[How To] make Animated Pictures (gif) Help?

[olddirtybaird]

Hi - I love the animated gifs/pictures that Chandoo and the other experts use to quickly show an Excel "how to" or some visual spreadsheet example, such as a sliding "on/off" button.

Does anyone here have any good recommendations on how to easily make these? I want to use them for some easy training or example purposes. A Google search showed suggestions to purchase a screen recording software and then converting, but I'm curious if there are easier and cheaper methods. I also used the forum search here on Chandoo and came up empty. Sorry if this has been discussed, but I appreciate the help! - Thanks!

 

[Luke M]

Chandoo uses something called Camtasia Snagit for his animations.
http://chandoo.org/wp/about/what-we-use/

The upload tool allows gif files to be uploaded, so I suppose any program that somehow makes them would work.

That said, there is a difference from the above and animated charts/sliding tools. The former shows someone doing work on a spreadsheet, mouse movement, etc. The latter is done either by dynamic formulas, or often a macro that runs on a loop. That is how the sliding on/off button works; the macro slowly moves the "button" across the screen.

 

[olddirtybaird]

Thanks! That "what we use" page is great!!

 

[Debraj]

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