Assignment #3: Animated gifs

For Assignment #3 we will be using Photoshop to create animated gifs and "cinemagraphs."

First we will focus on animated gifs: produce two separated animated gif projects:

Project #1: Create a humorous or "happy" animation (in keeping with the tradition of animated gifs; see examples); 

Project #2: Create a serious or "sad" animation (going against the grain of the typical animated gif).

While creating your animations, keep in mind the following:

•  You can use anything: found imagery, create texts that tell a story, shoot your own images; but remember to reduce your frames to 72dpi BEFORE you import them into Photoshop to animate them.
• Do your research: look at other animated gifs online before you start your projects. This will give you ideas.

Consider these projects as a contrast or counterpoint to your billboard project, which was all about Public Art or Advertizing. Consider these animations to be more personal.


I'll demonstrate how to construct an animated gif step-by-step. Take notes if you feel the need, as there are some essential details you may forget. I will show you how I made this gif:

from this image of a series of die-cut book covers by NY-based (famous) graphic designer Stefan Sagmeister:

Check out this blog post about Stefan, which is where I found the images so I could play with them for you!

Watch this brief video of Stefan's:

THE ASSIGNMENT (#3): ANIMATED GIFS

You have the next two weeks to play and experiment, and to upload your various animated gifs to your blogs.

Make an animated gif using at least ten layers. Use images that you make or images that you find. Make one animation or make more for extra credit! Have fun!

Here are a few sites that contain animated gifs, which you might find inspiring (I did!) especially this one from the New York Public Library:

Create and share animated GIFs and 3D anaglyphs using more than 40,000 stereographs from The New York Public Library.

http://stereo.nypl.org/

Also:  

Tom Moody's blog. Tom is sortof the Animated Gif King of the art blogosphere:
http://www.tommoody.us/
http://www.tommoody.us/archives/2012/02/20/various-gifs/
http://www.tommoody.us/archives/2010/11/03/animated-gif-q-and-a/
http://www.tommoody.us/archives/2009/09/16/the-affect-of-animated-gifs/


These are fun: Eyekhan's gifs, and remixes of Tom Moody's gifs:
http://eyekhan.com/eyekhan/EYEKHANLABS-WEB.html
http://eyekhan.com/eyekhan/EYEKHANLABS-WEB-EE_MIX.html

The following artist duo makes animations that are not animated gifs, but they may give you an idea of how to animate texts (also, they are worth looking at):

THE NEW AND IMPR0VED
Y0UNG-HAE CHANG HEAVY INDUSTRIES
PRESENTS
http://www.yhchang.com/ 
This one is funny:
http://www.yhchang.com/PERFECT_ARTISTIC_WEB_SITE.html

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I came across these on twitter and thought I should share them with you all:
http://illusion.scene360.com/art/27877/awesome-animated-gifs/

Here's the original post that led me to these gifs by Dain Fagerholm:

Via BoingBoing:

Dain Fagerholm's incredible animated GIFs

By Rob Beschizza at 7:59 am Wednesday, Mar 28

Dain Fagerholm creates animated GIF art similar to traditional stereo 3D photos.
Pictured here is Daydreamer. Other favorites of mine include Four creatures in a room and "Seven Headed Creature".

Dain's latest, Creature in Cube with Gem looks anagyphic as well as stereoscopic (but I'm not sure if it is)! [via Illusion 360]