Let's trace through the steps I took to create efficient animated GIFs with
GIFBuilder. PC users can perform the equivalent steps in their favorite
animation program.
Create and alphabetize the frames
Reduce to
a common color palette
Calculate
their differences
Load
frames into GIFBuilder and set your options
Crop with
frame optimization
Preview and
tweak
Create the frames
First create a series of frames in your favorite graphics or animation
program (GIFBuilder 0.5 accepts files in QuickTime, GIF, Photoshop [RGB,
grayscale, or GIF], PICT, and TIFF). I used Photoshop layers to manually animate
the penguin by copying it to new layers and moving them horizontally (the human
eye is more sensitive to horizontal movement than vertical).
GIFBuilder 0.5+ can import layered Photoshop files but for more control over
the color reduction process I saved each layer as a flattened Photoshop file.
GIFBuilder arranges frames alphabetically so be sure to name the files in the
order you want them to display.
