This is a "HOWTO" page for Gif animations.

Here are the recomended steps:

1. Create your images that you will use in the animation (for your first attempt using only 5 or 6 images). If you are using Blender, work through the Blender Animation Page First!
   1. Create your image and save it as a "blend" (use F2)
   2. Create the animation using the "Scene" buttons
   3. Convert your images to "gif" (use "xview" or "mogrify"). To use mogrify, simply place all of your jpg's into a directory and type:
      

      mogrify -format gif *

   4. Create a new sub-directory (I use "temp")
   5. Copy all of the gif's into the temp directory (cp *.gif temp)
   6. Run the program "whirlgif" (from "XTERM") to assemble your gif's (see sample below)

      whirlgif -o name.gif -loop -time 15 *.gif

   7. Test the animation using "xanim" (a small program that plays back animation files):

      xanim name.gif

   8. Move the finished gif into your www directory (or a subdirectory of your www directory). If you try to run the program again before moving the composite gif, you will get an error message since it tries to include the animation gif in the making of an animation gif.
   9. It's probably a good idea to clean out your temp directory once you have created your animation. You shouldn't need the individual frames, however, if you do, save them to disk (use mtools).

      Hints

      • Organize your images sequentially: i.e. image001.gif, image002.gif, etc.
      • If you want to repeat images, simply copy them to a new number in the right numeric sequence.
      • Read the "man" pages (simply type: man whirlgif -or- man mogrify)