There’s one type of content that’s been lurking around for years (30 to be more accurate), on blogs, social networks, messages, and emails. One type of content that people don’t talk about as much as they should. We decided to give it some attention, so today we are talking about GIFs and how to make your own GIF.
As a millennial myself, I find GIFs as being the most wonderful thing the internet has ever invented. (Well, technically it was brought to us by Steve Wilhite of CompuServe which was the engineering lead on the team that adapted the GIF file format in 1987). I always have a reaction GIF at hand, because I never know when I’ll need one. When I don’t, I use a GIF maker app and make my own GIF.
via GIPHY
Before getting into more complex matters like how to use a GIF creator app, let’s talk a bit about the concept of GIF.
GIFs vs. Animated GIFs
GIF comes from Graphical Interchange Format and represents a highly compressed image that allows up to 8 bits per pixel (which in total allow up to 256 colors across the image) and can be either static or animated.
“WHAT? I thought GIFs could only be animated visuals.”
Well, not really. The ones we know and use in our daily conversations are the animated ones. The only difference between a static photo and a static GIF is that the GIF has smaller dimensions than a JPEG or PNG.
"More compelling than a static photo and more immediate than Web video, the animated GIF … is a uniquely digital mode of conveying ideas and emotion. Like the Twitter hashtag, which has transitioned from a functional way of sorting content to its own part of speech, the animated GIF has gone from a simple file type to its own mode of expression. GIFs have grown up, and they are everywhere right now."
says Ann Friedman, journalist, and GIF guru.
Why would you want to use or make a GIF?
From blogs to threads on Facebook or Twitter, GIFs are an astounding tool for marketers and social media people. They represent a great way to express emotion and separate large blocks of text in articles. The great thing about them is that you can find a GIF for any context you need. And Giphy comes in aid here. If you keep reading this article, I’ll show you how to make your own animated gif with the help of an online GIF creator!
