How to Create GIFs and Stickers in Photoshop?
In recent years, technology has become a great ally in allowing us to communicate with our family, friends, and followers via our mobile devices, tablets, and computers.
Telegram and Instagram are two of the most commonly used instant messaging platforms, with more and more people using GIFs or stickers to add some humor to their conversations.
In this tutorial blog, you will learn how to create GIFs and stickers with simple steps using Photoshop and After Effects, as well as GIPHY. Through these methods, you can create your own customized GIFs or sticker to share with the people around you.
You’ll leave them speechless!
Photographic postproduction with Photoshop
Start from scratch and create amazing photo montages.
How to create GIFs animated using Photoshop.
In order to create a GIF, you need to record a video that has a Photoshop key background, since this technique will allow you to easily extract the subject or object from the background during postproduction and create your customized GIF.
You should consider 3 tips to ensure the process goes smoothly.
The shutter speed should be high to avoid motion blurs.
If your camera allows it, record with 422 10-bit recording options in order to better extract color Photoshop.
High ISOs should be avoided to prevent degradation in color.
In the Videography for Beginners to Pros course, there’s a comprehensive episode on how to work with Photoshop professionally.
It is time to get started, so open After Effects.
After importing the video you want to work with, you need to create a composition and use the Keylight effect to create a GIF.
In the Effects Controls, click on Screen Colour and select green Photoshop from the video image. This will enable you to select Photoshop’s colour, and you will see that it extracts the subject quite well, with a few minor adjustments.
You can return to the Effect Controls, and in View, select Screen Matte to view what is being extracted and what is not.
You can increase the gain of the screen with Screen Gain to make it even clearer. The black parts are transparent and the white ones are opaque.
Go to the Screen Matte window and increase the amount for Clip Black. Conversely, decrease the amount for Clip White. The more white, the more video information is recovered.
Once you have finished making changes to your view, select Final Result to see the finished result.
The dimensions must now be resized with a maximum resolution of 512px x 512px or even 500px x 500px.
Go to Composition, and set the Width and Height for the image.
Rescale the image, reducing the Scale level until it is properly framed.
The last step is to export the GIF. Go to Window > Render Queue. Add the composition you have created to the Render Queue.
Select Output Module. Under Format, choose Quicktime and choose RGB + Alpha for Channels. Then click Accept.
In Output, select the destination folder where you would like to extract the GIF. Then click Process.
We are close to the end, but now you need to open the file in Photoshop.
When you are inside and can see how the GIF has turned out, go to File > Export > Save for Web.
In Preset Adjustments, select GIF.
On Halo, select None.
Click on Save.
Your GIF will be ready soon.
How to create GIFs from video clips.
As mentioned before, if you want to separate the subject or object from the background, the Photoshop key is a good option; however, you can also make GIFs using the full image of a video file if desired.
To do this, you can follow some of the steps that I have mentioned before, although you may skip some and go directly to resize the image and adjust the scale. The only variation at the end of the process occurs in step 11, where you would need to select RGB in Channels.
The rest is exactly the same.
If you don’t have After Effects or Photoshop, know that there are free alternatives that also allow you to create GIFs from scratch.
GIPHY allows you to do it, both from your computer and your mobile device.
Once you open the page, click on the Create button.
You can select how to import your files. You can drag and drop your video from its location or enter the link of the video you want to edit in the white bar shown in the following image (link to YouTube, Vimeo, etc.).
When uploading your file, a preview window and options such as Start time and Duration will appear. Start time allows you to define the exact minute your GIF will begin, while Duration allows you to configure the full duration of your GIF.
You can add captions to your GIFs and customize the font style and color.
Add tags using the Enter Tags bar to make your GIFs traceable on search engines. Then, click “Create GIF” and you’re done.
How to create GIFs and add them to Instagram.
Once you create your personalized GIF, you will need to go to the GIPHY website. If you do not have an account, you will need to follow the registration process to create one.
To be verified as an artist by GIPHY, you must meet certain requirements such as uploading between 5 and 10 GIFs and filling out specific fields (Bio, Social Media, etc.). This verification is done manually, so make sure to follow the steps correctly in order for your application to be successfully processed.
To apply for an Artist Channel, go to Support > GIPHY for Brands and Artists > Apply For an Artist Channel. You will be reminded of the requirements that you must meet and you will need to fill out a form after clicking “Here“.
Una vez verificada tu cuenta, deberás seguir los siguientes pasos:
To upload a GIF, you need to click Upload.
Drag the GIF you have created from the folder where it is saved.
Use an uncommon hashtag to make it easier to find your GIFs on Instagram.
The rating for this content is G, suitable for all audiences.
Click Upload to GIPHY.
¡Listo!
It may take some time for your GIFs to be available on Instagram. This can range from 24 hours to a week, however, don’t worry as they will eventually appear.
How to create Stickers
When creating stickers, the resolution should not exceed 512px x 512px with a png format that includes transparency. Following these two items will help you create the perfect sticker, so unleash your creativity.
Now, the most important part is to work on the sticker in Photoshop.
To begin, the photo should feature a subject or object that stands out from the background. A photoshop key may also be used for this purpose.
Afterward, you will need to cut out the subject or object to remove it from the background. You can use either the Magic Wand tool or go to Selection > Color Range and gradually adjust the tolerance. You can also use the Polygonal Lasso Tool, but this is more rudimentary and will take slightly longer.
Once you have selected the subject or object, press Ctrl + C > Ctrl + V in order to create a new layer. Delete the previous green background layer, and keep the one you recently generated.
You may need to resize the image so that it meets the resolution requirements, but you can also create a new file and set the width and height to 512px x 512px.
Copy the layer of the subject or object, and take it to the new file you have created. You will need to resize the image (Ctrl + T) to fit it as best as possible.
You can add a white halo around the image to give it a sticker-like effect. Double-click on the layer, go to Stroke, select white as the color, and adjust the size of the stroke to your liking (e.g. Outside, 10 px).
Adjust the image downward, taking your time, and ensure that it fits within the margins.
Select Export > Save for Web. Set the preset to PNG-24. Click Save and choose the destination folder.
You will have created your own personalized sticker now!
GIPHY provides the opportunity to create stickers quickly and for free, so you should give it a try.
How to add Stickers to Telegram
After you create your sticker, go to Telegram to add it. Before anything else, you will need to search for and chat with the Stickers bot on Telegram.
To create a new sticker pack, you can start a chat with the bot and enter /new pack. You will need to choose a name for your custom pack. The bot will remind you of the sticker requirements which you already know since I explained them earlier, and afterward, you can upload your own sticker through the clip button.
Select and send the desired PNGs as a file. You can add an emoji to the selected sticker.
Once this process is complete, you can repeat it to upload as many stickers as desired; to finish, type /publish. The bot will give you the option of assigning a short name to your sticker pack. When done, the bot will provide the link to the created pack. Click on the link and choose ‘Add Stickers’.
If you ever need to add more stickers to your existing pack, you can talk to the bot again and use the command/add a sticker, following the same procedure. Adding new stickers to an existing pack will take longer than when creating one from scratch.
This tutorial blog about creating GIFs and stickers has now concluded.
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