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Box · 04-14-2009

For anyone who is curious about how to create animations.

What you have is a series of images all saved as one file.
the computer then shows each image separately, but fast enough to fool your eyes into thinking it is moving.
It's exactly the same as a movie, it's just that movies have lots more frames.

So, to make these Bagpipes,

you start with a blank page as your first frame,
then copy that blank to make your second frame on which you draw a small line,
copy that frame and create the third frame, add to the line
just continue the process until you have drawn whatever it is you want to draw.

This image has 263 frames, each a copy of the one before with a little bit added.
There are programs that can automate the process, but that's basically how it's done.

These two use the same basic technique as the bagpipes but give a different result.
They have far fewer frames, but the difference between each frame is much larger, which causes even more issues with the file size.

Capt' Jack is 17 frames, basically 8 frames running forward and then back again, plus the original image.
I started with the image of Depp with his hand fully extended,
I cut the hand out and saved it separately,
Then repainted the background where the hand was,
This then becomes the background for all 17 frames,
then it's just a matter of using the hand as a reference to paint in the individual movements and pasting the hand itself back in, in the appropriate frame.

Cat and Mouse is 15 frames, I didn't do this one very well, you can see the background changes, I made the mistake of not starting with a properly cleaned up image.

Pretty much the same process,
I started with a still image of the cat and the spoon, with the mouse up in the air,
I cut out the Mouse, Spoon and Cats Head and saved them separately,
then I should have cleaned up the background properly, but forgot,
then you put the relevant bits back in the right places in the frames and away you go.

If you want software for creating .gif images, there is plenty available free.

You can find some good links and info here and here also.

04-14-2009	#11 (permalink)
Box Warning V2k Onboard Forum Supporter Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Finland Posts: 988	For anyone who is curious about how to create animations. What you have is a series of images all saved as one file. the computer then shows each image separately, but fast enough to fool your eyes into thinking it is moving. It's exactly the same as a movie, it's just that movies have lots more frames. So, to make these Bagpipes, you start with a blank page as your first frame, then copy that blank to make your second frame on which you draw a small line, copy that frame and create the third frame, add to the line just continue the process until you have drawn whatever it is you want to draw. This image has 263 frames, each a copy of the one before with a little bit added. There are programs that can automate the process, but that's basically how it's done. These two use the same basic technique as the bagpipes but give a different result. They have far fewer frames, but the difference between each frame is much larger, which causes even more issues with the file size. Capt' Jack is 17 frames, basically 8 frames running forward and then back again, plus the original image. I started with the image of Depp with his hand fully extended, I cut the hand out and saved it separately, Then repainted the background where the hand was, This then becomes the background for all 17 frames, then it's just a matter of using the hand as a reference to paint in the individual movements and pasting the hand itself back in, in the appropriate frame. Cat and Mouse is 15 frames, I didn't do this one very well, you can see the background changes, I made the mistake of not starting with a properly cleaned up image. Pretty much the same process, I started with a still image of the cat and the spoon, with the mouse up in the air, I cut out the Mouse, Spoon and Cats Head and saved them separately, then I should have cleaned up the background properly, but forgot, then you put the relevant bits back in the right places in the frames and away you go. If you want software for creating .gif images, there is plenty available free. You can find some good links and info here and here also.