @florbelles @strangefable @thedeadthree @roberthouse69 @g0dspeeed @risingsh0t @auricfog @viktorgf @leviiackrman @confidentandgood @courtana @bigbywlf and anyone else who wants to ily (i really hope i didn’t miss anyone aaah)
i was tagged by @hanjisungz @minzbins & @changbeens to share some coloring before + afters (ty beloveds 🥰🥰🥰🥰)
i am NOTORIOUS for color changing to purple so ofc i had to include those tbh. (im also notorious for not saving psds of my gifs so i had to remake one of these......) most of the time i don’t use psds, i color from scratch and try to do minimal color editing if possible. always heavy saturation of colors and extra dark blacks (selective color loml actually) altho recently i’ve been doing that and then sticking on a color overlay to soften everything up and i find that i like my gifs better when i do??
i just find that i have a lot of fun when i go in with no plan and play around to find something that suits my fancy. also i will never not enter that maniac stage gif in this challenge bc that’s my greatest magic to date.
you can find the original posts here: one, two, three, four
and i’ll tag: @usertae @brianbangs @chanstopher @quokki @innielove @leenow @applejongho @agibbangs (only if u want! no pressure 🥰)
