Best Free Animated GIF Maker [1]
Introduction
A picture is worth a thousand words. If this is true for an ordinary static picture then what about a picture that contains motion or animation? An animation has far greater impact than an ordinary picture. It offers many more possibilities to creators/artists, enabling them to convey greater meaning to users. An animated format can also hold a lot more content which is almost impossible for a normal static image.
There are a lot of image file formats but only three are popular and widely used on the web. These are JPG,PNG and GIF formats. Among these three formats, GIF is the only file type that supports animation.
A GIF file can contain a single image, but to animate an image it will need at least two or more images/frames combined, which can then be displayed for a few milliseconds successively and called as GIF animation.
On the right is an animated GIF image of Newton's Cradle, comprising 36 frames and each showing up for about 2 to 5 milliseconds. It's certainly more impressive than a static image if motions are needed to convey more vivid messages to readers.
From the selection of GIF animators covered in this review, everyone should find something suitable to create their own animated images.
GIF Animator for Photos or Images
[4]
Photoscape [4] [5]
The GIF editor included in the suite impressed me with its clear interface, ease of use, intuition and good features
Platforms/Download: Mac OS [6] | Windows (Desktop) [6] | [7]
Version reviewed: 3.7
Gizmos Freeware [8]
| Our Rating: 5/5 |
|
Read more... [5]
Platforms/Download: Linux [11] | Windows (Desktop) [11] | [12]
Version reviewed: 1.3
Gizmos Freeware [8]
| Our Rating: 4/5 |
Read more... [10]
[13]
AnimateGif [13] [14]
Offers a very simple set of functions for light and simple gif animations.
Platforms/Download: Windows (Desktop) [15] | [12]
Version reviewed: n/a
Gizmos Freeware [8]
| Our Rating: 4/5 |
Read more... [14]
[16]
Microsoft GIF Animator [16] [17]
A basic and portable GIF animator from Microsoft in a small user interface.
Platforms/Download: Windows (Desktop) [18] | [12]
Version reviewed: 1.0.0.101
Gizmos Freeware [8]
| Our Rating: 3/5 |
Read more... [17]
[19]
GiftedMotion [19] [20]
A small gif maker with a very flexible and adjustable graphical user interface.
Platforms/Download: Linux [21] | Mac OS [21] | Windows (Desktop) [21] | [12]
Version reviewed: 1.23
Gizmos Freeware [8]
| Our Rating: 3/5 |
Read more... [20]
Platforms/Download: [12]
Version reviewed: 2.8
Gizmos Freeware [8]
| Our Rating: 2/5 |
Read more... [23]
Stick Figure Animator
And for a great deal of fun, try Pivot Stickfigure Animator [24], a simple stick figure animation program for you to create an animated GIF by moving sections of the standard stick figure. See this article A Free Animation Utility That can be Used by the Non-Artistic [25] by Gizmo for more details.
Online GIF Animators
There are various online services available which allow users to make gifs by uploading picture files from computer or by linking from internet. The main problem with almost every online service is various limitations, watermarks and privacy; some support no watermarks and private output but not all. It is almost impossible to list them all, but here are some which I was able to find and test. (Please read their TOS before trying them.)
- GifPal [26] – It limits the number of images you can upload to 24 for a gif. It is an advance tool with many custom options. You have to select and add every image separately with or without customising it. You can add effects, like charcoal, ripples, thermal, halftone, Warhol and many more; control brightness, contrast, hue and saturation of any or all images; add text, fill to gif and add various shapes in any colour you like; and control over file quality/size and watermark. Gifpal also gives you full control over output file privacy, ability to download it to your computer or save it online for access with a link or publish it in your public gallery. It gives you full control over gif files that are highly customisable. Overall it is as good as 9 on a scale of 10.
- Picasion [27] - It limits the number of images you can upload to 10. You have to select every image separately but it gives you custom options like control over size and speed of each frame. The good news is it does not impose any watermark on a gif produced and it also gives user control over file privacy. Although it lacks various options for making a good gif but still is one of the best online services for making a gif. Overall it is as good as 8 on a scale of 10.
- MakeaGif [28] – It limits the number of images you can upload to 20 but you can select them simultaneously which is a good feature. You can easily arrange these pictures after uploading as it supports drag and drop feature. You have control over frame speed and size of a gif, and can also choose to make it private or public. It also supports making gifs from various sources and file types like videos, youtube urls, webcams and other gifs too besides pictures from your computer. It imposes a small watermark on the output gif even though gif quality is very good. Overall it is as good as 7 on a scale of 10.
- Gickr [29] - It limits the number of images to 10, and you have to select each image separately. It gives you very limited custom options like control over size and speed. It imposes a watermark on every gif. It lacks many important features to make gifs more interesting. Overall it is as good as 5 on a scale of 10.
Other GIF Animators
These are some GIF animator programs or online apps or related products which were brought up in the comments here or noted from other sources. As they are not rated in this review, I am listing them here with brief descriptions and relevant links for ease of reference.
- UnFreez [30] is a small program for creating animated GIF files but is short of more advanced features.
- Gimp [31] a free software raster graphics editor good for image editing and retouching. Using this as an animator requires you to go through a steep learning curve; think of every layer as an animation frame.
- GifMaker [32] is a online app which user can use to create a gif animation.
- Stykz [33] is a multi-platform stick figure gif animator program, like Pivot Stickfigure Animator.
Related Products and Links
- Best Free Paint Program [34]
- Best Free Photo Slideshow Software [35]
- Best Free Digital Image Editor [36]
- Best Free Vector Graphics Editor [37]
- Best Free Icon Editor and Replacer [38]
- Best Free Web-Based Image Editor [39]
Editor
This software category is in need of an editor. If you would like to give something back to the freeware community by taking it over, check out this page [40] for more details. You can then contact us from that page or by clicking here [41]