How to Make an Animated GIF for Instagram

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How to Make an Animated GIF for Instagram. Add extra flair to your hand lettering by adding some super easy effects!

How to Make an Animated GIF for Instagram

I shared the GIF above on Instagram and got so many DMs about it; I figured it was worth a blog post.

Learn how easy it is to make an animated GIF of your lettering to share on Instagram (or any social media)!

What You’ll Need

• PNG version of some lettering you’ve created. I created this beveled “Hocus Pocus” lettering in Procreate.
• Tripod with an arm (I use this one with this phone attachment)
• Phone
• Lumyer App
• Backdrop
• Tri-Fold White Foam Core Board

Here a photo of the tripod I use. The arm allows you to take overhead shots and videos with ease!

Ok, let’s learn How to Make an Animated GIF for Instagram!

Step One

1. I set up a backdrop and foam core boards on a table near a window in my kitchen. 
2. Next, I use white foam core boards to bounce light as needed. The tri-fold ones work great since they can stand up on their own. And they’re cheap to buy too!
3. Then, I set up my tripod and phone to capture the shot.
4. Now I style the photo. This will include your main mockup object (iPad, coffee mug, paper on a clipboard, etc.) and a few fun photo props as well.
5. If my hands are in the shot as they were in this blog post example, then I use the self-timer option on my phone to take the photo.

Take at least 5-10 photos so you can pick your favorite. I usually leave some room in the photo to allow for cropping when I edit.

The below photo is my set up from a different flat lay, but it gives you an excellent visual for the overall set up.

Photo Backdrop Tip

You can use a table in your home for the backdrop or big sheets of colored poster board.

I’m using backdrops from Replica Surfaces in this example.

Step Two

Don’t skip this step! Even simple edits make a huge difference, as you can see in the before and after comparison above. I just realized I used two different photos for that comparison, but you get the idea. 😜

Using the built-in photo editing in iPhone, I typically:

• Crop the photo
• Brighten up the photo
• Increase the Black Point
• Play with the Brilliance 
• If the photo is too warm, I alter the Color Cast to be a bit cooler.

Step Three

You can do this step right within Procreate. Check out my full tutorial for How to Use Mockups in Procreate for the step-by-step lesson.

Alternatively, you can export a PNG of your lettering from Procreate and then overlay it on your mockup photo in a program like Photoshop.

Step Four

Bring your final photo into the Lumyer app and play with different effects. You can even stack more than one effect, which can be super cool sometimes. I stacked two effects in this Instagram GIF.

Some of the effects are paid, but you can preview them all before opting to buy one. If it makes my IG photo extra special, then I do buy the effect. 

Export your new animation as a GIF or video and share away.

• Instagram uses the video format, and the app automatically makes it long enough to function as a GIF.
• For Facebook and this blog post, I used the GIF version.

Be sure to follow me on Instagram for more lettering inspiration and tips!

@bydawnnicole on IG

Happy creating!

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