How to Make a GIF in CS5
The graphics interchange format file extension, or GIF for short, offers a number of benefits over some of the other formats such as JPG and BMP. GIFs support transparency and animation, making them ideal for avatars and icons. Creating a GIF is similar in process to making other image format files, but featuring that transparency. Use Adobe Photoshop CS5, the image editing component of the Creative Suite, to make pictorial GIFs.
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Instructions
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Start Photoshop CS5. Click the "File" menu and select "New." Enter "PictureGIF" into the "Name" box. Type dimensions for the GIF into the "Width" and "Height" boxes. Click "inches" for the two drop-down menus.
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Pull down the "Background Contents" menu and click "Transparent." Click the "OK" button to open the blank gray and white checkerboard Photoshop canvas.
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Click the "File" menu again. Select "Open." Navigate to a picture to use for the GIF such as a headshot or pet photo. Double-click the image.
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Click the "Lasso" tool at the top of the "Tools" pane. Draw an outline around just the part of the picture to use with the GIF, eliminating the background parts.
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Press the "Ctrl" and "C" keys to copy the selection. Click the "PictureGIF" tab. Press the "Ctrl" and "V" keys to paste in the image. To resize it to fit the GIF box, click the "Edit" menu, click "Transform," click "Scale" and shrink the picture to fit.
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Right-click the new Layer 1 layer in the "Layers" palette on the right side of the screen. Choose "Merge Visible." The two layers combine into one and you still see the gray checkerboard background, showing the rest of the GIF is transparent.
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Click the "File" menu. Click "Save As." Pull down the "Format" menu and click "GIF." Click the "Save" button.
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Tips & Warnings
Another option to make a GIF is to use some of Photoshop's drawing tools. Begin a new canvas the same way, with the transparent background. Then, instead of opening and cropping a picture, use Photoshop's "Brush," "Pencil" or shape tools to create the GIF design. Follow the same instructions for saving into the GIF format.
