3 Ways to Export GIFs from After Effects - AE Fundamentals

In this After Effects Fundamentals lesson, you'll learn how to export (render, in After Effects language) your animation as a .gif file. GIFs can be useful on the web because they play automatically and can loop forever.

There are 3 ways to render a GIF, but it can't be done with After Effects alone. You'll need either Adobe Media Encoder or Adobe Photoshop (both are included in a Creative Cloud subscription) or a paid After Effects script called GifGun. All 3 ways are covered in this video.

In this video:
0:32 Adobe Media Encoder
2:56 Adobe Photoshop
10:42 More About GIFs

[luansmm]

thank you so much! this sequence + photoshop combination is wonderful!

[musicalworld]

png sequence is the master class OMG i got the expected quality

[chrismorris]

Thanks!
The Photoshop method is by far the best for keeping file size down. Especially for animations.

[putrisasanti]

This is very helpful. Thank You so much 🙂

[juliebenedetto]

Exporting image sequence is a game changer!

[Hereticzaat]

I got an even faster way. Use the frame rate setting in your composition. Export your animation as an H.264 MP4 video with no audio in media encoder. Export that mp4 into a folder. Open photoshop, navigate to file>import>video to frames. Then, save export to web and legacy…. You got yourself a gif in the desired frame rate you want. I usually work in 12, 24, 29.97, or 30 frames (rarely 15 but it happens)

[werckie]

Thank you so much! I have trouble exporting through Media Encoder (Dynamic Link error that I am unable to fix), and your method of using Photoshop instead worked very well, plus you have a llot of control over the output size and quality.

[andysartz]

Great video! Easy to follow, gives options, and mostly important: totally works! Thank you for sharing. 😊

[theoptimistic]

Thanks a lot! The photoshop method really worked like a charm. Thanks a lot 🙏

[shaheerrahman]

Thank you! The PNG sequence idea really helped!

[HenryReyes]

Thank you so much, just what I need it and then some more

[PressureGrafix]

Thank you for this!
Extremely helpful

[jacobsyrytsia]

no need to pay for gifgun, there is a free script aejuice export gif

[gentleman]

amazing I like the 2nd method, thanks

[Doffu]

That worked great! Thanks. I was wondering if you know of any good ways to handle motion blur when using alpha transparency? I like to use the effect and the animations look good but once transformed into a gif, the semi-transparent pixels of the blur become white (or other solid 100% opacity colors). Maybe there's a way to preserve some degree of transparency? I've definitely seen this effect in other peoples animated gifs.

[sheetalkumarpathak]

hello mam when i export giff in image there is getting small dots

[commentbot]

I chose rgb+alpha for a transparent background but there is a white outline around my animation. Why is this?

[Dolo]

Hi, is there a way to set the Media Encoder gif to only play once?

[westfield]

It’s so frustrating that the media encounter limits its export options and exports at such an incredible large file size. This is completely unforgivable.

[VerBanana]

when i did the photoshop method, it only imported 1 image out of the entire sequence. does anybody know what happened?