Exporting several GIFs without having to start from scratch on each version

[jamesn44620985]

Hi everyone

I've been exporting Illustrator frames into a free online GIF maker to make simple three-slide GIFs for commercial purposes, but it's not very good for making several GIFs quickly - you have to repeat each step of the process for each and every GIF you need - you can't save the settings as a preset or script/action.

I use Illustrator, Photoshop and After Effects for the bulk of my graphics.  Haven't dabbled in Animate, Premier Pro or any other Adobe app so I don't know what the best one of those (or even outside Adobe) is for creating and exporting multiple GIFs quickly using the same cookie cutter template.

The GIFs I'm doing are all the same except for a small local variation on a slide, but there are several of these variations. Basically, all I'm looking for is to simplify the workflow - open a file, drop new variant frames into a preset timeline, use a script or action if needed, save as, export as GIF, job done, move on to next one and repeat.  I think Illustrator only does this as static GIFs, not animated ones like Photoshop does - more's the pity.

I tried setting up a template in Photoshop with a preset timeline and three empty art layers in a sequence to export as a GIF, but when I tried pulling in or importing the images, all the slides on the timeline reverted to the start, instead of staying in sequence - you'd have to pull them back to their correct position on the timeline.  Which is pointless really - essentially starting from scratch for each GIF made. 

Does anyone have any quick and easy GIF setups/tips for multiple GIF export? 

Many thanks in advance

[Myra Ferguson]

You could try setting up your animated GIF using layers that are converted to Smart Objects (Layer > Smart Objects > Convert to Smart Object or right-click on the layer in the Layers panel and select Convert to Smart Object) and use them to make the frames. When you want to switch the content in the frames, double-click on a Smart Object, replace the content, and save. Then save out the next animated GIF.

[jamesn44620985]

Hi and thanks for this advice - apolgies for a belated reply.  There are a few fundamental issues I don't understand with the Video timeline and the Frame Anitmation alternative.

What I'm TRYING to do is save a simple three-frame GIF project, with each frame lasting 3 seconds in sequence (total of 9 seconds) and am continually running into problems when trying to simply the workflow.  For example:

In Video timeline format, I set up three 'empty' layers, each at the required pixel size.  Each layer occupies a 3-sec segment on the timeline in staggered layers there.

When I attempt to drag on a jpg from a desktop folder (becoming a smart object in the process) the image fills the frame perfectly as it should, BUT the frame defaults to 5 seconds instead of the 3 it should be.  Even if I accept that 5 sec is the default, loading the second frame in the sequence reverts it back to the beginning of the timeline.  Of course I can just drag them back to desired positions, but it's an obstacle in the workflow I don't want when there are about 30-35 more of these to do.  I think I've missed a step that 'locks' the frames in their correct position and duration on the timeline but I can't figure it out.  The tutorials you find on Google aren't very clear about what you need to do.

I know there are other ways of loading the frames - double-clicking or right clicking to import the smart object but I don't find it very efficient, when it's clearly much faster to drag in the required images from an open art folder.  Again it all goes back to the fact there are several dozen of these to do - it needs to be a SIMPLE process.

The other alternative, Frame Animation, actually does 'lock' the frames into place on the timeline BUT you have to remember to click on the relevant frame in the project window AND in the animation timeline - it's extra steps that you have to remember (which aren't needed in the Video timeline) and if you forget, it's all too easy to miss errors and end up exporting 'faulty' GIFs without realising.

So what I want is a workflow that goes like this:

Open PSD file, open art folder

Drag first image jpg into frame 1 on project layer

Drag second image jpg into frame 2 on project layer

Drag third image jpg into frame 3 on project layer

Press ctrl-alt-shift-save to export the GIF

Press F12 to revert to original save (clearing the frame windows in project layer) then repeat as above for next GIF to do.

It did work for a little while but I've messed up somewhere and the frames keep defaulting/reverting to frame 0 in video timeline now.

(Of course if there was a way to shift-select THREE images at once from the art folder and dragging them into the PSD project to automatically generate their own layers, on the preset timeline, that would be faster still as the next step would be simply to export as GIF.)

I hope you can understand my frustration and lengthy rant/ramble but I can't figure out why I'm not able to do what was working for a brief while previously.

The key is to keep the process as simple as possible, no superfluous extra steps or things to remember.  After these 25-30 GIFs have been done, there'll be more to come from my client in the future, so you can understand my need for a speedy and foolproof solution.  As a designer, I'd like to spend the bulk of my time on creative, not output/export...!

Hoping you can help and many thanks for the advice the other week.