where/how to create animated GIFs these days >>>

[auntnini]

It's disappointing that JavaScriptKit.com is kicking into DynamicDrive.com.
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Adobe HELP is so awful! Adobe has totally corrupted the good old, once simple animated GIF.

My first animated GIF circa 2000 was created in Macromedia Fireworks. Thereafter, Photoshop had back-end/affiliated ImageReady program to create animated GIFs. When they dropped ImageReady a couple of version back, it was under Window>ANIMATION in Photoshop. In version CS6, ii was Window>TIMELINE.

At one point in version CS6 was able to PLAY "frame mode" animation of layers. Now you cannot create and insert frames and it will not PLAY. I do not want to create timeline videos. If I did, I would use Flash or AfterEffects.

Resorting to all sorts of convoluted attempts (such as opening a previous CS5 animated GIF) was able to make it PLAY in Photoshop CS6. Then had to File>Save for Web> HTML and Images to desktop, then dragged GIF file to site root folder to insert and play in http://www.josephdenaro.com/heads/indexmobile.html

Still furious and disgusted with >Adobe for \\crapping up// simple animated GIF. I do not want to re-learn Fireworks or another program.

Cannot find HELP or search answer.

Any reference links or solutions will be greatly appreciated.

[jscheuer1]

I dunno about all of that, but for what's on that page, a simple javascript slideshow would probably be far more efficient byte-wise. And if you wanted to add in a fade transition, you could use something like:

http://www.dynamicdrive.com/dynamicindex14/fadeinslideshow.htm

or:

http://www.dynamicdrive.com/dynamicindex14/swissarmy/index.htm

[Beverleyh]

As far as I'm aware you can still make gifs in CS6 and you use the timeline to do it - you can import video or drag in layers and then set frame display time, etc.

Here's a tutorial http://nevershouticons.livejournal.com/14629.html for example.

And Adobe's official reference;
Timeline animation: http://help.adobe.com/en_US/photoshop/cs/using/WSB8C58284-9DEB-44f2-9D8F-7F77594A8CC2a.html
Frame animation: http://help.adobe.com/en_US/photoshop/cs/using/WSfd1234e1c4b69f30ea53e41001031ab64-746fa.html

What are you having problems with in particular?

[auntnini]

Thanks JDS and BH.

Photoshop CS6 is not creating first frame nor letting me create a frame for Frame Animation.

Have not checked lately, but, at one point, JavaScript usage was questionable on mobile devices. I do not want a video or anything complicated. Just create a frame, turn on/off visibility of layers or such --- real simple like it used to be.

[auntnini]

TOO, tooooo simple. Why did not Adobe HELP say so.

Window>TIMELINE (also but may not be necessary Window>WorkSpace>Motion). In timeline section click arrow to choose FRAME ANIMATION, then click on that "Frame Animation" line to create a frame. This also displays the icons at bottom of Timeline to duplicate, etc. frames.

[Beverleyh]

Have not checked lately, but, at one point, JavaScript usage was questionable on mobile devices. I do not want a video or anything complicated.Youre right - it did used to be an issue. Things have improved though thanks to the next generation of smart phones, so generally, they handle JavaScript much, much better than mobile devices from a few years ago. And rolling contracts tend to push out handset-upgrades quite well. I'm not saying that we can go crazy with loads of fancy script additions on mobile-specific websites, but a few small script *enhancements* are fine (nothing critical, just for polish). Probably better in fact since iPhone can cache resources that are under about 25kb - which, as John pointed out, would probably be better byte-wise than a gif - but it depends on the size of the gif.

Tablets also fall under the "mobile device" category (rather than just mobile phones as it used to be considered) and they are obviously much more powerful, and able to handle more traditional desktop-style websites with greater ease (except Flash). Those user numbers are really ramping up too - I read somewhere that a quarter of American Internet users already browse via a tablet of some form or another.
[*refers to Google...*] ... Here's the article: http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2012/Tablet-Ownership-August-2012.aspx

[auntnini]

Thanks again. Corny and outdated, maybe?, but I like my old animated GIF friends for variations on an image, responsive-mobile variation, etc. such as http://www.auntnini.com/sketch/index.html (rollover thumbnail to change JPEH, click to display GIF variation)