#gifmakerresource

[shaunashipman]

Air in my lungs 'til the road begins As the last of the bugs leave their homes again And I'm splittin' the road down the middle For a minute, the world seemed so simple

— The View Between Villages (Extended), Noah Kahan

for @loverboyilya who's been waiting for this set since december

[avadaniels]

i've been wanting to share a gif-making tutorial for a long time, and since i recently hit 5000 followers i'm finally posting it!! i've collected a lot of resources and learned a lot of tricks over the years, and i'm very happy to finally share them with you all. i've included an overview of my full gifmaking process, as well as downloadable PS actions, PSDs, sharpening, and more, so hopefully this is helpful to both beginners and experienced gifmakers alike!! ✨

here is a folder of all the resources from this tutorial. all of them will also be linked individually below, along with any other websites and software that i recommend!

Video Downloaders/Resources

The first step of gif-making is to get your hands on a video file for the content you want to gif. The reality is that the most reliable way to access high quality versions of movies & tv shows is through t*rrenting, and in order to t*rrent, you need a paid VPN. I will recommend free alternatives for everything where at all possible, but a couple of investments will save you a lot of effort and give you access to waaaaay more stuff.

VPN (paid) - I use Surfshark, any paid VPN should work, find whichever has the best deal

T*rrent client - i use qBitt*rrent

Magnet link sites: Eztv, ThePirateBay, uIndex, 1337x, LimeT*rrents, T*rrentLeech

Video Guidelines: I usually use files that are 1080p quality. I used to use 2160p quality files almost exclusively, but it takes way longer, and with a good quality 1080p file, the result is basically just as good. In order to find a good file, check the file size before you download it. For a 1 hour tv show episode, you want a file around 3 or 4 GB. Anything under 1 GB won't give you a good result.

More options for downloading other kinds of videos:

Video DownloadHelper (paid) - download directly from video platforms! you get a couple downloads for free, but the paid version is worth it for me. Pros: works instantly so you dont have to wait for the t*rrent file to be posted, works on lots of sites, pay once/no subscription. Cons: no embedded subtitles.

Dropout-dl (free) - Command line downloader for Dropout.tv. Pros: free, works instantly, embedded subtitles, and always creates a separate searchable subtitle file. Cons: very technical setup. For this one, you will also need Docker.

VideoProc Converter (free version) - good for downloading YouTube, and extracting embedded subtitles from video files (5 minute limit on the subtitle thing)

Screencaps

The next step is to convert your video to screencap images.

mpv

sample mpv.conf file

I use mpv to make my screencaps because it's the most efficient, in my opinion. In order to set it up, you have to edit the settings in the "mpv.conf" file. Mine is located here: C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\mpv. I've linked a sample of the settings I use above. I recommend changing the screenshot-directory to a different folder for your screencaps. I organize my screencaps in numbered folders to keep track of them.

Image Software

I use Photoshop CS6 version, from this link:

birdyresources photoshop

more (free) photoshop links

The other software you can use is Photopea. There's lots of tutorials for that on photopeablr!

Importing Screencaps to Photoshop

In Photoshop, go to File -> Scripts -> Load Multiple DICOM Files. Then, paste the file path of one of your screencap folders into the pop-up.

Creating Gif Smart Object

First off: if your screencaps have a black border anywhere, crop it out, making sure that "Delete Cropped Pixels" is selected.

Next, there are a bunch of steps to be able to work with your screencaps in Photoshop. I have all of those steps saved as Actions.

download all my photoshop actions

how to use my actions

For a full description of how my actions work, how to use them, and a description of every action, I created a separate post just for that! It was a little too long to include here lol. It's not necessary to read the whole thing; feel free to just start using the first action and figure it out with trial and error if you want!

Coloring Layers

It's kind of hard to describe the coloring process, so I've provided several PSDs of gif colorings that you are free to use!

coloring PSD folder

Here's a list of the adjustment layers I usually use, in the order I add them: Exposure, Levels, Curves, Brightness, Vibrance, (then i make a new folder for just the coloring layers) Channel Mixer, Color Balance, Hue/Saturation x many, Selective Color x many

If you take a look at the Louis file in the PSD folder, than you can see all the layers I used to go achieve this coloring:

Add captions

Next, add captions and anything else you want on your gif. This is the font I use for captions:

Arial Rounded MT Bold

Here are the text settings I use. In order to add Layer Styles, right-click on your text layer and click 'Blending Options'.

Export and fix gif speed

Now that the gif is ready with all of the right layers, export it by going to File -> Save for Web. (This takes a while to load as photoshop is putting everything together.) These are the export settings I use:

When the window pops-up, make sure to change the looping option to forever, and then you can save your gif. I also highlighted the area where it shows the final file size of the gif. This needs to be under 10MB, or else tumblr won't allow you to upload it.

This result is good, but when you first export it, the speed of the frames is wrong.

In order to fix the speed: open the .gif file in Photoshop, select all the frames, and change the speed to 0.05 seconds. Repeat the Save for Web step, and overwrite your previous .gif file when you save it. (You can also double check that the gif loops 'Forever' at the very bottom.)

And here's our final gif!

Repeat these steps as needed for the rest of the gifs in the scene. Remember to check out my action pack to save a lot of time on repeated steps!

Here's some additional tips and tricks for giffing to make your life easier:

Tips for skin tone

I often spend a lot of time ensuring that the skin tones of the people in my gifs look natural. It's very important to represent people's skin tones accurately, and it's not acceptable to whitewash or colorwash people of color's skin tones.

Here are some tutorials I've found very helpful:

fix orange-washed characters

channel mixer tutorial

A lot of shows these days have really pale and muted palettes, so Vibrance really helps to add saturation and dimension. If the subject looks too pale/whitewashed, increase the saturation and deepness of the Yellow and Red colors using Selective Color layers.

this is the before/after impact of two layers, Vibrance and Red Selective Color:

If the subject looks too yellow or orange, neutralize these tones using Selective Color and Hue/Saturation layers:

before/after:

Tips for recoloring

I recently posted a small tutorial that goes over my recoloring process, such as in the example below of changing the background from neutral yellow to blue. It also goes over some more complicated gif effects.

coloring + moving film strip tutorial

Other tips and tutorials

For Curves layers, I don't use the eyedropper method. I just click on the line to adjust it myself, making the darks darker and lights lighter. This gives the gif a lot more dimension and contrast.

Selective Color tutorial - change the color of shadows

Text effects tutorial

Usergif tutorial directory - tutorials for basically anything you want to learn!

Every gif is different - sometimes, even two shots of the same person in the same scene can have drastically different lighting and color-grading from each other. I recommend playing around with the values in the adjustment layers a lot to fit your gifs as needed. You can also reduce the opacity of layers to lessen their effect, or duplicate layers to increase their effect. (I often reuse coloring layers and make these changes, so it's a real method!)

THANK YOU SO MUCH for reading my gif tutorial, I hope it was helpful to you!! My goal is to spread the love and resources for gifmaking far and wide, so everyone can make gifs as beautifully and easily as possible. I hope you have a nice day and don't hesitate to send me any questions you might have about any of my tutorials or resources! 🥰

[boyd-stevens]

SHARPENING TUTORIAL — requested by anon

Edit: Here is the action, after anon requested it. First and foremost, I apologize ahead of time because this is not going to be an action. At the end of the tutorial, I'm going to include a link to a PSD with the smart filters plugged in. So you don't have to go through the trouble of loading an action and then playing it. Before we get started, this will only be compatible with photoshop. Also, you must have a basic knowledge of giffing and photoshop and how to convert all your layers for smart filters. If you cannot do that, this tutorial might not be for you.

Go to Filter > Smart Sharpen. Amount should be set to 500%, then your radius amount must be set to 0.4px. Make sure you remove the Gaussian Blur, and don't touch any of the other settings.

Go to Filter > Smart Sharpen. Amount should be set to 20% - 40% (play around with it, see what looks good). Radius should be set to 20px (again, play around with it, see what looks good).

Go to Filter > Camera Raw Filter. Find the Effects tab. Texture should be anywhere from +25 to +45 (sometimes, depending on the movie, I have it in the high 60s or 80s). Then set Clarity anywhere from 10 to 25 (again, it all depends on the movie, play around with the sliders). Find the Detail Tab next. Set the Sharpening anywhere from 5 - 15. Set Noise Reduction anywhere from 10 - 20.

Go to Filter > Other > High Pass. The radius should be .4px, then go to the blending options and set it to soft light, or screen. I usually set mine to soft light.

The last step is the blurring. It subtracts a little bit of the grain that the denoise didn't cancel out. Set the radius to 1px, and then go to blending options and set it anywhere from 10% to 25%. Click here to download the psd with the coloring included. It will load as one screencap and the smart filters will be there. You're going to window the psd and then drag the smart filter settings to the caps of your choosing.

[giftober]

✨🎉Welcome gifmakers to Giftober´s 5th edition!🎉!✨

Yes! this is our fifth challenge together, and I wanted to thank you all for making this a fun tradition we share every October. I couldn't be more excited to kick off the 5th round of prompts with you!

This year I added some special days as prompts to make it more festive and some alternative prompts to specifically show off your gifmaking skills.

As you know, the goal of these October 31 prompts is to especially inspire, encourage and support the work of gifmakers. Let's celebrate everything they create to keep their fandoms alive and thriving! 💗

📌HOW TO JOIN:

Reblog this post. (Optional but encouraged.) Create a gifset inspired by the daily prompts. Tag your posts with #giftober2025. Caption your gifsets: • Regular days → @giftober 2025 | Day #: "prompt" (Recommended) • Festive days → "World [Day]" + @giftober 2025 | Day #: "prompt" (Optional — You don't have to mention the special day if you don't want to)

📌IMPORTANT:

Make your own gifs. I won't reblog reposted gifs, gifs taken from the Tumblr search results or anything AI-generated. No explicit content. All fandoms are welcome! As long as you all respect each other! ☝

💌 FAQ page (app post) | inbox

SAVE THE DATE: OCTOBER 1ST!📅 Can’t wait to see you all there and all your beautiful creations! ✨🪄

Ele :))

(The prompt written list and tagged blogs under the cut.)

REMEMBER: These prompts are just to spark your creativity, is totally up to you how you interpret them.

Celebrations *Giftober celebrates its 5th edition!*

Cities/Towns

Close-up Smile *World Smile Day*

Looking up.

Buildings

Redheads

Windows

Flags

Injured/Wounded

Something gigantic

Roads/Streets/Paths

Diversity *Respect for Cultural Diversity Day*

Shopping/Paying for something

First time (in anything)

Free Choice

Cooking/ Having a meal *World Food Day*

Saying "I love you" (romantic/platonic)

Blondes

Looking at (any) screen

Outer space

Cursing

Lake/Sea/Oceans

Death

Envy/Jealousy

The Arts *International Artist Day*

Something tiny

Exercising/Working out

Brunettes

Shiny/Glowing

Hope

Costumes *Halloween*

ALT prompts

Of course you can use effects with any prompt but if a regular one doesn't click for you, make anything you want focusing on one of these.

Coloring

Transitions

Layouts

Blending

Overlay

Typography

Note1: Day 12 is listed as "Respect for Cultural Diversity Day," as we call it in Argentina. Other Latin American countries may use a different name, but we all commemorate the same day.

Note2: On Day 25, "the arts" commonly refers to painting, acting, dancing, and music, but all forms of art are welcome!

(Thanks@4marvels-universe for your help and patience, you´re gold! 💗)

Everyone mentioned or tagged are warmly invited to join and share this post. Every reblog is greatly appreciated!🙏 💗

@sersi @madeline-kahn @avasillva @simonghostrileys @andrew-garfielld @userpeggycarter @crowley-anthony @sculien @magnusedom @glindauplland

@troublefindsme @manny-jacinto @daisyssousa @scottxlogan @everythingsouthasian @jennifertilly @eddiediaaz @antoniosvivaldi @heatherfield @pensbridgerton

@jakeperalta @screengifs @pedrospascaled

@oscar-isaac @nicola-coughlan @miss-carter

@hoult-nicholas @cinderellasfella @nataliescatorccio @nick-nellson

@milesgmorales @laurabenanti @linusbenjamin @morgana-pendragon @djarin @lucy-sky

@bo-katan @derekklenadaily @nico-n-daya @cutterpillow92

@crystal-bytes @cryscendo @t-u-i-t-c @uyallstars @xxdrixx @uuuhshiny @walterkov @the-kipsabian

[mikelogan]

TJ MIKELOGAN's HALLOWEEN HORROR 2025 EVENT

RULES:

Use my tag #USERTJ when you post your creations so I can see and reblog them

Include "TJ MIKELOGAN's HALLOWEEN HORROR 2025 EVENT" + the day's prompt in your caption

This year's event will focus only on horror media

Reblog this post!

THINGS TO KNOW:

As always, this event is open to anyone who wants to participate - gifmakers, graphicmakers, editors, etc. - and you don't have to be following me! Create gifsets, graphics, moodboards, whatever you enjoy. Your entries will be reblogged as long as they are original creations made by you (no reposting allowed).

You can do as many or as few prompts as you want - do all 31 days, just one, or somewhere in between. You can also post entries late, after the designated day has passed, but I won't reblog entries early (I'm CST). You may also combine prompts!

The prompts are open to interpretation! Stick to them as loosely or as rigidly as you see fit. Compared to the past two years, I made this year's prompts purposely more open-ended to allow for more wiggle room.

When I reblog your creations, I will tag them as #halloween25event and my own will be tagged as #*halloween25

Make sure to check out others' entries throughout the month and support your fellow creators by REBLOGGING! Even if you're not participating in the event yourself, please do the same and remember that gifsets (tags or comments) are not the place for critiquing or complaining about a piece of media.

If you have any questions at all, please feel free to send me an ask or a DM and I'll answer as soon as I'm able! Previously answered questions about the event will be tagged as #halloween25ask

PROMPTS:

DAY 1: Horror television DAY 2: Horror icons (characters, actors, etc.) DAY 3: Horror series/franchises DAY 4: POC in horror DAY 5: Wardrobe appreciation DAY 6: Music in horror (musicals, soundtracks, etc.) DAY 7: Generational/familial horror DAY 8: Favorite horror director DAY 9: LGBTQ+ horror DAY 10: Final girls DAY 11: Period horror DAY 12: Horror scenery DAY 13: Horror parallels DAY 14: Folk horror DAY 15: Colors DAY 16: Elevated horror DAY 17: Supernatural and the occult DAY 18: Monsters and creatures DAY 19: Horror and the four seasons (spring, summer, winter, and fall) DAY 20: Quotes DAY 21: Haunted houses DAY 22: Black horror DAY 23: Horror villains DAY 24: Symbolism DAY 25: Horror tropes DAY 26: Foreign horror DAY 27: Horror subgenres DAY 28: Animated horror DAY 29: Scream queens and kings DAY 30: Classic horror DAY 31: Horror themes

2024 Event + Creations 2023 Event + Creations

Below the cut, I'm tagging those who showed interest in participating or have participated in the past. Regardless of why you're tagged, please don't feel obligated and know that signal boosting this post is just as appreciated!

@alexisrosemullens @laurabenanti @kizzyedgelll @courtney-miller @six-demon-bag @loveisdumb @mvthr @thepunkpanther @anyataylorjoys @miwtual @beetlejuce @sculien @graceashcroft @antlerqueer @taiturner @evilvvithin @swkywalker @emziess @elwintersoldado @vinnymauro @talesfromthecrypts @withered-rose-with-thorns @showyoumyfavoriteobsession @feralgodmothers @sylkiagathario @miss-lauryn-hill @buffyscmmers @sdktrs12 @maybethistimemegz @multiverse-of-multifandoms @bigbraidenergy @brilliantrosetyler @impalachick @nemobeatrice @icemankazansky @charmedslayer @blueskiesandstarrynights @laufeysons @robin-buckely @animusrox

[gifevents]

It’s time for a Pride Month event!

This event is inspired by Gilbert Baker’s original eight-striped Pride flag, where each colour represented a different aspect of queer life – each of those will be daily prompts for this event. Your gifset doesn’t have to correspond with the colour, just the meaning itself, but if you’re up for the extra challenge then go for it! The event will run from 10th-17th June, and you can either work with one (or more) of the daily prompts below, or post something any day of the event that fits with the general theme.

Day 1. Sex Day 2. Life Day 3. Healing Day 4. Sunlight Day 5. Nature Day 6. Magic/Art Day 7. Serenity Day 8. Spirit

As always, you can interpret these prompts however you like and apply them to whichever pieces of media you like (though in this case, please do keep the queer theme in mind). Just make sure to mention this blog and event in your caption, and tag #gifevents and/or #gifevent5 if you want me to reblog it! You don’t have to be following me to take part, but please reblog this post if you’re getting involved (or even if you’re not getting involved but just want to help spread the word, which would be very much appreciated!) and feel free to message if you have any questions.

[lostloves]

gif psd pack #1 by @lostloves

hi everyone! this is a little late but... i hit 1k followers last july ✨ it also happened to be the 10th anniversary of this blog (wild!!). this milestone means the world to me, so i knew i wanted to make something special to thank you guys. this pack contains 8 psds from some of my favorite gifsets that i made over the years:

from up on poppy hill - example

mulan - example

spirited away - example

rise of the guardians - example

ponyo - example

your name - example

yuri on ice - example

tangled - example

these psds mostly highlight the blues, purples, and pinks in your gifs, giving them a nice pale/pastel coloring. you may need to tweak some layers depending on the scene, but i hope this helps you out when you're giffing anime or animated films! feel free to tag me #userlostloves in your creations 💗

please like or reblog if you use or plan to use. if you want to support me, consider buying me a kofi ☕ thank you! 🥺💕

download the pack here.

edit (05 sept 2025): now updated with a new link! 💌

[laurabenanti]

A couple people expressed interest in this template (used here) after I showed it in a server. I want to give everyone access to it, so rather than have others suffer as I did, you can now find it here!

What you'll need: - Basic understanding of giffing w/ timeline - Basic understanding of using keyframes

If you're uncertain about anything with this template, my ask is always open. I am happy to help however I can. My one ask is that you please provide proper credit if using (aka link back to here in the caption of your post). Happy giffing!