zach's old animations and new visual art, updated every 25 to 60 days

thanks!

next time we need to fundraise for ILX maintenance someone remind to stop being an asshole and pony up a good amount because i bet this is annoyingly bandwidth heavy :-/

someone remind me to pony up, i meant

and this thread, i meant.

i'm sorry, i'm really in no condition to try to make words and communicate

there's a contest that opens on saturday and i want to win one of the prizes (a nice tablet - my current tablet sucks). you can enter multiple submissions, but this is my attempt at the "tired" category

https://38.media.tumblr.com/2c4d8e2ba1950f354c2b1ff5c91cf98f/tumblr_nc4bayv1Le1qdmmiqo3_r1_500.gif

since the contest involves a text messaging app, i'm assuming that some of the digital "stickers" will be included in a new emoji-like images competitor for text messaging. i tried to keep things big so that if you reduce it down to a tiny 40x40 emoji size image it might still convey the sense of ZZZzzzz. but all the little noise details will be lost in a tiny version, so i doubt this will do well with the judges. later this weekend i'm going to try to make a new one for a different category and do a better job.

http://31.media.tumblr.com/383f455c64df45dca0f656ad484da379/tumblr_nc89r4Jsrw1qdmmiqo1_500.gif

Ahh that should win. Very nice!

http://imgur.com/a/GPlx4#davQLBo

Not flashy, but I lolled.

http://38.media.tumblr.com/017fc0e5a7e22d7a71d0a08832e231a3/tumblr_ncs4xs073L1s71q1zo1_1280.gif

http://38.media.tumblr.com/5287e52523eee97c440c2f3b76431b7d/tumblr_ncp1n0FeYG1s71q1zo1_500.gif

from http://liartownusa.tumblr.com/

Sheep Dumpers!

http://dp.la/info/gif-it-up

oooh, i might try to submit something for that. the WWI category seems intriguing. i've been in a slump lately so it felt great to at least barf out these over the last few days

http://33.media.tumblr.com/8be08e0c9f5a3533cb8352760f1d3bb3/tumblr_nd7lqzDgNp1qdmmiqo1_500.gif

http://33.media.tumblr.com/6870bf5025cede7486cd160823d2aeee/tumblr_ndadmu34R81qdmmiqo2_500.gifhttp://31.media.tumblr.com/11ccf8e05cd9fbf801d4c6f9d0626ea1/tumblr_ndakdnM0y61qdmmiqo1_400.gif
http://31.media.tumblr.com/dd31708d985cb248959e29e049832f6f/tumblr_ndcgvd26ud1qdmmiqo1_500.gifhttp://33.media.tumblr.com/22cf4f393b8a50dca36762ede8d591ce/tumblr_ndchnn6InB1qdmmiqo3_500.gif

http://38.media.tumblr.com/65bf747ffeec2dd67d1fe87d7382b42d/tumblr_nejlcnAzdB1qdmmiqo2_500.gif
http://33.media.tumblr.com/8c6cdac43f1076bd780c57dd2f4b5854/tumblr_neslzxzm5U1qdmmiqo1_500.gif
http://38.media.tumblr.com/2c941f4142d3421c8bb6f142c12d92f6/tumblr_nesm9schZz1qdmmiqo1_500.gif
http://31.media.tumblr.com/0b534f2c9672aa597afaf63a0dbef409/tumblr_nesmilfzRL1qdmmiqo1_500.gif
http://33.media.tumblr.com/f88c0b1b255c1cd2b2d0742a1eb5f67d/tumblr_nesmr0bRAD1qdmmiqo1_500.gif
http://31.media.tumblr.com/107b41715e32f874209b6713e18f3900/tumblr_nesn01tw0c1qdmmiqo1_500.gif
http://38.media.tumblr.com/aa091cd3cfed7397df9b2821b9f7cb33/tumblr_nesn84siwK1qdmmiqo1_500.gif
http://38.media.tumblr.com/5393e0ae2da87483476825aff541966c/tumblr_ndkfutrYd71qdmmiqo2_500.gif

ZS, ignore the sentiment behind this. But what would you have done differently for a news publication?

http://assets.inarkansas.com/56089/arkansas-business-election-2014-wrap-up-animation.gif

zs i think the way your mind works is really fucking cool

thanks stevie d :)

pplains i'm the worst at professional design but i think it looks great and would look even better if it was faster, fewer pauses, getting rid of the dead space at the beginning. people scan through things so quickly that if it doesn't move within half a second of loading a lot of people will miss it

http://i.imgur.com/dqGNJsz.gif

I think any gif is testing the boundaries of our little business pub. Even the slower one drives me a little crazy.

Here's one that got rejected, which I understand. I'm sure many in our demographic wear pacemakers.

http://assets.inarkansas.com/56196/arkansas-election-2014-wrap-up-gif.gif

https://31.media.tumblr.com/8cd5db55e48e75e22461838e61321ef6/tumblr_nespudhvqp1qdmmiqo1_500.gif

haha. hurts less than who we voted for, i'll tell you that much.

Love u dude

rlvnt

http://petapixel.com/2014/10/13/math-behind-rolling-shutter-phenomenon/

http://33.media.tumblr.com/2c01ccbd04d37f37f0225c22fc4997f5/tumblr_nf0g8zygNm1qdmmiqo1_500.gif

oh FUCK

why do i do this when i'm drunk
deletedelete

fuck, whatever

http://38.media.tumblr.com/2e615c00fc39bca6e1b59b90d7b5689a/tumblr_nf0goxNDoH1qdmmiqo1_500.gif

http://33.media.tumblr.com/7ec0a8166a78c76bdc6034a20df8d989/tumblr_nfeujoj5AV1qdmmiqo3_500.gif

From gizmodo:

http://sploid.gizmodo.com/these-mind-bending-gifs-can-make-you-be-late-to-your-th-1664079718?rev=1417097469635

http://38.media.tumblr.com/b85dd73a9d9726decfef0cc266929652/tumblr_nfi4d80bsO1qdmmiqo1_500.gif
http://33.media.tumblr.com/1f5bf88a8cb70aa64f7c2733ed29562b/tumblr_ng4pik86xu1qdmmiqo1_400.gif
http://31.media.tumblr.com/109a14bf3506c90044e5e32d21951c08/tumblr_ng4sda5cp11qdmmiqo1_500.gif
http://33.media.tumblr.com/c14ca3363a2343d42cc3dd3440848650/tumblr_ng6k6sT3fM1qdmmiqo1_500.gif

Classics

lynch one is doing my head in

Love that Lynch one.

thank you! i also made a lynch hair one but it's just ok

http://31.media.tumblr.com/5820b9ee880062ab04715d71e5d1c1e1/tumblr_nfiefuC7Vr1qdmmiqo2_500.gif

The Lynch one is magnificent ZS, get that one flashing on Time Square!

Also got me thinking how much he looks like Samuel Beckett.

http://38.media.tumblr.com/7e0bcc3c4e50ee5fe77771958209b53a/tumblr_ngpju5KDMu1qdmmiqo1_1280.gif
http://31.media.tumblr.com/5050bf6200c3a3bada25f28c92dd501e/tumblr_ngy6vxfz7X1qdmmiqo1_500.gif

**applauds wildly**

i shld probably start my own thread, but i'm working on my GIF skills over xmas break

http://i.imgur.com/Rl2SK28.gif

http://i.imgur.com/smC1GVg.gif

http://i.imgur.com/BhYYroP.gif

give me photos and maybe i will animate them!

sorry KM for jacking your thread

Fuck yeah, go to town!

I have to warn you, though. The path of GIFs leads only to profound sadness and confusion

http://i.imgur.com/4eziMTj.gif

lol

good rejoinder

gr80 you've already got the seamless scroll down

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7550/15897757320_dbf7bdd850_o.gif

gr80 you've already got the seamless scroll down

i got that by googling for seamless wallpaper (it still has the watermark) and then making a layer that was two copies of the same square next to each other.

any tips on other seamless scroll techniques?

and then making a layer that was two copies of the same square next to each other.

this is the key, so you're already most of the way there. if the background image that you want to scroll is symmetrical, it's easier, but it's still possible with non-symmetrical images.

i'm not sure what software you're using (photoshop?), but basically, as you said, you want to have two copies of the same background that are contiguous to each other. let's say you have the original square on the right, and then the copied square adjacent to it on the left.

the idea is to have the first first frame of the animation display just the original square on the right, and then the final frame of the animation display the copied square on the left. at this point, if you flip back and forth between the first and final frames, the background square should look identical - they're actually two different parts of the same layer, but they're lined up perfectly, showing the same thing.

then, when you tween (again if you're using photoshop) between the first and final frames, photoshop will create as many frames as you choose between the two, and gradually scroll over from the square on the right to the square on the left. the last step is to delete the final frame of the animation (otherwise you'll have two consecutive frames where the background image appears to be in the same spot).

from your GIFs above i think you already knew all that! but it gets slightly trickier if you're dealing with non-symmetrical scrolling images, or if you want to go for a diagonal scroll.

non-symmetrical: it's the same idea as symmetrical images, it's just that you have to do an extra step of prep by converting your unsymmetrical image to a symmetrical image. there are plenty of ways to do that, but the quickest (i think) is just to create a copy of the image, flip it horizontally, and then move the copy over to the side of the original, then merge the two together as a new, twice as large, layer.

diagonal: same idea as non-symmetrical, except that you'll need to create copies above, below, and to the sides of the original before merging into your new layer. all that matters is that the background image appears to be in the same spot in the first and final frames, even though it's actually displaying a different part of the same image. good lord i'm terrible at explaining this, sorry, but i think you'll already know what i mean.

other things: one thing i like to do is create multiple scrolling background layers that appear to be moving at different speeds. for example, 6 scrolling background layers, each one with ocean waves. each of the 6 scrolling layers has a different length (maybe one of them is 800 pixels wide, another is 1000 pixels wide, etc). you prepare each of the 6 layers by making copies of them and doubling their length (and if the waves are non-symmetrical, horizontally flipping the copies). then you make sure that the 6 layers are lined up properly in the first and final frames of the animation - when you click back and forth the waves should look identical, even though you're seeing a different part of the same image. finally, when you tween between the first and final frames, the 6 wave layers will move at different speeds, seamlessly. the shorter waves will appear to move more slowly, while the lengthier waves will appear to move more quickly because they have to travel faster during the same amount of frames.

once you've got multiple scrolls going on, it's an easy leap to start making them scroll in different directions. it's also fun to play with moire patterns by using parallel lines as your scroll layers and applying effects like overlay or darken or whatever.

actually, based on the background circular swirls in your GIFs i'm guessing you're using after effects? you can do circle spins in photoshop but it is a massive pain in the ass.

One technique for making seamless textures is by creating roughly what you want, then using the "offset" function to get the seams at the edges to the centre. Fix those, then offset it a couple more times to make sure new seams didn't appear. But uh, that's probably less useful for making animations than it would be if you were creating a 3D model or something.

I tried to make a gif last week, but Gimp made me want to go hang myself.

lol yeah i have been doing these all manually... the "tween" button has proven to be very sad and confusing to me so far.... tell me more abt it bc every time i click it i get angry and delete everything

w/ the drew/koala one, i googled for seamless art and found that background then doubled it, (as previously discussed) and then nudged it manually about 20 mouse clicks each time i manually created a new frame, until i had enough frames for it to repeat

the stevie, kitty, and leonardo gifs were all done by manually creating 36 different frames and then 36 different background layers (each rotated 10° from the previous), pretty tedious but very rewarding

the frankenstein one was the same process but i was lucky enough to find a spiral image that looped seamlessly after only 7 frames (or 60° of rotation i guess.... or 70°?? idk)

here's my first attempt at creating my own seamless background, done for a big vin diesel fan:

http://i.imgur.com/kOhD7Hb.gif

i basically just made sure that the only vin diesels that left the canvas area were exactly 50% on the canvas and 50% off (so i could nudge a copy all the way over to the opposite edge and have the other 50% on that side of the canvas)

here's a slower version w/o my friend, if you look at the top right corner you can see a yellow vin's elbow that doesn't quite line up, oops. probably could have fixed that by just sending yellow vin back a few layers

http://i.imgur.com/0iWiJv7.gif

so yeah tell me abt tweening

i feel your manual labor pain, because that's the way i did scrolls for a couple years, rather than using tweens. and even now, sometimes manual is the way to go.

tweening is actually pretty easy and useful once you have the proper settings. here's a screenshot i found, for reference:

http://i.imgur.com/o2dp2fN.jpg

i think these might be the default settings, but either way, start with that.

the easiest thing to do as a demo/test is to create a white background layer, and then a second layer with a black dot (or whatever). in your animation panel, make two frames. in the first frame, put the black dot layer in the upper-left corner, and in the second frame, position the dot layer in the lower-right corner.

then, with the first frame selected, click the tween button. (this will automatically subscribe you to a mailing list for collectors of rare tween pop star memorabilia). choose the number of frames to add: 5 or so will be fine. make sure that position, opacity and effects are all checked, then click OK. this will insert 5 new frames between the frame you have selected (the first frame) and the next frame. tweening will compare the position of the black dot layer in the first frame (in the upper-left corner) with the position of the layer in the subsequent frame (in the lower-right corner), and then automatically make the black dot "move" from the first position to the second over the course of 5 new frames. the effect will be that the black dot will move from the upper-left to the lower-right over the course of 7 frames (the first frame, the 5 frames you added using tween, and the final frame).

as you've probably guessed, you can also use tweening to fade in or out, since it also keeps track of opacity. another simple demo: 2 layers (background white layer and a black dot layer in the center), 2 frames. in the first frame, the opacity of the black dot is set to 0%. in the second frame, the opacity of the black dot is set to 100%. if you use tween to add frames between the two, it will gradually move the opacity slider for the black dot from 0 to 100% in the frames that are added. comes in handy sometimes.

so back to the seamless scroll thing.

let's assume you have the setup you described earlier - a layer that's composed of two identical square images, side by side. i'll call the left half side A and the right half side B. open up the animation panel, and in the first frame, make sure that only side B is visible. create a second frame and reposition the layer in the second frame so that only side A is visible. when you click back and forth between frame 1 and 2 there should be no visible difference, even though in frame 1 you're looking at side B and in frame 2 you're looking at side A. then, select frame 1 and tween it, adding 9 new frames. this will give you a total of 11 frames - the 1st frame that shows side B, the 11th frame that shows side A, and 9 tweened frames in between.

if you hit the play button on the animation panel at this point, you'll see that it slowly slides from side B to side A. you'll also notice that there's an annoying lag between the last frame and the first frame whenever the GIF repeats. the reason for this lag is that frame 11 and 1 look the same, since one shows side B and the other shows side A, which look identical. just delete frame 11, leaving you with 10 frames and (hopefully) the seamless scroll effect.

ahhhhhh, ok i think i've got it. thanks for that ex plainer!

still probably no way to tween the 36 layer rotating backgrounds though, right?

i believe that you can, actually, but only in after effects, not photoshop. but i'm almost certain that with AE you can select a layer/element, apply an effect (probably "rotate" or something close to it), and then specify how long you want the effect to take to execute (360 rotation over 1 second or over 10 seconds, for example).

one of my new years resolutions is to lock myself in a room with AE and fuck around until i'm proficient. however, i've also managed to convince myself that doing things the slow, laborious way with photoshop is often better, because i'm forced to look at every frame and make adjustments, hopefully giving things a more organic feel rather than feeling like a program executed a line of code.

otm, also its a good way to learn what everything in PS does from the ground up