Exercise 8: gif Animation

 

Complete and turn into the DropBox
Folder: lastname_e8
lastname_e8.psd
lastname_e8.gif
assets (always have an assets folder)

Objective:
Create an animated gif. The subject will be of your own choosing. You could animate objects, text, style in Photoshop, or use your camera and use a stop motion technique. Or you could use photographs and animate composited layers.


Image Size:
Do not create an image over 800 x 800. If you bring in images that were taken at a higher resolution, Resize either through Bridge or in Photoshop > Image size

Recommendations:
You must have access to layers.
If working with text, I recommend converting your text layers to either Shape or Raster.
If you have many layers, I recommend moving layers that you do not intend to animate into a Group (basically organize your layers so that they are easy to manage.

Animate:
You can use "stop motion" / "frame by frame" animation OR you can tween.
TWEENING: You can only tween the following:
1. Position
2. Opacity
3. Layer Styles
4. Transform - if you convert to a Smart Object first. You won't be able to Position Tween it though.

It is entirely up to you whether you use Frame or Time Line (I will demo both)
You can loop or have your animation play a specified number of times.

Saving:
Changes to your layers or animated frames must be saved as psd
The animation - in order to play on the internet, must be saved as a gif format.
File > Export > Save for Web and Devices (legacy) - use the 2 or 4 “up” windows.
> Settings:  format gif, adaptive, diffusion, 256 colors, no web snap, lossy 0%

Viewing your animation:
The animation will be viewed on the screen in a browser window. (drag and drop gif onto browser icon).
Test your GIF before turning it in to the drop box on the server.

 

Tutorials:

http://www.bekkahwalker.net/tutorials/animation.html

 

Student Work:

Student Gif Examples

 

Examples (Phenakistoscopes):

Animated Phenakistoscope Disks - (gifs by Bekkah Walker)
Cut Paper
A modern Phenakistoscope - stitched animation on a turntable (and the installation view)
3D Phenakistoscopes: Leaping Frogs || Fish Eating Fish
"Ballet" - Akinori Goto (3D printed kinetic light sculpture)
"Rediscovery of anima" - A funny play on his 3D animation techniques and old animation methods by Akinori Goto

 

GIF Artist LINKS:

Colossal - Blog Site / Many fantastic artists listed here

If We Don't, Remember Me (animating classic films)

Flux Machine (by Kevin Weir, providing a new narrative to old photographs)

Architecture Animee - by 1week1project

 

Other links that have received recognition:

Scorpion Dagger (by James Kerr, using Medieval paintings as a source for new possibilities)

Raphaëlle Martin (animating in the style of Renee Magritte)

dvdp (by David Szakaly, hypnotic)

GIPHY - a site & community devoted to gif animation

The Gifphoscope Award - an award devoted to the animated gif

Motion Photography Prize (2014), or view the entire list on Google+

Related (optical illusions)

AKIYOSHI KITAOKA - optical illusions (static images with the illusion of movement)

The Spinning Dancer