LEARN WITH HARVY??? - includes computer related article/topics, tips and
notes that can be useful for the Webpage reader. It was a tutorial sort of...
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The use of animated GIFs on the Web sites is an ancient method of attracting users to click places they might otherwise not have gone - it has been around since the first Web pages came online. As a means of communication, they've proved remarkably resilient, thanks largely to the fact that only can they be effective in catching the eye, but also because they're small can be seen on almost any browser.
Animated GIFs remain the most popular way to add movement to a Web page. In fact, they're the defacto standard for banner ads on the internet. Te reason is simple: most people who surf the Web can actually see GIF animation unfold, regardless of the computer they own or the other type of browser they use. This contrast with flash, Java and Dynamic HTML, which are very
robust and increasingly popular formats, but which require special plug-ins, downloadable applets or the newest browser in order to be viewed.
Animated GIFs are based on of the oldest of all animation principles - the flip book. Basically, an animated GIF file contains a series of individual images that, when viewed in sequence, create the illusion of movement. The problem is, saving a sequence of images can produce very large file sizes. Large file size is anathema on the Web, where it results in lengthy download times. Advertisers want the audience to see the entire message which means the animated banner ad must display quickly. Download speed is determined by file size, and this speed is
so important that most large Web sites limits for files. The rule of thumb is that a banner should never be larger than 12K.
SLOW DOWN (OR SPEED UP) THE ANIMATION
The GIF 89A format allows you to determined the delay between individual frames of an animation (specified in 0.01-seconds increments). This gives you the power to
control the pace of the animation. Aesthetics aside, in many cases you'll find that showing an animation down (or speeding it up) allows you to reduce the overall number of
frames in a file.
For example, an animation containing a txt or phrase must be displayed on the screen long enough for the viewer to read it comfortably. You either create four identical frames that each display for the default amount of time (0.2 seconds), or you can create one frame and specify an exact delay of time of 0.8 seconds. In a GIF file that has not been otherwise
optimized, deleting three frames from four frame animation can reduce the file sized by 75 percent.
The same technique works in reverse. You can often create more believable motion
effect in fewer frames by decreasing the delay time to 0.1 seconds or less. To see this theory in action, examine the animation with the words "The illusion of motion" in figure 4, where the first frame is set at 0.6 seconds and the remaining three frames are set to 0.1
seconds.
- - - END of PART 1 - - -
Next Topic:
continuation of ANIMATE THE WEB...
CROP AWAY REDUNDANT IMAGERY
LAYER IMAGES IN AN ANIMATION
KEEP THE COLOUR PALETTE SMALL
CREATE THE ILLUSION OF MOVEMENT
Source: PC MAGAZINE Volume 7, Issue 1
Joyce
Doner
Marvin
Ador
Larry
Rio
Nellie
Bhing
Helen
Rene
Nelson
Neri
Emma
