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BoppyW
Known Participant
February 3, 2017
Answered

How to export feathered frames to gif smoothly?

  • February 3, 2017
  • 1 reply
  • 998 views

Hi folks,

I have created an animation that includes several frames whose images have feathered edges. When I export to gif the feathering disappears and I only see sharp edges unless I apply a transparency dither, which then makes the whole lot look messy, pixelated or noisy.

Is there a happy medium between a good quality animation yet shows feathered edges? If so, what are the magic export settings?

This type of PS work is quite new to me so thanks in advance for any advice people may be able to offer.

    This topic has been closed for replies.
    Correct answer Silkrooster

    It depends on resolution, color depth, number of frames, and compression. Mp4 can compress more, but it throws out data to do it.

    I would experiment to see how small of a file compared to loss of quality. Find that happy medium.

    A web site can handle a lot larger file than email can. Be prepared for your file to be rejected via email. Most email servers have a maximum file size where web sites usually don't.

    1 reply

    Silkrooster
    Silkrooster
    Legend
    February 4, 2017

    Not really for gif, as it only supports a single color for transparency, verses the normal 256 colors. Hence 1 bit vs. 8 bit transparency.

    Avi, Mov, Swf, mp4 are better animation formats that can support true 8 bit transparency with the proper codec.

    The codec can make a difference in file size as well.

    Silkrooster
    Silkrooster
    Legend
    February 4, 2017

    That said, if you really need gif, you could try dithering. It don't look good up close, but from a distance it could fool the eye.

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