[Tech] Animated Gif Profile Picture for Uthgard with Fraps
Posted: Feb 14, 2010 14:26This is for those who would like to make themself a animated profile picture from a ingame video from daoc. Of like your ingame char or what ever to show off in your profile on the forums. Example would be my profile pic of my ranger. This is for those who know a little about video editing and hopefuly used fraps before.
Requirments
- Fraps (any version) < set to 25 to 30 fps, half video size, hide mouse >
- VirtualDub (any version)
Step 1
- First youl need to start Fraps and go into daoc and pic a char youd like to make into a animated gif for your profile pic. Now that your in game Position the camera in a angle that youd like to have your char in the ani picture. Keep in mind, when you do turn this into a gif, youl be croping the video to a smaller square , that is closer to just your char, so make sure you know what you want to show of your char.
Step 2
- Now use the key to hide your interface in game, so when you record video it will not show your interface and id also set in fraps to hide your mouse too, also record your videos at half size in fraps, to save on space. Now when you make a ani picture, it will have to be a short duration loop, so what ever youd like to put in the picture, make sure its a short repeat, like your char standing still, youl have to watch carefuly for when the animation starts on the model and ends and repeats, but that will be done with virtualdub when we get to it. For now just setup your char and camera, id suggest moving the camra closer to see your char better.
Step 3
- After you have everything ready, just hit the record button for fraps to start recording a video. Do what ever during recording that youd like in the picture, keeping in mind, it has to be a short sequence of animations. Id suggest starting the video record with a little extra time at the start and end, when we go to edit the video, you can remove that, just it makes it easyer to find the start of a looping animation on models. Stop the record to save it when you think you got what you want.
Step 4
- You can now exit the game, and close fraps. Time for VirtulDub video editing. Open the program and open your video with it. Now first we need to crop your video, and cut out what we dont need, like the background and stuff, since you just need your char or what ever you wanted in it. So youl need to go to the ( Video --> Filters ) Tab. Now click add, and scroll down to resize filter and add it. It will ask how much would you like to resize it, just hit ok and leave it at default 100% normal size, we will go back to that if we need to. Now select the filter you just added, and click the cropping button on the right side of that window.
Step 5
- Now for the fun cropping part. The goal of this part is too crop out what you dont need, and try to make the window into a smaller equal size square, like 175x175 or anything of same length x hight. You can drag the video edges in that windows to crop it easyer. Its best to move the frame bar to a point in the video that you want in the picture, of a animation that takes up the most room, that you may want fully in your video. Like if your char is drawing his bow, youl want to go to the frame with the bow fully drawn , because it takes up the most room and you can crop your video to that, so you know youl see it all. Sometimes you cant be picky and will need to chop some legs off or what ever to make the box small enough, since profile pictures are not that big and there is limits on res and size of image. If you have the latest virtualdub, in this window youl also see the size of your cropping on the size, so make sure the length and hight are equal. Do not make the box too big , where your char will show up very small. We will be resizing the image later to 150x150.
Step 6
- After you think you got your cropping down, hit ok. Now back on the filter window, double click the resize filter to open its options. Under absolute pixels, youl need to change that to 150x150 or less, since that is the limit on uthgard forums. Hit ok when finished and close the filters window.
Step 7
- Now for setting up your loop animation. On the main window there is a long frame bar at the bottom. Drag the marker and watch your video fast forward to the point of where you think your char model animation starts. Sometimes you just have to pick a spot youl remember, for ending the loop and it repeating seemlessly. When you find the spot to start the animation loop, also keeping in mind you can click the marker on the bar and then use the arrow keys on the keyboard to slowly move frame by frame if you need to. But after you find your spot, look under the frame bar, youl see some <-- --> arrow keys. First one with a key on it, then one with colored box on two of them, and then just two black arrows. The black arrow ones at the end is to crop the length of the video. So when you got your spot down, hit the black <-- arrow to mark the start.
Step 8
- Now you need to find a point where to end the loop , that will work to loop with the start you marked. Move the bar with your arrow keys on the keyboard to fast forward slowly, frame by frame, till you think the animation has finished its loop and where the next frame is simular to your first frame. When you find this spot, hit that ----> black arrow to end your loop. This part can be trial and error on fiquiring out what works.
Step 9
- Now to change the frame rate at which it will play at. Go to the ( Video --> Frame rate ) tab and open it. Under the frame rate conversion section, go to Convert to FPS and in that field put 10. I find 10 fps works best. But you may need to adjust it, depending on your end size is. Now hit ok.
Step 10
- Now your are done editing and its time to export the video to a gif. Go to ( File --> Export --> Animated Gif ) and open. Select location to save it, i normaly pick desktop. And select infinit loop. Hit ok and you are done. Do not close your project yet, right click your gif you made and go to properties and check the resolution and make sure its 150x150 or less and the file size is 260KB or less, i think that is the limit for uthgard profiles. If it is, open the gif in internet explorer and watch your ani picture and see if your satified with it. Loops ok and not too small, if its good , you can now close VirtualDub.
It will take time after time to get better at this, but keep it up and it will seem easyer to do each time. Sorry i didnt get very detailed on this, but if you dont know what im talking about, look harder and if you still cant fiqure things out, this maybe too advantaced for you.
Requirments
- Fraps (any version) < set to 25 to 30 fps, half video size, hide mouse >
- VirtualDub (any version)
Step 1
- First youl need to start Fraps and go into daoc and pic a char youd like to make into a animated gif for your profile pic. Now that your in game Position the camera in a angle that youd like to have your char in the ani picture. Keep in mind, when you do turn this into a gif, youl be croping the video to a smaller square , that is closer to just your char, so make sure you know what you want to show of your char.
Step 2
- Now use the key to hide your interface in game, so when you record video it will not show your interface and id also set in fraps to hide your mouse too, also record your videos at half size in fraps, to save on space. Now when you make a ani picture, it will have to be a short duration loop, so what ever youd like to put in the picture, make sure its a short repeat, like your char standing still, youl have to watch carefuly for when the animation starts on the model and ends and repeats, but that will be done with virtualdub when we get to it. For now just setup your char and camera, id suggest moving the camra closer to see your char better.
Step 3
- After you have everything ready, just hit the record button for fraps to start recording a video. Do what ever during recording that youd like in the picture, keeping in mind, it has to be a short sequence of animations. Id suggest starting the video record with a little extra time at the start and end, when we go to edit the video, you can remove that, just it makes it easyer to find the start of a looping animation on models. Stop the record to save it when you think you got what you want.
Step 4
- You can now exit the game, and close fraps. Time for VirtulDub video editing. Open the program and open your video with it. Now first we need to crop your video, and cut out what we dont need, like the background and stuff, since you just need your char or what ever you wanted in it. So youl need to go to the ( Video --> Filters ) Tab. Now click add, and scroll down to resize filter and add it. It will ask how much would you like to resize it, just hit ok and leave it at default 100% normal size, we will go back to that if we need to. Now select the filter you just added, and click the cropping button on the right side of that window.
Step 5
- Now for the fun cropping part. The goal of this part is too crop out what you dont need, and try to make the window into a smaller equal size square, like 175x175 or anything of same length x hight. You can drag the video edges in that windows to crop it easyer. Its best to move the frame bar to a point in the video that you want in the picture, of a animation that takes up the most room, that you may want fully in your video. Like if your char is drawing his bow, youl want to go to the frame with the bow fully drawn , because it takes up the most room and you can crop your video to that, so you know youl see it all. Sometimes you cant be picky and will need to chop some legs off or what ever to make the box small enough, since profile pictures are not that big and there is limits on res and size of image. If you have the latest virtualdub, in this window youl also see the size of your cropping on the size, so make sure the length and hight are equal. Do not make the box too big , where your char will show up very small. We will be resizing the image later to 150x150.
Step 6
- After you think you got your cropping down, hit ok. Now back on the filter window, double click the resize filter to open its options. Under absolute pixels, youl need to change that to 150x150 or less, since that is the limit on uthgard forums. Hit ok when finished and close the filters window.
Step 7
- Now for setting up your loop animation. On the main window there is a long frame bar at the bottom. Drag the marker and watch your video fast forward to the point of where you think your char model animation starts. Sometimes you just have to pick a spot youl remember, for ending the loop and it repeating seemlessly. When you find the spot to start the animation loop, also keeping in mind you can click the marker on the bar and then use the arrow keys on the keyboard to slowly move frame by frame if you need to. But after you find your spot, look under the frame bar, youl see some <-- --> arrow keys. First one with a key on it, then one with colored box on two of them, and then just two black arrows. The black arrow ones at the end is to crop the length of the video. So when you got your spot down, hit the black <-- arrow to mark the start.
Step 8
- Now you need to find a point where to end the loop , that will work to loop with the start you marked. Move the bar with your arrow keys on the keyboard to fast forward slowly, frame by frame, till you think the animation has finished its loop and where the next frame is simular to your first frame. When you find this spot, hit that ----> black arrow to end your loop. This part can be trial and error on fiquiring out what works.
Step 9
- Now to change the frame rate at which it will play at. Go to the ( Video --> Frame rate ) tab and open it. Under the frame rate conversion section, go to Convert to FPS and in that field put 10. I find 10 fps works best. But you may need to adjust it, depending on your end size is. Now hit ok.
Step 10
- Now your are done editing and its time to export the video to a gif. Go to ( File --> Export --> Animated Gif ) and open. Select location to save it, i normaly pick desktop. And select infinit loop. Hit ok and you are done. Do not close your project yet, right click your gif you made and go to properties and check the resolution and make sure its 150x150 or less and the file size is 260KB or less, i think that is the limit for uthgard profiles. If it is, open the gif in internet explorer and watch your ani picture and see if your satified with it. Loops ok and not too small, if its good , you can now close VirtualDub.
It will take time after time to get better at this, but keep it up and it will seem easyer to do each time. Sorry i didnt get very detailed on this, but if you dont know what im talking about, look harder and if you still cant fiqure things out, this maybe too advantaced for you.
