I've been using Adobe After Effects to do this. I don't need such a complicated program to do something so simple, so this giveaway catches my attention.

Installing this program was pretty straight-forward. It opens up, asks for registration info, then away you go. The interface is intuitive. Import a video and you can select the exact video frames you want the gif to start and end at. You can also crop the video. There is a settings button that allows you to adjust output dimensions, frame rate, frame speed, and how many times the gif is set to run (usually set to infinite). There are drop down options for each settings, but you can also type in a specific value if the value you want is not in the list.

The main interface does not reflect the gif settings you have applied. It just displays the original video, a red outline over the video if you've applied cropping (you can change that color in the options menu), and below that is a series of frames that make up the original video which is just there so you can specify which frames to start and stop at. There is a play button that allows you to play the entire video, or play just the section of the video you want in your gif. When you have made all your adjustments, you click the Convert button and another window opens up that gives you a preview of what the actual gif will look like. Then you can proceed to name and save your gif.

I noticed that there are no options for compression settings. You really have no idea how big the output file is going to be in file size until you export it and go inspect the file. This can be a concern for some users that have to work with gif size limits. The output file appears to be a nice representation of the video, which means it is not very compressed and could lead to large file sizes. You would either have to play around with the frame rate and output frame size, a process of guess and check, if you want to keep a gif under a certain file size, or you would need another program like Photoshop to convert a gif to the file size you desire. In my case, this program simplifies a step in a process of many steps I take to compose a unique custom animated gif, so that gets a thumbs up from me.

Glenn  –  10 years ago  –  Vond je deze reactie nuttig? ja | nee (+53)

Vertalen

A special offer is mentioned for getting the full version of the product. But I searched the site and couldn't find the difference(s) from the offered version.

So the obvious questions are: what extra features does the full version have and are we getting a "light" or reduced version for free?

tomcat  –  10 years ago  –  Vond je deze reactie nuttig? ja | nee (+47)

Vertalen

A simple installation and registration that opened up to a simple and usable interface that made it easy to test on a number of video files.
Selection of the start and finish is simple, just click on the start and end buttons when the video is playing or stopped.
By right clicking on a frame you can restore or delete it.
You have a choice of a number of output sizes including custom.
Lots of potential to make interesting little gift animations for the grandchildren, it would have been so much better if it was possible to insert frames from images.
I really liked this little program it has lots of potential given a little more functionality.

XP-Man  –  10 years ago  –  Vond je deze reactie nuttig? ja | nee (+46)

Vertalen

@tomcat

The GOTD offer comes with these terms and conditions: Please note that the software you download and install during the Giveaway period comes with the following important limitations: 1) No free technical support; 2) No free upgrades to future versions; 3) Strictly personal usage.

The full version offered at a discount (around 50%) by ThunderSoft during the giveaway just removes those limits (Nothing more/Nothing less) for $9.95 (instead of $19.95).

Have a nice day

:)

Quantum Dragon  –  10 years ago  –  Vond je deze reactie nuttig? ja | nee (+26)

Vertalen

Downloaded and installed with no problem. Coincidentally I was working on a video-to-GIF in Photoshop CC when I noticed this giveaway so I was able to compare the results of the two side-by-side. Thundersoft did a far better job with a much smoother result.

I wish it had some video enhancement built in since my video lacked contrast and saturation.

Carl  –  10 years ago  –  Vond je deze reactie nuttig? ja | nee (+20)

Vertalen