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Participant
September 29, 2018
Question

Making a GIF exactly 4 seconds long.

  • September 29, 2018
  • 3 replies
  • 6911 views

I have to make a GIF that is exactly 4 seconds long in Photoshop. I have 48 frames at 12fps but my gif is only turning out to be 3.8 seconds long and I'm not sure why I can't get it to be four seconds exactly. I've tried varying the frame delays but that doesn't do anything either.

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3 replies

lambiloon
Community Expert
Community Expert
September 30, 2018

Hi yes please share your GIF file so we can see it....Thanks.

Ali Sajjad / Graphic Design Trainer / Freelancer / Adobe Certified Professional
davescm
Community Expert
Community Expert
September 29, 2018

Hi

12 fps requires 0.0833333333333.... seconds per gif frame.

That gets rounded to 0.08 seconds

48 frames at 0.08 secs per frame = 3.84 seconds.

Can you get away with 10 fps? that would be 40 frames at  0.1 second per frame and come out at 4 seconds

Alternatively 12.5 fps would give 50 frames at 0.8 seconds per frame and again come out at 4 seconds

Dave

Participant
September 29, 2018

I tried your suggestion of 50 frames at 12.5 fps and once I export it, it still says it is only 3 seconds long.

davescm
Community Expert
Community Expert
September 29, 2018

How did you export it?

What is reporting the length at  3 seconds ?

If you open the gif in Photoshop do you have the full 50 frames each showing 0.08 seconds?

Dave

Muqqarib Hassan
Inspiring
September 29, 2018

Hi, Try this method to make a GIF.

  1. Upload your images to Photoshop.
  2. Open up the Timeline window.
  3. In the Timeline window, click "Create Frame Animation."
  4. Create a new layer for each new frame.
  5. Open the same menu icon on the right, and choose "Make Frames From Layers."
  6. Under each frame, select how long it should appear for before switching to the next frame.
  7. At the bottom of the toolbar, select how many times you'd like it to loop.
  8. Preview your GIF by pressing the play icon.
  9. Save and Export Your GIF.

How to Create an Animated GIF in Photoshop

Here's an example of an animated GIF you might make using this tutorial:

marketing-trivia-GIF-example-1.gif

Alright, let's get started.

Step 1: Upload your images to Photoshop.

If you already have images created ...

Gather the images you want in a separate folder. To upload them into Photoshop, click File > Scripts > Load Files Into Stack.

load-file-into-stack.png

Then, select Browse, and choose which files you'd like to use in your GIF. Then, click OK.

load-multiple-images.png

Photoshop will then create a separate layer for each image you've selected. Once you've done that, skip to step two.

If you don't already have the series of images created ...

Create each frame of the animated GIF as a different Photoshop layer. To add a new layer, chose Layer > New > Layer.

add-new-layer.png

Be sure to name your layers so you can keep track of them easily when you make your GIF. To name a layer, go to the Layer panel on the bottom right of your screen, double-click on the default layer name, and type in the name you want to change it to. Press Enter when you're finished.

name-layers.png

Once you have your layers in there and you've named them all, you're ready for step two.

Pro Tip: If you want to combine layers so they appear in a single frame in your GIF, turn visibility on for the layers you want to merge (by clicking on the "eye" to the left of each layer name so only the eyes for the layers you want to merge are open). Next, press Shift + Command + Option + E (Mac) or Shift + Ctrl + Alt + E (Windows). Photoshop will create a new layer containing the merged content, which you should also rename.

Step 2: Open up the Timeline window.

To open Timeline, go to the top navigation, choose Window > Timeline. The Timeline will let you turn different layers on and off for different periods of time, thereby turning your static image into a GIF.

open-timeline.png

The Timeline window will appear at the bottom of your screen. Here's what it looks like:

timeline-in-photoshop.png

Step 3: In the Timeline window, click "Create Frame Animation."

If it's not automatically selected, choose it from the dropdown menu -- but then be sure to actually click it, otherwise the frame animation options won't show up.

create-frame-animation.png

Now, your Timeline should look something like this:

timeline-with-frame-animation.png

Step 4: Create a new layer for each new frame.

To do this, first select all your layers by going to the top navigation menu and choosing Select > All Layers.

Then, click the menu icon on the right of the Timeline screen.

timeline-icon.png

From the dropdown menu that appears, choose Create new layer for each new frame.

new-layer-for-new-frame.png

Step 5: Open the same menu icon on the right, and choose "Make Frames From Layers."

This will make each layer a frame of your GIF.

make-frames-from-layers.png

Step 6: Under each frame, select how long it should appear for before switching to the next frame.

To do this, click the time below each frame and choose how long you'd like it to appear. In our case, we chose 0.5 seconds per frame.

choose-frame-time.png

Step 7: At the bottom of the toolbar, select how many times you'd like it to loop.

The default will say Once, but you can loop it as many times as you want, including Forever. Click Other if you'd like to specify a custom number of repetitions.


choose-loop-number.png

Step 8: Preview your GIF by pressing the play icon.

play-icon.png

Step 9: Save and Export Your GIF

Satisfied with your GIF? Save it to use online by going to the top navigation bar and clicking File > Export > Save for Web (Legacy)...

save-for-web.png

Next, choose the type of GIF file you'd like to save it as under the Preset dropdown. If you have a GIF with gradients, choose Dithered GIFs to prevent color banding. If your image employs a lot of solid colors, you may opt for no dither.

The number next to the GIF file determines how large (and how precise) the GIF colors will be compared to the original JPEGs or PNGs. According to Adobe, a higher dithering percentage translates to the appearance of more colors and detail -- but it increases the file size.

save-for-web-preset-dropdown.png

Click Save at the bottom to save the file to your computer. Now you're ready to upload this GIF to use in your marketing!

Upload the GIF file into any place online that you'd put an image, and it should play seamlessly. Here's what the final product might look like:

Participant
September 29, 2018

I've already created the gif, but I can't get it to be exactly 4 seconds long.

Muqqarib Hassan
Inspiring
September 29, 2018

Hi, Check your frame setting you must mis some steps that you got this issue.