How to Make a GIF in 3 Easy Steps
GIFs Are Everywhere
As succinctly stated in this Smithsonian article, “Thanks to the humble GIF, no emotions are too big or small to capture in animated image form.” Why just have your students copy other people’s GIFs when they can make their own in less than a minute? Beyond increasing creativity, you also might not want to encourage the use of many popular GIF sources. I’m thrilled to share a more classroom appropriate option that I just learned about.
and then i was like …
The only thing more popular than GIFs and selfies are GIFs made from selfies. and then i was like… is a website that allows you to make a GIF straight from your webcam and browser. Nothing to download, no account required, just 3 easy steps to follow. My 8-year-old was able to make multiple GIFs in a matter of minutes.
How to Make a GIF
Step 1: Record
Just click the record button, and use your webcam to record a 3-second video.
Step 2: Edit
While previewing your clip, you can drag the sliders to adjust your start and stop times. Clips loop by default. You can loop the video in reverse, or choose “back and forth looping to have your clip alternate between playing backward then forwards.
You can also modify the speed of your clip. Speed up your clip as much as 8 times faster than the original recording, or slow it down to 0.25 of its original speed.
Step 3: Download
The best way to save your GIF is by right-clicking on it and selecting “Save Image As…”. Clicking on the icons for Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus allow you to share your GIF to your social channels, but the “Copy Link” and “Copy Embed Code” didn’t work for me.
Have a Favorite Site for Making GIFs?
Share your thoughts in the comments below or on Twitter.
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