How to Create Simple Giphys
Transcript:
A GIF (pronounced with a “j” despite all the controversy to the contrary) is simply an animated graphic. I’m sure you’ve seen them or maybe you’ve even downloaded some and used in your social media. Personally, I love to add them to my weekly blog/podcast email because they’re fun. I always smile when I see an awesome GIF. I imagine I bring a smile to my readers’ faces, too (except for maybe a few grouches). Using appropriate humor is one of the strongest rapport builders out there.
How to Create a Gif
I usually create GIFs of myself since I mostly use them in my social media feeds or emails.
Plan out your “moves.” The first step is creating a Boomerang image of yourself doing something. Waving. A hand gesture. Some type of head movement. I’ve done Boomerangs taking a bite of my dark chocolate, putting on my lipstick, shaking my head up and down or side to side, a thumbs up or down, drinking coffee, stirring coffee, dancing, pushing glasses up my nose or down my nose. The list is endless. You can download Boomerang onto your phone. If you need both hands, though, get someone to help you. You can also search for different Boomerang images to get ideas. You can also upload a still image to create great GIFs.
Go to giphy.com. Once you have your Boomerang, go to giphy.com and sign up to create GIF’s for free. Once you sign up and are logged in, click Create.
Upload image. Click Choose Photo or GIF or Upload a Video. Boomerangs record as movies, so choose Upload a Video. If a still picture, choose photo. You can do other videos as well. I’ve taken training videos anywhere from three minutes to 30 minutes and created a GIF from a small section of it. Your GIF must be four seconds long to post on Instagram and Facebook.
Decorate. Once you upload your image or video, you can decorate with words, stickers, other animations. I usually don’t just because of my brand feel. But I will sometimes for my emails.
Upload to giphy. Once you’re done decorating your GIF, you’ll click "Continue to Upload.” In the next screen, you can turn off Public meaning only you will see your giphys. You can also add tags and a source URL for your GIFs. I usually don’t because they’re only for me. But if you want others to find and use yours, do it! Then click Upload to giphy.
Download. Once your GIF is created, you can right click on top of it and Save Image. I like doing that more than embedding, copying the link, etc. I have it on my computer as an image. Remember when you insert it into your emails, insert as an image not a video.
One more trick
This might feel like you’re going backwards, but have you ever noticed a GIF on FB that doesn’t GIF. You either have to click it or it looks like a still image. I convert my GIF’s into MP4’s when I post them on Facebook so that they automatically play. There are many websites where you can do this for free.
summary
In reality, aren’t we just children in adult bodies? Emojis. GIFs. All these seemingly childish things make us really happy. They tap into that “play” part of our brains that we need. They give us a few seconds to feel like a kid again, which is why cat videos are so popular and reduce stress according to research. Use GIFs to make your client smile and take a breather from adulthood.
