• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
methodshop

methodshop

tech news, reviews & how to's

  • Top Stories
  • Latest
  • Fun
  • Life
  • Learn

Home : How To Customize Your Google Plus Profile Photo With Animated GIFs

Google Plus
Google Plus

How To Customize Your Google Plus Profile Photo With Animated GIFs

Want your profile to stand out on Google+? Here's how to add custom animated GIFs to your Google Plus profile photo.

February 21, 2012 by Jeffrey Powers
FacebookTweetPinLinkedIn

Six months ago, when Google Plus (aka Google+) came out, those on the new social network got inundated with animated GIFs. This is an older technology that turned a picture into a moving image. They used to be a staple with GeoCities and MySpace pages.

Now, after a few months, people have been starting a new trend that is kinda cool. They have been taking their Profile page and putting these animated gifs in there to create a little presentation. Just like I did on my about page.

Adding an animated GIF file to your Google Plus profile photo is to do. All you need is Adobe Photoshop. Here is how you can turn images to gif:

Download The Google Plus Animated GIF Template

Download the Scrapbook Frames Template from, Scott Horwath. It’s a standard .tif file and will import into Adobe Photoshop just fine. This is going to give you the spacing you need for your images.

Get Your Images Ready To Make A GIF In Minutes

Depending on which version of Photoshop you have, you can import images and videos (CS3, CS4, CS5). Older versions (CS, CS2) can only import images, so you will have to be a little creative with your design, but it still can be done. These images should be Layers above the Scrapbook Frames Template.

Make A Clipping Mask

First, you must move the PanoClippingMask file out of the PanoTemplate folder and put it under your pictures. Once that is done, we can create the Clipping Mask.

In the Layers box (to the lower-right), secondary-click (or control-click for Mac users) the layer of your first picture, then choose “Clipping Mask”. Your image will take the shape of your mask, with the appropriate spaces needed for Google+.

You do this for all your images involved.

Get Ready To Animate The Image

Under “Window“, choose “Animation“. A small bar will appear on the bottom. For anyone using CS or CS2, the bar is a frame-by frame animation. For those using CS3 or above, you can choose between this or timeline view, which mimics that of Flash animation software. For this example, we will use the frame view.

The first image is already a frame. There is a “0 sec.” underneath the frame. This is your framerate. You can keep on that frame for .00 seconds, to any custom time. A film usually goes at 24 frames per second, so having each frame at .04 should give you a smooth flow. Keep in mind, 24 frames means a lot of work, and a larger file in the end.

Animate Your GIF!

Once you’ve set framerate and the images are in place, press the duplicate key (this looks like a page with the corner bent up, It’s on the bottom next to the trash can, and the icon is a bit small).

You have just duplicated your first image in the chain. Now, you can go to the second image, reset the framerate (if needed), make changes and do it again.

Think of this like stop animation. You take a picture, then re-position the image, take the next picture. In this case, I am going to fade out the first bird for the second.  When done, hit the duplicate key once again.

If you mess up, just delete a frame and move on. If you want to change anything, just go to the frame in question and make the changes.

To speed up the process, I have taken one bird, faded to another, then duplicated the layers so the 2nd bird can fly out of frame to reveal the first bird again.

Save Animated GIF For Web

When done, just choose “File” and “Save for Web” – Or Ctrl-Alt-Shift-S. This will bring up the save for web option in a GIF format. The frames will be ready to export. Hit Save, then choose the folder you want to save the files to.

This will create 9 animated files. 4 of them are spacers, which we don’t need. The other 5 are the .gif files.

Place On your Google+ Profile

When ready, go to plus.google.com (you will need an account), then on your Profile, and About. Choose the Edit button, then click on one of those 5 pictures.

Delete any photo you have in there. In the first image area, choose Upload image, then the first image in your series (remember, not the spacers, but the images). Rinse and repeat until all five are uploaded.

Press OK, then Done Editing. Your images will start to work.

That’s it! Now when people go to your about page, they can get entertained by the animated GIF images. Here are some inventive Google+ ers that used this idea:

  • Daria Musk – Musician
  • Trey Ratcliff – Photographer
  • John Pozadzides – Geek Beat 
  • Cali Lewis  – Geek Beat
  • Eric Cheng – Photographer
  • Dunken K Bliths – Animator
  • Ralph Roberts – Author

Troubleshooting Tips

If you run into any issues, hopefully these tip will help you sort things out.

  • Refresh Images: It might look like the images are out of sync, or some might be working funny. That is because your cache is in play. The best thing to do is clear your image cache, then go back into Google Plus and view your images. If they don’t straighten out, you might need to look at each image individually.
  • Image Sizes: Keep in mind that animated gifs can be large in file size. It all depends on what you have put into the gif. If it’s 5,000 frames, then each picture might be 300-400 kilobytes or a larger image. If you are on a fast internet connection that is fine, but anyone on a slower connection might… have… to… wait…
Wordpress Blog

5 Free Ways On How To Promote Your Blog Posts

Google Plus

Google Plus Graveyard: Once You Sign Up, You Never Come Back

Google Plus

How To Create A Google Plus Branded Page For Business

Confused Girl

Which Network Should You Post Your Social Media Status To?

Related Posts:

  • Customize your Apple Mac Mini
    Customize your Apple Mac Mini
  • Get Creative With Your Facebook Profile Pic [tutorial]
    Get Creative With Your Facebook Profile Pic [tutorial]
  • Animated Google Korea Page
    Animated Google Korea Page



FacebookTweetPinLinkedIn
Tag: gif, Google, google plus, Internet, Social Media
Previous Post: « Adele How To Rip Adele’s Music Videos off YouTube and Convert Them for iTunes
Next Post: High Teen Can’t Stop Laughing at His Broken Arm Teen High On Meds »

Sidebar

Trending Now

  • 18 Weird Facts About Sea-Monkeys You Won't Believe Are True, Including Their Connection To The Ku Klux Klan18 Weird Facts About Sea-Monkeys You Won’t Believe Are True, Including Their…
  • 20 Famous People Who Are Members Of The Sleepless Elite20 Famous People Who Are Members Of The Sleepless Elite
  • 7 Pictures Of Naked People Captured By Google's Cameras7 Pictures Of Naked People Captured By Google’s Cameras
  • 55 Funny Out Of Office Messages That Will Make Your Coworkers Smile55 Funny Out Of Office Messages That Will Make Your Coworkers Smile
  • 25 Reasons Why Action Park Was The World's Most Dangerous Amusement Park25 Reasons Why Action Park Was The World’s Most Dangerous Amusement Park
  • So, Adobe Won't Let You Photoshop Money Unless You Do This...So, Adobe Won’t Let You Photoshop Money Unless You Do This…
  • 8 Of The Best Quotes From Field Of Dreams8 Of The Best Quotes From Field Of Dreams
  • 50+ Famous Happy Birthday Quotes From Notable Personalities50+ Famous Happy Birthday Quotes From Notable Personalities
  • What Comes After A Trillion? - Here's A Chart Of Enormous Named NumbersWhat Comes After A Trillion? – Here’s A Chart Of Enormous Named Numbers
  • 30 Best Spinal Tap Quotes That All Rock Fans Should Know30 Best Spinal Tap Quotes That All Rock Fans Should Know

Categories

About

MethodShop’s mission is to entertain, inform, and sometimes gross you out. MethodShop has affiliate relationships, so we may get a small share of the revenue from your purchases. Items are sold by the retailer, not by us. All prices are subject to change.

Latest

Alexa Music

15 Essential Music Commands For Amazon Alexa

Helpful Tips For Anyone Selling A Luxury Home

8 Essential Tips For Anyone Selling A Luxury Home

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest
MethodShop Animated Zoom Icon
  • About
  • Submit
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Store

Copyright © 2022 MethodShop · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT