Do you want to give your lettering a little extra pizzazz?!! I’ve got just the thing! You’ll be amazed at how easy it is to make your lettering into a gorgeous GIF like the one below!
Before I jump into this tutorial, you should all know that I have a confession: my coworker just taught me a few weeks ago how to add GIFs in texts (trust me, I know, I’m behind the times when it comes to technology; don’t judge!). Before that, I saw GIFs occasionally on the internet but hadn’t given them much of a second thought. After learning how easy & fun they were to add to texts, I decided I had to make my own. The possibility of animating my lettering was just way too tempting. So here’s everything I’ve learned about turning lettering into a GIF including step-by-step instructions & a video showing my steps on the iPad!
Supplies
– iPad with Procreate app & Shortcuts app (available in iOS 12)
– Lettering or an image you would like to animate
– Note: an iPad & Procreate are not required; you can also jump directly to Step 8 if you already have photos of your lettering with the desired object moved in each frame as desired
Disclosure: This link is an affiliate link, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
The Basics
A GIF is a file format that supports both static & animated images. This type of file can be used in conjunction with lettering to animate the lettering in a fun, eye-catching way. GIFs are currently very prevalent in pop culture & are even incorporated in everyday texts & Facebook comments (like I mentioned, I just had a coworker teach me how to do this on my phone, actually!). Basically, GIFs are very popular right now, so you should jump on the bandwagon & create your own with your lettering!
Instructions
Step 1: Open the Procreate app on your iPad & letter your piece. Keep in mind that you’ll be animating the piece, so you’ll want the piece to match the desired motion & not be overwhelmed by the movement (aka – you don’t want the piece to be too busy with artwork elements).
Step 2: Determine which of your elements will be static & which will be animated. Ensure they are on separate layers (I separated my lettering from my background color in the example).
Step 3: If you are using one layer & adjusting the object’s position for movement, duplicate the layer several times depending on how many images or elements of movement you would like.
Step 4: Choose one of your images & turn off all images that you’re not working with.
Step 5: Select the image & adjust slightly horizontally, vertically or even radially.
Step 6: Save.
Step 7: Repeat Steps 4 & 5 several times until you have a “base” image & several adjusted images.
Step 8: Open Shortcuts.
Step 9: Create a Shortcut that will use multiple photos to make a GIF using the following sequence of actions:
- Find Photos
- Select Photos (Make sure you have the “Select Multiple” option selected so you can choose more than one photo for your GIF)
- Make GIF (If you click on the “Seconds Per Photo” setting & change to “Ask When Run”, you’ll be able to change the time between frames of your video)
- Save to Photo Album
Alternative: If you don’t want to create your own Shortcut, you can just use the one I’ve created here! Just unzip & add to your Shortcut library. Please note that my photo album is saving to “All Photos”.
Step 10: After creating your Shortcut, select “Done” & then click on the Shortcut in your Library to execute it! It will have you select the photos you would like in your GIF & choose the time between frames.
Pro Tip: The Shortcut will create the GIF based on the order of the photos in your album. If you have a particular order you would like the frames, save the photos in your album in that order.
Step 11: Head over to your Photo Album to see your GIF!
Bonus Step: If you’d like to upload to Instagram, you’ll need to save the GIF as a video. You can create another shortcut to do this simply by adding a “Make Video from GIF” action between “Make GIF” & “Save to Photo Album”.
Putting It All Together
If you’re more of a visual learner like I am & would like to follow along, here’s a video walking you through each of the steps I took to create my GIF!
I typically end up making several iterations of my adjustments/order & time between frames to settle on a final result that I find the most visually appealing. There’s endless possibilities; just have fun with it. Now go out there & flood the world with beautiful GIF
If you make a GIF, I would love to see it! Use the hashtag #bysabrinamarie & post all of your beautiful work!