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Step 1
Start the Adobe Photoshop Elements software. Go to the file menu and choose "New" and then "Blank File." Pick a preset size from the drop-down menu or indicate the exact size the graphic is to be. Choose the resolution, keeping in mind that the higher the number, the better the image will look as it enlarges. Most GIFs are created at a resolution between 72 and 300. Click "OK" after all choices are made.
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Step 2
Create the image. Use the tools available (if the Tools menu isn't showing, go to the Window menu and click "Tools") to draw objects or write text. The fill tools can be used to change all or part of the image to color. The Enhance menu has options to alter the color, brightness, contrast and sharpness. There are also many options available under the Filter menu to design the GIF exactly as you want it.
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Step 3
Save your file by going to the File menu and choosing "Save." If this GIF is going to be used for the web, Adobe Photoshop Elements has a special option to "Save for Web." With this choice, a new menu comes up for the GIF, allowing for changes in the size and look. (There is a preview window, so all changes are shown before they are permanently made.) Within this menu is also the option to create a transparency, which allows only the color (and black) within the art to show and all white to be transparent. This is a good option if the graphic is being put on a colored page and it wouldn't look as good with the white border around it.
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Step 4
Check the GIF within the web page it is being used in. If the desired effect has not been achieved, go back to Adobe Photoshop Elements, open the file and make the proper adjustments. Be sure to save the file when done so your changes are implemented.
