Things You'll Need:
- Adobe Photoshop software
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Step 1
Prepare your animation. Each animation is actually made up of several images appearing one after the other. One of the quickest and easiest ways to come up with the number of images needed for an animation is to take your original picture, drawing or image and make several duplicate layers. Change or move each layer slightly to create the animation effect. For example, if you want to make it appear as if a smiley face is growing a strand of hair, as in the animation shown with this article, you would start with a simple smiley face. Then duplicate the layer and add a small part of the line of hair to it. Duplicate that layer and lengthen the hair a tiny bit more. Duplicate that layer and add even more length to the hair. Repeat until the hair is as long as you want it.
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Step 2
Convert the layers into an animation. Chose "File" and then "Save For Web." A new window will open up. On the right side of the screen look for the file extension choices. Make sure the file type is "GIF." When you choose "GIF" as the file type, new options should open up at the bottom right hand of the screen. Check the "animate" or "animation" box.
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Step 3
After checking the animation box in Step 2, more options become available. You can choose whether to loop the animation by checking or unchecking the "loop" box. If the "loop" box is not checked, the animation will run through one time and then stop. You can also choose how fast the animation runs by adjusting the speed. Options range from 1/2 second to about three seconds between frames. Try different options and watch them in the preview window to determine which one looks best for your animation.
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Step 4
Finally, add a file name and click "Save" and you are done with your animation!
