| • | To export a frame stack as an animated GIF |
You can use a GIF as a link anchor or as an image map. However, you cannot use it as a background.
There are many options available when you save images to a GIF file.
You can apply transparency to the animation and choose a background option. However, you must set up a selection for each frame. For more information, see Getting started with selections.
The Disposal Method options let you specify what happens to an image after it has been displayed (and its frame delay has passed), and before the next image is displayed. The disposal method is significant only when you use transparency that differs between frames.
The Loop option lets you play the animation repeatedly in the client browser. The animation appears in the browser one frame at a time, at the speed at which it is downloaded. In most cases, this is significantly slower than the intended display rate. With the Loop option enabled, the browser will loop the animation after all frames have been downloaded, with the specified delay between frames. Because the animation plays from the browser’s cache, it’s much faster.
| • | Reduce the frame size. You choose the frame size when you create a new movie. If you import an existing animation or video, you cannot resize the frames. |
| • | Limit the number of frames because each frame increases the file size. |
| • | Limit the number of colors. When you reduce the number colors in the image, you are also reducing the size of the color palette, which leads to smaller files. |
| To export a frame stack as an animated GIF |
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| 1 . | With the frame stack open, choose File  Save As. |
| 2 . | In the Save Movie dialog box, enable the Save Movie As GIF Animation option. |
| 3 . | In the Enter Movie Name dialog box, choose a location, type a filename, and click Save. |
| The Save as GIF Options dialog box appears. |
| 4 . | Enable an option in the Number of Colors area. |
| 5 . | In the Imaging Method area, enable one of the following options: |
| • | Quantize to Nearest Color — reduces the number of similar colors in the image without affecting the overall image. This is useful for images with broad areas of a single color. |
| • | Dither Colors — simulates a greater number of colors when only a limited number of colors are available |
| 6 . | In the Animation Options area, type a value in the Frame Delay box to specify a pause (in 100ths of a second) between frames. |
| 7 . | In the Disposal Method area, choose one of the following options: |
| • | Default — uses the client browser’s default disposal method |
| • | Background — Restores to the background color the region covered by the image |
| • | None — leaves the image on-screen while rendering the next frame over it |
| • | Previous — displays the imagery of the previous frame to the region covered by the image |
| You can now use your browser to open the file and view the animation. You can place the animation on a web page using the same HTML image tag you’d use for a simple GIF file. |
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In the Misc Options area, enable the Interlaced option.
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In the Map Options area, enable the NCSA Map File or CERN Map File option.
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In the Map Options area, enable the Client Side Map File option.
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In the Transparency area, enable the Output Transparency option, and then enable a background option. Move the Threshold slider to specify the selection mask value at which the image becomes transparent.
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Enable the Loop check box, and type the number of times to repeat the animation. If you want it to repeat indefinitely, type 0.
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