Gimp: Create animated GIF

If normal pictures are no longer sufficient, Gimp has to be found. Because with it you can easily create an animated GIF image. This is not that expensive and the result is impressive.

Create animated GIF in Gimp

First of all, with GIMP you have to create a separate layer for each frame (frame) of your GIF animation.

1. Edit the existing layer, which should represent the background, as you wish. This is then displayed all the time while the animation is running.
2. Create a new layer. In the "New Layer" dialog, select "Transparent" as the fill type. Unless you want the background and previous frames to be completely hidden. Then choose white.
3. Select the newly created level in the level window and click on the "Duplicate level" button below (see picture).
4. In this way, create as many layers as you want to have single images. For example, if your GIF animation consists of four individual images, you have to duplicate the newly created layer three times.
5. Rename the levels as follows: Give each level a name and put "(1000ms)" after it. Instead of 1000 you can of course use any other positive number. This then determines how long this single image is displayed (in milliseconds, 1 second = 1000 milliseconds).
6. You can edit each frame as you like and insert content that you will see in the animation afterwards. Remember that a layer is not covered by the following single image. If you have inserted an object on the lowest level, you can see it until it is covered by an object on an upper level - provided that you have selected "Transparency" as the level fill type.
7. Also keep in mind that the order of the individual pictures is given by the order of the layers. The first level above the background also represents the first single image, the one above it the second and so on.

Have animations created automatically in GIMP

If you don't want to create each frame individually, GIMP also offers pre-made animations:

1. Under "Filters", look for the "Animation" category. Here are five different versions between which you can choose.
2. After you have decided on one, the Script Fu window opens, where you can make detailed settings for your GIF animation. Here you can also specify the number of individual frames, for example. The higher the number of frames, the smoother the animation.
3. Click "OK" to confirm your arrangements. Now the GIF is animated.
4. Go back to "Filters"> "Animation" and click on "Play animation". Now a new window opens where a preview can be viewed. If you are satisfied, you can export it.

Merge and create GIF image

Once you have created all the layers as desired, you can export your project as an animated GIF image.

1. From the "File" menu, select "Export ..."
2. Enter the name of the target file in the "Name" field and the file extension ".gif" behind it. So Gimp automatically knows that it should be a GIF image.
3. Select the target folder underneath and click on "Export".
4. In the dialog "Export image as GIF" you have to tick "As animation". In addition, you can enter a standard value for the length of the individual images and add a comment.
5. Click "Export" to finish creating your animated GIF.

Particularly easy: create animated GIF from YouTube video

This practical tip refers to the Gimp version 2.8.4.

This guide shows you how to create animated GIFs using Photoshop. If you still lack the ideas, you can also get inspiration from the GIF picture gallery.