session one.
step one:
choose a video file.in this workshop, we will be working on making GIFs from videos. please choose a video file (usually .mp4 or .m4v) to use.
pro tip: remember to look at resolution! something in 1080p is going to be much higher quality than 720p. 1080p is the highest you can get, so aim for that if you can! there's usually something in the video name or description that says what the resolution is.
step two:
download the video file.if your video file is already on your computer (like a television show you can't stop watching lol), great! if not, use this website to download the video file.
step three:
open Photoshopi use ps6 and so all of my instructions will be from this. i'll try and translate into ps5, but i will have trouble with gimp.
step four:
"import video frames to layers"step five:
select a video from your computerstep six:
actually import video frames to layersthis step can get confusing if you've never done it before, so don't panic!
this is what the screen will look like once you've selected your video file to import to layers. it's asking you "wow, that's a lot of frames - are you sure you want them all?" and chances are good you don't.
to scan the video, use the arrow outlined in
blue. this allows you to scan through the video to find the scene you're looking for.
once you've found it, go to the arrows in
green - they allow you to tell ps6 to only cut that specific scene. so drag the arrows just to the left and just to the right of your
blue arrow.
now, go up to the arrow outlined in
yellow - push play. this allows you to watch the part of the video you've outlined. if everything you want to gif has been played, great! if not, play around with the
green arrows until you've got the clip you want.
notice where all of my arrows are.
LOOK AT THE BLUE CIRCLE TO THE LEFT.
the "use selected range only" should automatically select as soon as you move the green-circled arrows.
REMEMBER TO SELECT AND LIMIT TO EVERY TWO FRAMES. it makes life so much easier by turning 80 frames into 40 frames without losing quality.
as soon as you're done picking your frames, click the
ok button.
step seven:
the framesthis should be the screen you get. from here, it's time to decide which frames exactly you want in your GIF.
see the layers/frames at the bottom? you can delete frames from here! the layers will still be on the right, but they won't show up in your GIF.
delete any extra frames you have (you should have a lot of extras! there are usually 150-200 frames in a cut and you'll only need about 35 of them)
if you find yourself with 50 frames that you need to keep: delete every 4th frame - you can usually avoid major weird things if you do every 4th.
aim to have between 30 and 35 frames!
step eight:
the croppingfind the cropping tool (circled in blue) and crop to your heart's content! try to crop and not re-size, unless you're keeping the dimensions equal!
step nine:
the speedyou've got your GIF cropped! all you need now is the speed. see the number .12 circled in blue at the bottom? select all of your frames (at the bottom) and click that button (the .12). it's usually set at a standard .04, but whatever number it is will work. my standard speed is .12, but feel free to play around with it as much as you like until you get it right for you!
step ten:
save it.file > save for webthe screen should look just like this. these are basically the presets and your system shouldn't be different (unless you've been messing with them, which is awesome, just switch 'em back!). at this point, you should be able to click OK and be done! name that GIF and
post it here.this is my GIF cropped to galaxy cauldron avatar size with a speed of .04
this is my GIF cropped to tumblr size with a speed of .12
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i hope this has helped! please post your GIF by
saturday, february 14th and tell us about how you implemented the lessons learned so we can offer some critique!
lessons learned this week:- how to choose and download quality video
- how to import video frames to layers
- layer selection
- cropping
- speed
these are the things we will critique on.
next lesson: posted saturday, february 21stour next lesson will be on styling these GIFs. we'll learn about premade PSD files and image filters. if there's anything else you'd like to learn about (textures, text, gradients, etc.) please let me know and i'll add it to the next workshop session.
you all are the best - i can't wait to see what you create!
(also, please let me know if there's anything i can do to help you!)