Learning in a digital age/LiDA104/Create media/GIF

The Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) is a bitmap image format. The format can support the compilation of a sequence of still images and when played back, it generates a moving picture. GIF animations are gaining popularity again as a form of creative expression and as a method to use moving pictures to illustrate or explain concepts. In this section, you will create your own animated GIF from a sequence of still frames.

Tasks

 * 1) Think about an authentic application for your animated GIF, which could be used in your multimodal presentation assignment for this microcourse. For example:
 * 2) * A cinemagraph for subtle visual interest in a professional presentation.
 * 3) * A diagram or graph where changes in colour can be used for emphasis or attention during a written or verbal explanation.
 * 4) * A short screen cast showing how to navigate a website with text inserts or highlights to provide support.
 * 5) * An animation for marketing promotion in social media, for example a Twitter post.
 * 6) Note: There are online web services that will automatically convert video files into animated GIFs. You shouldn't use this approach because the learning output actions require a blog post showing examples of the still image frames you used to generate the animation.
 * 7)  You are free to use any graphic software package with the capability of generating animated GIFs from still frames. GIMP is a good open source software option. Download the correct option for your operating system and install the software.
 * 8) * You can use graphic software that you are familiar with to generate the images, and then open them in GIMP to generate the animination. In GIMP, select all the image files you created (these should be number sequentially, e.g Imagename01, Imagename02, Imagename03 etc) and use: File -> Open as layers.
 * 9) * Search online for help resources and tutorials if you're not sure what to do.
 * 10) Export your image sequence as a GIF following the instructions provided in the stimulus resources above.