REQUESTED GIF TUTORIAL:
I was requested to make a gif tutorial, by @thatgirljazz: “Hiii. This is random but would you ever consider making a big gif tutorial? They’re so amazinggggg. Thanks. Stay safe.”
So here it is!! (All done on Photoshop)
There are multiple ways to gif, let me start off with that. I used to use the ‘video frames to layers’ option, however I’ve found that it’s a bit more difficult to get my gifs to their full quality potential, as I find using ‘video frames to layers’ make my gifs slightly more laggy/choppy. In any case, there are tons of other tutorials on tumblr which uses that process to get your frames.
In short, I use the screen capping method. First, I’ll go ahead and gather all the screenshots of the scene I want, before I start to gif.
(I currently use MPV to screenshot, but MPlayer is what i’ve used in the past and it works fine for the most part. I use 2160p files as much as I can, and this aids in my gifs being higher quality—I will say that if you plan to gif in 2160p, MPV is the better choice. MPlayer works fine for 1080p files, but 2160p files are too large and it will run extremely laggy.
Once your files have been screenshotted, open Photoshop and follow these steps: File > Scripts > Load Files Into Stack
This is where your screenshots will show up, before importing them fully into Photoshop. Click browse, select your screenshots, then click “OK.”
Next, make sure that your “Timeline” is open.
Window > Timeline, then click "Create Frame Animation."
Next, click the three little lines on the top right of your Timeline tab. It should bring up a list of options. (Pictured below)
First, select "Make Frames From Layers," next, you'll have to reopen the tab, select "Select All Frames," and once more, open the tab and select "Reverse Frames" **It's really important to reverse them, or your gif will be backwards**
Making sure all frames are selected, click the number on the bottom of any frame, and change the number to whatever speed you choose. (I use 0.06, but if you'd like it a bit slower than the speed of my gifs, I recommend using 0.08. depending on the video, you may have to play around with it.)
Next, click the button on the bottom left of the timeline to convert it into a video timeline. (The one that looks like three horizontal lines, with a vertical line through it.)
Making sure all frames are selected, go to Filter > Convert for Smart Filters.
The steps following are where you get to be more creative, and choose your own settings.
I use the Crop Tool (C) to crop my gifs. For big gifs, I use 540px for the width, because that's Tumblr’s recommendation. (Ratios are included in the next picture.)
After cropping, it’s time to add sharpening. I use Smart Sharpen, and Gaussian Blur, there are many different sharpening tutorials posted around Tumblr.
And then, I add my colouring. I’ve already posted a colouring tutorial, click here to read.
Once you have your gif how you’d like it, it’s time to save. Click File > Export > Save for Web (Legacy)...
Make sure your gif is under 10MB if you’re going to post on tumblr. 10MB is the maximum it will allow you to post.
Below I have my settings pictured:
Lastly, save your gif, and you’re done!
Finished result:
(Feel free to DM me if you have any questions.)
