How to create animated GIF with captions?

Hi,

I would like to create a GIF file which appears as a slideshow of multiple images with a fade-in effect. On image would gradually fade and tunr into the next image. Also, I need a caption to appear in small font at the bottom and outside the image. Is there a tool (online or desktop) to do this?

Thanks,
Yash

Yashgt said:

Hi,

I would like to create a GIF file which appears as a slideshow of multiple images with a fade-in effect. On image would gradually fade and tunr into the next image. Also, I need a caption to appear in small font at the bottom and outside the image. Is there a tool (online or desktop) to do this?

The GIMP can do it. So can ImageMagick. Both are free.

--
Richard Heathfield <http://www.cpax.org.uk>
Email: -http://www. +rjh@
Google users: <http://www.cpax.org.uk/prg/writings/googly.php> "Usenet is a strange place" - dmr 29 July 1999

Why GIF? Just curious... would think that SWF would be a better format.

Martin

Yashgt wrote:

Hi,

I would like to create a GIF file which appears as a slideshow of multiple images with a fade-in effect. On image would gradually fade and tunr into the next image. Also, I need a caption to appear in small font at the bottom and outside the image. Is there a tool (online or desktop) to do this?

Thanks,
Yash

Rowley said:

Why GIF? Just curious... would think that SWF would be a better format.

Well, I'm not the OP, but I would guess he is swayed by the fact that animated GIFs have wide browser support.

--
Richard Heathfield <http://www.cpax.org.uk>
Email: -http://www. +rjh@
Google users: <http://www.cpax.org.uk/prg/writings/googly.php> "Usenet is a strange place" - dmr 29 July 1999

I guess that's true.... and I hear a lot of people use them on their MySpace pages....

Martin

Richard Heathfield wrote:

Rowley said:

Why GIF? Just curious... would think that SWF would be a better format.

Well, I'm not the OP, but I would guess he is swayed by the fact that animated GIFs have wide browser support.

I have chosen GIF for browser compatibility and also because I do not have any experience with SWF.

ImageMagick suggested by Richard is the tool I was looking for. I can build a script and specify the files to be used as the constituents of the GIF. I can then change it when I want to change the GIF.

Trouble is that the syntax appears too complicated. If anyone can help me with a sample, that will be great. Otherwise I will try and figure it out. What I want to do is:
- specify 4 images
- specify 4 strings that act as their captions
- create a gif such that when one image transitions into another, there is fade-in effect
- the corresponding caption appears for each image

Thanks,
Yash

On Jun 11, 4:12 pm, Rowley wrote:

I guess that's true.... and I hear a lot of people use them on their MySpace pages....

Martin

Richard Heathfield wrote:

Rowley said:

Why GIF? Just curious... would think that SWF would be a better format.

Well, I'm not the OP, but I would guess he is swayed by the fact that animated GIFs have wide browser support.

Yashgt said:

I have chosen GIF for browser compatibility and also because I do not have any experience with SWF.

ImageMagick suggested by Richard is the tool I was looking for. I can build a script and specify the files to be used as the constituents of the GIF. I can then change it when I want to change the GIF.
Trouble is that the syntax appears too complicated.

ImageMagick? You're kidding! Let's say you have half a dozen bitmapped images, named frame1.bmp through frame6.bmp (no, you don't have to use those names!).

You do this:

convert *.bmp final.gif

Where's the complication? :-)

- create a gif such that when one image transitions into another, there is fade-in effect

For this, you'll need to do a bit of alpha-blending. Not difficult. I actually wrote a cross-fading program not so long ago, for precisely this purpose. It takes a set of .bmp files and a tween rate, and produces bitmap frames that fade from A to B, B to C, C to ..., etc, ... to Z, and Z back to A again. ImageMagick then takes the strain of merging them together into a GIF.

(And before you ask, no, you can't use my cross-fader, unless you're prepared to part with some cash, which strikes me as being rather unlikely. But it really isn't that difficult to write your own. If I can do it...)

--
Richard Heathfield <http://www.cpax.org.uk>
Email: -http://www. +rjh@
Google users: <http://www.cpax.org.uk/prg/writings/googly.php> "Usenet is a strange place" - dmr 29 July 1999

Thanks a ton. That was encouraging. Just that having to figure out the options ans switches worries me.

ImageMagick? You're kidding! Let's say you have half a dozen bitmapped images, named frame1.bmp through frame6.bmp (no, you don't have to use those names!).
You do this:

convert *.bmp final.gif

Where's the complication? :-)

- create a gif such that when one image transitions into another, there is fade-in effect

For this, you'll need to do a bit of alpha-blending. Not difficult. I actually wrote a cross-fading program not so long ago, for precisely this purpose. It takes a set of .bmp files and a tween rate, and produces bitmap frames that fade from A to B, B to C, C to ..., etc, ... to Z, and Z back to A again. ImageMagick then takes the strain of merging them together into a GIF.
(And before you ask, no, you can't use my cross-fader, unless you're prepared to part with some cash, which strikes me as being rather unlikely. But it really isn't that difficult to write your own. If I can do it...)
--
Richard Heathfield <http://www.cpax.org.uk>
Email: -http://www. +rjh@
Google users: <http://www.cpax.org.uk/prg/writings/googly.php> "Usenet is a strange place" - dmr 29 July 1999

"Yashgt" wrote in message

Hi,

I would like to create a GIF file which appears as a slideshow of multiple images with a fade-in effect. On image would gradually fade and tunr into the next image. Also, I need a caption to appear in small font at the bottom and outside the image. Is there a tool (online or desktop) to do this?

Thanks,
Yash

If you have Photoshop?? it has an animation creator with tweening choices, etc.

window>animation palette

place images into frames, specify time on screen, tween choices

then

save for web when done>>> select gif in drop down

KatWoman wrote:

"Yashgt" wrote in message

Hi,

I would like to create a GIF file which appears as a slideshow of multiple images with a fade-in effect. On image would gradually fade and tunr into the next image. Also, I need a caption to appear in small font at the bottom and outside the image. Is there a tool (online or desktop) to do this?

Thanks,
Yash

If you have Photoshop?? it has an animation creator with tweening choices, etc.

window>animation palette

place images into frames, specify time on screen, tween choices
then

save for web when done>>> select gif in drop down

How does one add new images into frames? All I can get it to do is copy the original image?

--
JD..

"JD" wrote in message

KatWoman wrote:

"Yashgt" wrote in message

Hi,

I would like to create a GIF file which appears as a slideshow of multiple images with a fade-in effect. On image would gradually fade and tunr into the next image. Also, I need a caption to appear in small font at the bottom and outside the image. Is there a tool (online or desktop) to do this?

Thanks,
Yash

If you have Photoshop?? it has an animation creator with tweening choices, etc.

window>animation palette

place images into frames, specify time on screen, tween choices
then

save for web when done>>> select gif in drop down

How does one add new images into frames? All I can get it to do is copy the original image?

--
JD..

make a layered psd with all the images on separate layers then click little paper icon
then turn off and on the layers you want to show in each frame

KatWoman wrote:

"JD" wrote in message

KatWoman wrote:

"Yashgt" wrote in message

Hi,

I would like to create a GIF file which appears as a slideshow of multiple images with a fade-in effect. On image would gradually fade and tunr into the next image. Also, I need a caption to appear in small font at the bottom and outside the image. Is there a tool (online or desktop) to do this?

Thanks,
Yash

If you have Photoshop?? it has an animation creator with tweening choices, etc.

window>animation palette

place images into frames, specify time on screen, tween choices
then

save for web when done>>> select gif in drop down

How does one add new images into frames? All I can get it to do is copy the original image?

--
JD..

make a layered psd with all the images on separate layers then click little paper icon
then turn off and on the layers you want to show in each frame

Thanks!

--
JD..

In article
,
Yashgt wrote:

I have chosen GIF for browser compatibility and also because I do not have any experience with SWF.

ImageMagick suggested by Richard is the tool I was looking for. I can build a script and specify the files to be used as the constituents of the GIF. I can then change it when I want to change the GIF.

You will be sadly disappointed by the results.

A GIF image can have no more than 256 colors maximum. If you have many different photographs in a GIF, even an animated GIF, they must share that same palette of 256 total colors. You'll go through a lot of work, then likely be horrified by the results.

--
Photography, kink, polyamory, shareware, and more: all at http://www.xeromag.com/franklin.html

tacit said:

In article
,
Yashgt wrote:

I have chosen GIF for browser compatibility and also because I do not have any experience with SWF.

ImageMagick suggested by Richard is the tool I was looking for. I can build a script and specify the files to be used as the constituents of the GIF. I can then change it when I want to change the GIF.

You will be sadly disappointed by the results.

A GIF image can have no more than 256 colors maximum. If you have many different photographs in a GIF, even an animated GIF, they must share that same palette of 256 total colors. You'll go through a lot of work, then likely be horrified by the results.

GIFs are typically used where a high definition image is required but not too many colours are needed. The great advantage of the GIF format is that it is lossless - every detail is preserved, keeping the image crisp. Unfortunately, the great disadvantage of the GIF format is that it is lossless, making the use of many colours impractical (and as tacit points out, the upper limit is disappointingly low).

If you have cartoon-style images - hi-def, not many colours - GIFs work just fine, and animating them can look really cool. But photographs? Well, yes you can do it, but like the man said, it'll look *so* sucky.

--
Richard Heathfield <http://www.cpax.org.uk>
Email: -http://www. +rjh@
Google users: <http://www.cpax.org.uk/prg/writings/googly.php> "Usenet is a strange place" - dmr 29 July 1999

On Wed, 11 Jun 2008 05:33:23 -0700 (PDT)
Yashgt wrote:

| Thanks a ton. That was encouraging. Just that having to figure out the | options ans switches worries me.
|
| >
| > ImageMagick? You're kidding! Let's say you have half a dozen bitmapped images, | > named frame1.bmp through frame6.bmp (no, you don't have to use those names!). | >
|
All the ImageMagick examples, including all the info you need for GIF animation is in Imagemagick Examples...
http://www.imagemagick.org/Usage/

The Animation Basics tell you the options and the GIF handling. Whole Animation Modifications give you everything from adding captions to cross fading.

The ImageMgaick Diccussion Server is also available to get further help and is VERY active.

PS: I an the maintaner of IM Examples :-)

Anthony Thyssen ( Graphics Enthusiast )
------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------- A picture may be worth a thousand words,
but a thousand words use a lot less disk space!
------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------- IM Examples

In comp.graphics.misc tacit wrote:
| In article
| ,
| Yashgt wrote:
|
|> I have chosen GIF for browser compatibility and also because I do not |> have any experience with SWF.
|>
|> ImageMagick suggested by Richard is the tool I was looking for. I can |> build a script and specify the files to be used as the constituents of |> the GIF. I can then change it when I want to change the GIF. |
| You will be sadly disappointed by the results.
|
| A GIF image can have no more than 256 colors maximum. If you have many | different photographs in a GIF, even an animated GIF, they must share | that same palette of 256 total colors. You'll go through a lot of work, | then likely be horrified by the results.

Bzzzt! Wrong! Just for the record, I have a GIF file with 32697 colors.

--
|WARNING: Due to extreme spam, googlegroups.com is blocked. Due to ignorance | | by the abuse department, bellsouth.net is blocked. If you post to | | Usenet from these places, find another Usenet provider ASAP. | | Phil Howard KA9WGN (email for humans: first name in lower case at ipal.net) |

dans son message
,
nous a fait l'honneur d'écrire:

Bzzzt! Wrong! Just for the record, I have a GIF file with 32697 colors.

Where is it?
--
Oncle Dom
_________
http://pagesperso-orange.fr/oncle.dom/