Create Animated GIF Objects in Fireworks

These GIF (Graphic Interchange Format) objects really fall in the Bitmap group. They were popularized by CompuServe since 1987. Their main advantage is portability. However they are well known for being compatible with many web browsers including Firefox and the Internet Explorer. They support up to 8 bits per pixel and can therefore work with up to two hundred and fifty six different palette colors. There are some color limitations on GIF images which make them unsuitable for processing photographs. They are best used for simpler images such as logos.

First of all you will need to create your graphics. This is a separate topic that might require you to have significant creative skills. You should make as many as you think you will need. In practice it is better to have an excess of objects than a shortage. You can always store others for future use or you can rotate them around so that your website appears to be vibrant and dynamic.

The graphics that you have created should be placed in layers. The layers have to be named logically. For instance you can have "hat" followed by "background". You should select the option to share the graphics with other frames. Each frame will represent a step within the animation. Of course if you make many frames then your animation will closely mimic a video. If you make a few of them, then it will look sketchy at best. You need to start at the bottom of the frames and design your outlook. You should keep the redundant frames closed by clicking on the "eye" icons.

You can then insert a slice over the animation section. You must select the option labeled "Animated GIF". Use the preview button to see a sample of the final animation. The "play" arrow is used to activate the animation. The slice will enable you to check the dimensions of the object. You should then export the slice to create a full object.

Although animated GIF objects add interest to your website, they have to be used with extreme caution. In some cases they are known to clutter the page. You may compress these images using the LZW or Lempel-Ziv-Welch method. This allows you to reduce the file size and yet you do not lose the visual qualities attached to the object. Remember that this technique has been patented since 1985 under the auspices of the Unisys and Compuserve companies. The main competitor for these objects is the Portable Network Graphics or PNG standard.