How to create animated GIF with captions?

Hi,

I would like to create a GIF file which appears as a slideshow of
multiple images with a fade-in effect. On image would gradually fade
and tunr into the next image. Also, I need a caption to appear in
small font at the bottom and outside the image. Is there a tool
(online or desktop) to do this?

Thanks,
Yash


Yashgt

Yashgt said:

> Hi,
>
> I would like to create a GIF file which appears as a slideshow of
> multiple images with a fade-in effect. On image would gradually fade
> and tunr into the next image. Also, I need a caption to appear in
> small font at the bottom and outside the image. Is there a tool
> (online or desktop) to do this?

The GIMP can do it. So can ImageMagick. Both are free.

--
Richard Heathfield <http://www.cpax.org.uk>
Email: -http://www. +rjh@
Google users: <http://www.cpax.org.uk/prg/writings/googly.php>
"Usenet is a strange place" - dmr 29 July 1999

Why GIF? Just curious... would think that SWF would be a better format.

Martin

Yashgt wrote:

> Hi,
>
> I would like to create a GIF file which appears as a slideshow of
> multiple images with a fade-in effect. On image would gradually fade
> and tunr into the next image. Also, I need a caption to appear in
> small font at the bottom and outside the image. Is there a tool
> (online or desktop) to do this?
>
> Thanks,
> Yash

Rowley said:

> Why GIF? Just curious... would think that SWF would be a better format.

Well, I'm not the OP, but I would guess he is swayed by the fact that
animated GIFs have wide browser support.

--
Richard Heathfield <http://www.cpax.org.uk>
Email: -http://www. +rjh@
Google users: <http://www.cpax.org.uk/prg/writings/googly.php>
"Usenet is a strange place" - dmr 29 July 1999

I guess that's true.... and I hear a lot of people use them on their
MySpace pages....

Martin

Richard Heathfield wrote:
> Rowley said:
>
>
>>Why GIF? Just curious... would think that SWF would be a better format.
>
>
> Well, I'm not the OP, but I would guess he is swayed by the fact that
> animated GIFs have wide browser support.
>

I have chosen GIF for browser compatibility and also because I do not
have any experience with SWF.

ImageMagick suggested by Richard is the tool I was looking for. I can
build a script and specify the files to be used as the constituents of
the GIF. I can then change it when I want to change the GIF.

Trouble is that the syntax appears too complicated. If anyone can help
me with a sample, that will be great. Otherwise I will try and figure
it out. What I want to do is:
- specify 4 images
- specify 4 strings that act as their captions
- create a gif such that when one image transitions into another,
there is fade-in effect
- the corresponding caption appears for each image

Thanks,
Yash

On Jun 11, 4:12*pm, Rowley <industry3dREM...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> I guess that's true.... and I hear a lot of people use them on their
> MySpace pages....
>
> Martin
>
> Richard Heathfield wrote:
> > Rowley said:
>
> >>Why GIF? Just curious... would think that SWF would be a better format.
>
> > Well, I'm not the OP, but I would guess he is swayed by the fact that
> > animated GIFs have wide browser support.

Yashgt said:

> I have chosen GIF for browser compatibility and also because I do not
> have any experience with SWF.
>
> ImageMagick suggested by Richard is the tool I was looking for. I can
> build a script and specify the files to be used as the constituents of
> the GIF. I can then change it when I want to change the GIF.
>
> Trouble is that the syntax appears too complicated.

ImageMagick? You're kidding! Let's say you have half a dozen bitmapped images,
named frame1.bmp through frame6.bmp (no, you don't have to use those names!).

You do this:

convert *.bmp final.gif

Where's the complication? :-)

> - create a gif such that when one image transitions into another,
> there is fade-in effect

For this, you'll need to do a bit of alpha-blending. Not difficult. I actually
wrote a cross-fading program not so long ago, for precisely this purpose. It
takes a set of .bmp files and a tween rate, and produces bitmap frames that
fade from A to B, B to C, C to ..., etc, ... to Z, and Z back to A again.
ImageMagick then takes the strain of merging them together into a GIF.

(And before you ask, no, you can't use my cross-fader, unless you're prepared
to part with some cash, which strikes me as being rather unlikely. But it
really isn't that difficult to write your own. If I can do it...)

--
Richard Heathfield <http://www.cpax.org.uk>
Email: -http://www. +rjh@
Google users: <http://www.cpax.org.uk/prg/writings/googly.php>
"Usenet is a strange place" - dmr 29 July 1999

Thanks a ton. That was encouraging. Just that having to figure out the
options ans switches worries me.

>
> ImageMagick? You're kidding! Let's say you have half a dozen bitmapped images,
> named frame1.bmp through frame6.bmp (no, you don't have to use those names!).
>
> You do this:
>
> convert *.bmp final.gif
>
> Where's the complication? :-)
>
> > - create a gif such that when one image transitions into another,
> > there is fade-in effect
>
> For this, you'll need to do a bit of alpha-blending. Not difficult. I actually
> wrote a cross-fading program not so long ago, for precisely this purpose. It
> takes a set of .bmp files and a tween rate, and produces bitmap frames that
> fade from A to B, B to C, C to ..., etc, ... to Z, and Z back to A again.
> ImageMagick then takes the strain of merging them together into a GIF.
>
> (And before you ask, no, you can't use my cross-fader, unless you're prepared
> to part with some cash, which strikes me as being rather unlikely. But it
> really isn't that difficult to write your own. If I can do it...)
>
> --
> Richard Heathfield <http://www.cpax.org.uk>
> Email: -http://www. +rjh@
> Google users: <http://www.cpax.org.uk/prg/writings/googly.php>
> "Usenet is a strange place" - dmr 29 July 1999

"Yashgt" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:37ee6a6c-e340-440a-9733-(E-Mail Removed)...
> Hi,
>
> I would like to create a GIF file which appears as a slideshow of
> multiple images with a fade-in effect. On image would gradually fade
> and tunr into the next image. Also, I need a caption to appear in
> small font at the bottom and outside the image. Is there a tool
> (online or desktop) to do this?
>
> Thanks,
> Yash


If you have Photoshop?? it has an animation creator with tweening choices,
etc.

window>animation palette

place images into frames, specify time on screen, tween choices

then

save for web when done>>> select gif in drop down

KatWoman wrote:
> "Yashgt" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:37ee6a6c-e340-440a-9733-(E-Mail Removed)...
>> Hi,
>>
>> I would like to create a GIF file which appears as a slideshow of
>> multiple images with a fade-in effect. On image would gradually fade
>> and tunr into the next image. Also, I need a caption to appear in
>> small font at the bottom and outside the image. Is there a tool
>> (online or desktop) to do this?
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Yash
>
>
> If you have Photoshop?? it has an animation creator with tweening choices,
> etc.
>
> window>animation palette
>
> place images into frames, specify time on screen, tween choices
>
> then
>
> save for web when done>>> select gif in drop down
>
>
How does one add new images into frames? All I can get it to do is copy
the original image?



--
JD..