Do you ever struggle to express a feeling or reaction accurately in texts and social media posts? Do you want to add some fun and flair to your digital messages? Animated GIFs are here to save the day!
GIFFY is an acronym that stands for Graphics Interchange Format. In this comprehensive guide, you‘ll learn:
- The fascinating 30+ year journey of the now ubiquitous GIF format
- Step-by-step instructions to create amazing GIFs right from your Android phone
- Pro tips for editing and optimizing your GIFs for lightning fast performance
- Creative ways brands and everyday users are embracing GIFs across platforms
Let‘s get started on your journey to GIF mastery!
A Brief History of GIFs: From Early Web Graphics to Internet Staple
It‘s hard to imagine the internet without GIFs today, but the now ubiquitous file format traces its roots back over 30 years.
GIFs were invented in 1987 by Compuserve developer Steve Wilhite (still pronouced “JIF” per the creator’s preference!) as a new format for sharing images and animations across early online platforms and bulletin boards.
The initial quality and performance of GIFs left much to be desired though. Early GIFs were limited to 256 colors and basic compression algorithms that resulted in large file sizes. As a result, they were mostly used for simple logos, graphics and animations on websites in those early years.
GIF adoption and capabilities ramped up in the early 90s with the rise of AOL chat rooms and web forums. The ability to add basic animations and reactions powered a new realm of emotional expression and comedy during online conversations.
As instant messaging services like AIM gained steam later in the decade, GIF usage exploded. Suddenly average internet goers had access to easy-to-use tools to turn video files into short looping animations. Sharing funny clips from TV shows and movies brought conversations to life in a whole new way!
Fast forward to the launch of social media, and GIFs became a core part of internet culture. As you can see in the chart below, global GIF searches and shares absolutely skyrocketed over the 2010s in step with booming usage across Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and messaging apps.
| Year | Billions of GIF Searches |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 1 billion |
| 2015 | 4 billion |
| 2019 | 10+ billion |
What started as a niche file format in the early days of the web has transformed into an iconic communication device used by brands, celebrities and your average user alike to express emotions, reactions, jokes and even art across the digital realm.
Up next, we’ll show you how easy it is to become a part of the GIF revolution right from your Android phone!
Step 1: Open Your Android Camera App
animated GIF right in your phone’s camera app by taking a rapid sequence of photos, known as burst shots.
To get started, simply open up the default camera app on your Android. You can find this quickly by swiping left from your home screen and locating the camera icon:
Feel free to switch to the front facing or rear facing cameras depending on your creative GIF needs!
Pro Tip: Get creative with angles, Selfie Mode for reactions, switching between close ups and wide shots. The options are endless!
Step 2: Take Photos in Burst Mode
Now we’re ready to tap into our camera’s burst mode to lay the foundation for an amazing, shareable GIF.
Rapidly tap on the capture button and your phone will automatically take a sequence of photos in succession as long as you keep the button held down. Try holding down the icon for ~3 seconds to start.
Be sure to experiment with getting movement into the frame during your burst sequence for maximum entertainment value! Have a friend dance or make faces at the camera. Pan between two subjects. Use your selfie cam to capture reactions. The options are endless!
Pro Tip: Most modern Android cameras support bursts of 30+ sequential photos per second to give you plenty of frames to work with.
Okay, we have our raw material. Now let’s turn it into an glorious looping GIF!
Step 3: Craft Your GIF
The last step for easy automated GIF creation is to head into your camera photo gallery, locate the image sequence from your recent burst shot, and edit it into an animated GIF.
When viewing your burst photo series, tap the 3 vertical dots icon in the top right to pull up editing options:
Then simply press the GIF button to automatically generate an animated GIF from all the images:
The default settings tend to work pretty well, but you can further customize things to your liking:
- Delete unwanted frames
- Re-arrange frames
- Adjust animation speed
- Crop dimensions
- Add text, emojis or stickers
Once your mini masterpiece looks perfect, finalize it by hitting save and the GIF will be exported right to your camera roll and gallery to share wherever your heart desires!
Making GIF Magic from Existing Photos & Videos
If you don’t have existing burst sequence photos, not to worry! You can easily generate amazing GIFs from galleries of photos, individual images, or video files using a dedicated GIF making app.
There are many options to choose from, but we recommend GIPHY for its huge array of integrations and editing tools.
Let’s explore how to instantly become a GIF creator using existing media and GIPHY:
Step 1: Download GIPHY
Head over to the Google Play Store on your Android device and search for “GIPHY.” Download and install the app. It’s free!
Once installed, open up GIPHY and you’ll be prompted to create an account or sign-in with Facebook, Google or Apple.
Pro Tip: Connecting with one of the major social platforms makes sharing your GIF masterpieces to Instagram, Twitter etc super seamless.
Step 2: Import Photos/Videos
Now we’re ready to start importing media to convert into GIF magic!
Tap on the create (+) icon in the top right corner:
You’ll then have a few options for grabbing photos or video to GIF-ify:
- Device Media: Access existing images and video in your camera roll and storage
- Content Library: Choose from GIPHY’s massive collection of millions GIFs, stickers and filters
- Upload: Link directly to a video file, YouTube clip or other external media via URL
Navigate to the photos or video you want to import. You can select multiple images which will display sequentially as an animation. For video, we recommend keeping clips under 10 seconds.
Pro Tips:
- Have all your photos/clips selected and ordered before starting the import process to speed up GIF creation
- If using video, pay attention to file formats and sizes to ensure compatibility
Step 3: Build Your GIF
Alright, we have our raw material imported into the app. Now the fun begins!
It’s time to harness GIPHY’s industry leading editing suite to turn your media into a visual masterpiece:
Some of the many options at your fingertips include:
- Trimming longer videos
- Deleting less flattering frames
- Rearranging and duplicating frames
- Setting precise timings and animation speeds
- Adding text, emojis, filters, stickers, etc.
- Cropping dimensions and adjusting aspect ratios
- Previewing on loop to fine tune
Take full advantage to customize your GIF exactly how you envision it.
When fully optimized with edits, click Finish and voila – your creation will be exported directly into your device storage and ready to light up social feeds across the web!
GIF Optimization Guide: Go From Good to Great
Alright, now that you know how to make a GIF, let’s talk best practices to take your GIF game from good to legendary status!
Optimize across factors like length, dimensions, resolution and filesize to ensure maximum visual quality AND lightning fast performance:
Length
For maximum impact, keep your GIFs under 5 seconds in duration.
Viewers lose interest quickly when bombarded with too much rapid movement and imagery. Think bite sized animation story rather than Spielberg film!
Frame Rate
When editing your GIF, ensure a frame rate of 15 FPS or lower.
Higher rates can result in large file sizes and slower loading – especially important considering much of social media happens on mobile devices.
Dimensions
Scale image dimensions to 480 pixels width or lower for that crucial combination of on-screen real estate and crisp image quality.
File Size
To ensure smooth cross-platform performance, target GIF file sizes under 8MB whenever possible.
Many apps support larger files, but try and stay in single digit MBs.
Color Depth
The more colors in your image, the bigger the file. When editing, restrict your palette to 32 colors or less for maximum compression.
Frame Count
While some tools support GIFs with hundreds of sequential frames, limit yourself to 100 frames max for web friendliness.
Too many frames risks dropped frames or delays, sabotaging that crucial ultra smooth animation.
By mastering these core principles of shareable GIFs, you’ll be blown away by the performance, engagement and reach of your animated creations across the web!
Creative Inspiration: Innovative Brand Uses of GIFs
Beyond chatting with friends, GIFs offer limitless creative marketing potential for businesses and organizations looking to express their brand identity in visually appealing ways or create timely, emotional connections with audiences.
For example, check out how Slack brings its friendly, playful ethos to life across social media using GIFs:
Or how animal welfare nonprofit ASPCA tugs at heart strings by integrating adoption GIFs into fundraising campaigns:
Review these stellar brand campaign examples for more inspiration on innovative ways to integrate GIFs into your marketing strategy for instant emotional connections with target demographics.
The visual storytelling options are endless!
We’ve explored the 30+ history of GIFs from early web novelty to indispensable internet icon. Hopefully you now feel empowered to join the GIF revolution with new expertise on creating stellar animated content optimized for seamless sharing across leading social, messaging and image platforms.
So go out there, make some awesome GIFs with friends and don’t be afraid to experiment with capturing captivating moments from your unique life and perspective!
