Photoshop in Motion! Animated GIFs and Video Editing

Show the Photoshop Timeline (Window>Timeline), and click the button in the middle that says, "Create Frame Animation." (That button has two modes, Create Frame Animation or Create Video Timeline. Make sure it says the correct one before you click it.)

From the Timeline Options Menu, choose "Make Frames from Layers."

From the controls at the bottom of the timeline, decide if the animation will play Once, 3 times or Forever, then click the Play button to preview. You can set the time each frame appears at the bottom of the thumbnail. (You can set them all at once if you hold down SHIFT to select them all, and then change any one.)

Save your file before exporting to GIF. To create the animated Gif:

• Choose File>Export>Save for Web (Legacy)
• In the resulting window, in the Preset menu, choose GIF 128 Dithered (or if you are using a photo, you might want to change the Colors to 256)
• At the bottom, set the number of times it will play in Looping Options. The default is Forever.
• To preview, click the Preview button in the lower left. The animation opens into a browser window.
• Back in Photoshop, click Save and navigate to the appropriate location for saving.
• DONE! The .gif file can be put on a web page, in a slideshow, or used in social media...anywhere that can accept an animated GIF!

Create an animated GIF from a short video

• Choose File>Import>Video Frames to Layers, and browse to select and open the video file.

• Decide how many frames till be imported in the "Limit To Every" box (every 2 or 3 frames, etc.)
• Make sure "Make Frame Animation" is checked.
• Click OK
• If the Photoshop Timeline isn't open, choose it from Window>Timeline.
• Now play the animation, and save it with the same method as the animated GIF above. So easy!

Try this out with the short video included with the workshop files called "fireworks2.mp4"

Cinemagraphs!

What is a Cinemagraph?

From http://cinemagraphs.com/what-is-a-cinemagraph:

"A cinemagraph is a living image—a still photograph that contains an element of movement looped seamlessly to create a never ending moment."

Here are the steps:

1. Open the video file into Photoshop
2. Choose Window>Timeline to open the Photoshop Timeline (if the Timeline doesn't automatically open)
3. Open the Layers panel and drag the video on Layer 1 above the Video Group 1 layer to take it out of the Video Group.
4. Select and delete the Video Group 1 layer.
5. Duplicate the video on Layer 1 (Command/CTRL - J)
6. Make sure the duplicate is directly above the original video on the Timeline, and keep the duplicate selected in the Layers panel. (It helps if you have the playhead at the beginning of the video before duplicating the layer.)
7. Drag the playhead on the Timeline to an appropriate frame that you want to "freeze" as the still image.
8. Right click on the selected duplicate layer in the layers panel and choose Rasterize Layer.
9. Keep the duplicate layer selected and choose Select>Select and Mask (the View Mode "Overlay" works best)
10. Select the Brush Tool with a little feathering added and select the part of the image that needs to keep moving.
11. In the Output Settings at the bottom of the panel, choose Output to>Layer Mask.
12. Click Invert, then click OK.
13. Make sure the playhead is back at the beginning and play the video to test. If the Layer Mask needs to be edited, click on the Layer Mask thumbnail in the Layers panel, and in the Properties panel, click Select and Mask. (Or, double-click the layer mask on that layer in the Layers panel.)
14. Save the PSD file, but for final export, choose File>Export>Save for Web (Legacy) to save it as a .gif file. Make sure to choose "Forever" for the looping option at the bottom before doing the final Save.

To shorten a video for a Cinemagraph:

Often, the video downloaded from Pexels.com or other free video sites are too long to efficiently work in a Cinemagraph. Here are the steps to shorten the video into a useable clip. (Hint: If you download a video from Pexels.com or other free video sites, make sure the video is the smallest size available. Standard HD (1280 X 720) would usually work fine.)

• Open the video into Photoshop. It should open on the Timeline.
• If you need to stretch the view of the video, use the slider at the bottom (little mountains/big mountains), but make sure the entire clip fits in the timeline window.
• Move the playhead to mark a good stopping point for looping the Cinemagraph. Make sure to observe frame one, and find a stopping point where the movement looks similar to frame one to avoid jumps while looping.
• Move the mouse over the very end of the clip in the timeline until it looks like a bracket with a double-headed arrow.
• Click and drag the mouse to the position marked with the playhead to trim the clip.
• From the Timeline Options menu (at the far right of the Timeline window), choose Render Video.
• Give the clip a new name and pay attention to the folder location where it will be saved.
• Click Render.
• Make sure to close the original size video and open the new shortened one to make the Cinemagraph.

Video Editing on the Photoshop Timeline

Did you know you can create a movie in Photoshop using the Photoshop Timeline? It just takes Seven easy steps. Let Scott Kelby show you how in this YouTube video:

Here are the seven steps:

Before you begin, put video clips, images, and audio files in one folder.

1. Load files into stack (File>Scripts>Load Files into Stack). It loads them as layers.

2. Show Timeline (Window>Timeline). Then select all layers, go to Timeline menu at left of any one clip and choose “New Video Group from clips.” Then drag and drop them on the timeline to re-arrange.

3. Trim clips—drag from either end

4. Add Transitions—fade in or out from icon in Timeline. Drag the transition from the menu to a spot between clips.

5. Add Background Music (Audio Track). To trim, position playhead and click Scissors. Then delete trimmed portion.

6. Add Text and Titles—drag Type layer to top of Layers panel to make it overlay (OR, in timeline from Video Group 1 menu, choose “New Video Group” and move it up to that Video Group)

7. Use Photoshop Like Always – change any clip with effects at bottom of Layers panel (choose a clip in Layers panel to change whole clip)

Export (Render Video)—from Timeline Options menu at top right of timeline. Default is probably OK, but you can choose from presets.

Notes:

• Add other media by choosing Add Media from filmstrip icon at the left of the Video Group 1 on Timeline.
• Still images can be added on the timeline. Decide duration by dragging ends, like a video clip. Add Filter effects by selecting the image on the timeline and make sure play head is over it. (If you apply a filter on a video clip, it only adds it to the frame at the play head location unless you convert it to a smart object with a right click in the Layers panel.)

Tip: Make sure the video downloads you do for Cinemagraphs are the smallest size available. Standard HD (1280 X 720) would usually work fine.