Expert: Andre Hickman - 1/31/2007

Question
The Paint program I'm using is the one that comes with Windows.  The only other draw type program I have is the Open Office Draw that comes with the Open Office word processor and it does the same thing.  I can't even use either of them to resize an animated gif.  Although they allow me to save the file as a gif the animation no longer exists.  I have downloaded several resizing programs offered by download.com and the like and they do the same thing ("unanimate" animation).  I have tried to read up on it but everything I have read and even the instructions to some of the more sophisticated programs talk way over my head.
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The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
I have tried to combine a couple of my animated pictures (gifs) using my Paint program but when I save them they lose their animation.  What am I doing wrong?
-----Answer-----
Well it depends on what paint program you are using.  You aren't doing anything wrong.  Most paint programs can read gifs, and can edit and save them, but only single frame gifs.  They will open your animated version, but interpret it as the first frame only.

When I do animated gifs, and the like, I tend to actually use video software, or something like Flash, that can export to a gif. Doing it the way you are trying to do it, you would need to be able to select to open each frame of the animation, edit them individually, and then recompile the whole thing as one gif, including the time that each frame should be visible.

You might just not have the software to do it.  Let me know all the tools that you have available, and I will try to find you a "FREE" work around to accomplish your goal...

Cheers,
Andre'

Answer
unfortunately, you don't have the proper software to create animated gifs.  Try to do a search in yahoo or google on "software to create animated gifs" and see what you can find.

try this link... http://www.jhepple.com/gif_animator.htm

hope it helps.

Cheers,
Andre'