weekend_warrior
Banned
The FREE software way. (need VirtualDub and GIMP)
1. Find video you like. Like this one- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsPp4tfBnGk Load and pause a few seconds before you want to capture.
2. Create new folder on desktop (you'll just use this as a picture dump folder)
3. OpenVirtdub (download free here- http://www.virtualdub.org/)
4. Snap browser window to left, Virtualdub windopw to right
5. In virtualdub select- File > Capture AVI.
6. [NOTE]Settings you might need to change-
Now to capture.
7.File > set capture file. Any name, save to desktop
8. Start capture, start playback in browser window, stop captture when done.
9. Stop video, minimize browser.
10. In Vdub- File> exit capture mode
11. Drag new video file into Vdub.
At this point you'll be able to mess with the video. Trim the length, adjust playback, or whatever. I normallly don't bother.
12. When done- File > Export > Image seqence
13. Save to dump folder you created.
14. Open folder. Examine contents. This is where I adjust the "framerate" of the gif. You can do this quickley by adjusting the size of the folder to create 2 rows of pictures and then deleting 1 row, thus halving the framerate. Yopu can also delete frames from the start and end of the capture which you don't want as part of the gif.
Then ends the Vdub portion. Now open your image program. (I use GIMP, download free here- http://www.gimp.org/ )
15. Open gimp, new file.
16. File > open as layers. Select all your pictures you kept in the folder. (Select first, shift-select last)
17. Open.
18. Make all you adjuctments. Crop photo, add text, adjust colors, resize, etc.
19. Image > mode > indexed. Select- full color pallete, color ditering- positiened.
20. Filter> animation > optimize for differtence.
21. Filter > animation > playback to watch gif.
21. Save as something.gif, save as animation, adjust frame deley (if wanted), save.
23. Upload to net. (I use imgur if under 2mb, minus if over)
Done!
Method # 2 ( from SunhiLegend) (need Adobe software and Fraps)
My method when watching a stream/live event, however you need Adobe software and Fraps.
1. Record using fraps while watching stream.
2. Convert to mp4 using a video converter.
3. Open Photoshop, import frames to layers. Select frames.
4. File - Save for web - save as gif.
To create a gif with text and special fx
1. Record using fraps.
2. Open in After effects.
3. Make the necessary changes, adding text, special fx etc.
4. Save as MP4
5. open in Photoshop and save as gif.
To cut down on size use frame skip in after effects to either 1 or 2.
Mac Method #1 (from Sentry ) (need GIFbrewery ($5) and Quicktime)
Since there's no Mac methods in here, I recommend GIFBrewery. Not freeware ($5) but it's really worth it, makes everything super simple. All you do is add the video file, set a start/end point for the gif, and boom. You can use QuickTime to record a selected portion of your screen, such as a YouTube video viewer, then just drag that into GIFBrewery. No need for PhotoShop, GIMP, Vdub, video converters, etc.
After finding a video you want to record, use QuickTime to screen-cap it;
Once you stop recording, the video is automatically saved to your videos folder. Open that video in GIFBrewery and you're practically done. You can mess with image size and frame rates here, as well as trim your original recording down frame by frame, setting a start and end point. There's also a 'modes' setting that lets you make a reverse gif, or a looped forward-then-backward gif (Palindrome example below).
This is the easiest, fastest, and simplest way I found to do it. Alternatively if you own Photoshop, you can just import the QT recorded video into layers there, then save for web etc.
Using Potplayer and Photoshop (from translator) (need Potplayer (free) and Photoshop)
My preferred way of capturing video for GIF-making is using PotPlayer. (It's also my preferred video player.)
PotPlayer's capture menu looks like this (click here). Here you can capture individual frames or just capture the video.
This (click here) is the video capture menu. These settings work for me for when I later import into Photoshop.
This (click here) is where you click to import a video into Photoshop as frames (mp4 and avi should work). After importing you can add text or whatever which is easiest to do after you've switched into time line view. If you don't you have to work frame by frame.
So to save the GIF you go to File -> Save for Web. Play around with the settings there until your GIF isn't 20MB. You'll probably want to resize the image before trying Save for Web, it might save Photoshop from crashing if the file is too big.
So to recap:
1) Get PotPlayer.
2) Use PotPlayer to either capture frames or video.
3.1) If you have Photoshop you can import the video into a frame animation (or just import the frames into layers and find make frame animation somewhere).
3.2) If you don't have Photoshop you can use something else (which might only work with frames).
4) Save GIF after making sure it's not huge.
5) Upload and use as reaction GIF instead of writing proper posts.
I'll update the OP with other peoples methods too
1. Find video you like. Like this one- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsPp4tfBnGk Load and pause a few seconds before you want to capture.
2. Create new folder on desktop (you'll just use this as a picture dump folder)
3. OpenVirtdub (download free here- http://www.virtualdub.org/)
4. Snap browser window to left, Virtualdub windopw to right
5. In virtualdub select- File > Capture AVI.
6. [NOTE]Settings you might need to change-
- Device > make sure you have screen capture selected
- Video > set custom format (I use 640x480 so it only catptures the video on the left). video.
- video > source- make sure open GL is off
- cature > stop conditions (I set the capture to stop automatically to prevent a problem I've had with the capture not wanting to stop. Set tis to what ever you like- 5,10,15 secs..)
Now to capture.
7.File > set capture file. Any name, save to desktop
8. Start capture, start playback in browser window, stop captture when done.
9. Stop video, minimize browser.
10. In Vdub- File> exit capture mode
11. Drag new video file into Vdub.
At this point you'll be able to mess with the video. Trim the length, adjust playback, or whatever. I normallly don't bother.
12. When done- File > Export > Image seqence
13. Save to dump folder you created.
14. Open folder. Examine contents. This is where I adjust the "framerate" of the gif. You can do this quickley by adjusting the size of the folder to create 2 rows of pictures and then deleting 1 row, thus halving the framerate. Yopu can also delete frames from the start and end of the capture which you don't want as part of the gif.
Then ends the Vdub portion. Now open your image program. (I use GIMP, download free here- http://www.gimp.org/ )
15. Open gimp, new file.
16. File > open as layers. Select all your pictures you kept in the folder. (Select first, shift-select last)
17. Open.
18. Make all you adjuctments. Crop photo, add text, adjust colors, resize, etc.
19. Image > mode > indexed. Select- full color pallete, color ditering- positiened.
20. Filter> animation > optimize for differtence.
21. Filter > animation > playback to watch gif.
21. Save as something.gif, save as animation, adjust frame deley (if wanted), save.
23. Upload to net. (I use imgur if under 2mb, minus if over)
Done!
Method # 2 ( from SunhiLegend) (need Adobe software and Fraps)
My method when watching a stream/live event, however you need Adobe software and Fraps.
1. Record using fraps while watching stream.
2. Convert to mp4 using a video converter.
3. Open Photoshop, import frames to layers. Select frames.
4. File - Save for web - save as gif.
To create a gif with text and special fx
1. Record using fraps.
2. Open in After effects.
3. Make the necessary changes, adding text, special fx etc.
4. Save as MP4
5. open in Photoshop and save as gif.
To cut down on size use frame skip in after effects to either 1 or 2.
Mac Method #1 (from Sentry ) (need GIFbrewery ($5) and Quicktime)
Since there's no Mac methods in here, I recommend GIFBrewery. Not freeware ($5) but it's really worth it, makes everything super simple. All you do is add the video file, set a start/end point for the gif, and boom. You can use QuickTime to record a selected portion of your screen, such as a YouTube video viewer, then just drag that into GIFBrewery. No need for PhotoShop, GIMP, Vdub, video converters, etc.
After finding a video you want to record, use QuickTime to screen-cap it;
Once you stop recording, the video is automatically saved to your videos folder. Open that video in GIFBrewery and you're practically done. You can mess with image size and frame rates here, as well as trim your original recording down frame by frame, setting a start and end point. There's also a 'modes' setting that lets you make a reverse gif, or a looped forward-then-backward gif (Palindrome example below).
This is the easiest, fastest, and simplest way I found to do it. Alternatively if you own Photoshop, you can just import the QT recorded video into layers there, then save for web etc.
Using Potplayer and Photoshop (from translator) (need Potplayer (free) and Photoshop)
My preferred way of capturing video for GIF-making is using PotPlayer. (It's also my preferred video player.)
PotPlayer's capture menu looks like this (click here). Here you can capture individual frames or just capture the video.
This (click here) is the video capture menu. These settings work for me for when I later import into Photoshop.
This (click here) is where you click to import a video into Photoshop as frames (mp4 and avi should work). After importing you can add text or whatever which is easiest to do after you've switched into time line view. If you don't you have to work frame by frame.
So to save the GIF you go to File -> Save for Web. Play around with the settings there until your GIF isn't 20MB. You'll probably want to resize the image before trying Save for Web, it might save Photoshop from crashing if the file is too big.
So to recap:
1) Get PotPlayer.
2) Use PotPlayer to either capture frames or video.
3.1) If you have Photoshop you can import the video into a frame animation (or just import the frames into layers and find make frame animation somewhere).
3.2) If you don't have Photoshop you can use something else (which might only work with frames).
4) Save GIF after making sure it's not huge.
5) Upload and use as reaction GIF instead of writing proper posts.
I'll update the OP with other peoples methods too