In this workshop for DPLAFest in Washington, DC, we explored the GIF in its natural habitat: the internet. But first, some background: What are GIFs? How did they develop? How do you say “GIF”? We're looking at how to use GIFs, when they’re most successful, the challenges associated with using them, and how to make, find, and use them yourself. We talked about the ins and outs of some content sources, including resources in the DPLA, and reviewed a few apps and programs you can use to make and share them yourself. And then, with some audience input, we demonstrated how to make a GIF using open source images to tell a joke, punctuate a thought, or convey an emotion. A picture is worth a thousand words? Well, a GIF is worth a million. Please note: Download the file to see all the awesome, animated GIFs in action!

1. THE GIF
ELEMENT:
Making, Finding, & Using GIFs
to Great Effect
DPLAfest 2016 • April 14 • 1:45-3:15 pm
Space images from NASA / Hubble SpaceTelescope: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/multimedia/index.html

2. WHO ARE WE?
Darren Cole
@DCole7 / @TodaysDocument
Digital Engagement Specialist
National Archives
Derek Tulowitzky
@DTulo
Web, Social Media, & Outreach Manager
Muncie Public Library
Richard Naples
@DigitalRN_SIL
Data Manager
Smithsonian Libraries
Shaelyn Amaio
@heyshaelyn
Consultant
Lord Cultural Resources

3. WHAT ARE WE DOING HERE?
• We are talking about GIFs!
• GOALS:
• To understand how GIFs came to be and how
they’re used today
• To learn about some of the technology used to
create GIFs
• To feel empowered to experiment with GIFs on our
own

4. WHAT ARE GIFs?

5. GIFs, A DEFINITION
• GIF = Graphic Interchange Format
• Supports 8-bit color, allows lossless
compression of images
• Supports transparency
• Allows for both static AND animated images!
• Animated images are technically just multiple
images stored in one file, each image being
displayed for a set amount of time before moving
to the next

6. GIFs, A HISTORY
• CompuServe, 1987 – One of the first image formats for the web
• Looping animated GIFs: Netscape Navigator Version 2
• The Golden Age of Geocities

7. GIFs, A PRE-HISTORY
• In the 19th Century, artists were figuring out how to animate images
using gadgets like phenakistoscopes & zoetropes.
Images by Richard Balzer / Brian Duffy
via Wired Magazine

8. HOW DO YOU SAY IT?
• SteveWilhite, 2013 Webby Awards:

9. HOW DO YOU SAY IT?
• However…

10. HOW DO GIFs WORK ON SOCIAL MEDIA?
• Tumblr: Yep. GIFs love it here.
• Twitter:GIFs are great here – in fact,Twitter just created a fun new
GIF keyboard! – but it should be noted that GIFs are converted to
videos.
• Facebook: Linking to a GIF in a comment will make it display as a
looping animation… sometimes.
• Instagram: Nope. But apps exist to convert GIFs to videos.
• Pinterest:You can upload GIFs, but people following you will have to
hit play to see them move.

11. OKAY, BUT HOW?
• Best practices: Punctuate a message, make a pop culture
connection, inject humor or convey feelings without words, and…

12. ADVANTAGES TO GIFs FOR CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS
• Make art/history/government records engaging and
relevant
• Easy to access: No plugins, fast downloads, autoplay
• Create highlights for longer footage and storytelling

13. ADVANTAGES TO GIFs FOR CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS

14. COPYRIGHT CONCERNS
•Public Domain: exclusive intellectual property
rights have expired, have been forfeited, or are
inapplicable
•The magic year for published works: 1923
•Unpublished works: Life of the author + 70 years

15. WHERE TO FIND CONTENT FOR GIFs
• GIPHY
• The internet at large
• The collections of your
favorite cultural heritage
organizations!

16. ABOUT THOSE COLLECTIONS
NARA Holdings
• Free
• Federal Government Records
• Public Domain*
• Available at catalog.archives.gov
• and searchable via dp.la (refine
search by partner: “National
Archives and Records
Administration”)
• Variety of Agency Sources,
including:
• Dept. of Defense
• NASA
• Patent & Trademark Office
• Donated Materials*
• Types of Records:
• Photographs
• Patent Drawings
• Newsreels & World War II footage
• PSAs & Training Films

17. GIFs IN THE WILD

18. GIFs IN THE WILD: Today’s Document
todaysdocument.tumblr.com
Highlighting National Archives
Holdings through:
● Historical Events
● Anniversaries
● Holidays
● Celebrations

19. GIFs IN THE WILD: Turning the Book Wheel
smithsonianlibraries.tumblr.com
Bringing attention to our digital library:
● Biodiversity Literature (Biodiversity
Heritage Library, biodiversitylibrary.org)
● Cultural Heritage Library
● Trade catalogs & industry publications
● World’s Fair & Expositions
● 21 Branches throughout the Smithsonian

20. GIFs IN THE WILD: Types of GIFs
Motion Picture Photo Series Illustration & Still Images

21. GIFs IN THE WILD: Easy GIFs
Cartoons:
● Minimal movement
● Simple lines
● Static background
“Private SNAFU V. Malaria Mike, 1944”
Records of the Office of the Chief Signal Officer
Loops:
● Repeating Footage
● Minimal/no camera movement
“Right on the Button”
(IRS)

22. GIFs IN THE WILD: Photo Series to GIF
● Series of still photos into a GIF
● Easier than a motion picture GIF,
with the right series
Richard Nixon meeting with Elvis Presley. 12/21/1970.
Courtesy
OurPresidents.tumblr.com
● Easy GIF from only 2 photos
“YOUNGSTER UNKNOWINGLY SHARES
AN ICE CREAM STICK WITH A DOG…”
(EPA’s Documerica series)

23. GIFs IN THE WILD: Stereograms
● Source photos from:
● various geological surveys
● Mathew Brady Photos
● See also NYPL’s Stereogranimator
● stereo.nypl.org
Walt Whitman, ca. 1860 - ca. 1865

24. GIFs IN THE WILD: Illustration to GIF
Patent Drawings
• Clean lines
• Plain backgrounds
Patent Drawing for J. O. Lose’s One WheeledVehicle,
09/01/1885

25. GIFs IN THE WILD: Illustration to GIF
Easy Illustration to GIF
techniques:
● Remove elements
● Add/remove color
Elevation and Plan of Execution Rocks Lighthouse,
NewYork, 1849
Thomas A. Edison’s Patent for
An Improvement in Electric Lamps, 1/27/1880

26. GIFs IN THE WILD: Illustration to GIF
Vintage Posters
● Simple shapes
● Bold colors
“Can AllYou Can Its a RealWar Job!”
from theWorldWar II Posters series

27. LET’S MAKE A GIF!
Vol de Wilbur Wright accompli à Pau, en janvier 1909, avec son élève Paul
Tissandier by Henry de La Vaulx. From the New York Public Library

28. [Photoshop Interlude]

29. …and we’re back!

30. LET’S BRAINSTORM
Drawing of Creeping Baby Doll, R. J. Clay,
Creeping Baby Doll, Patented March 14, 1871.
Department of the Interior. Patent Office. 1849-1925

31. LET’S BRAINSTORM
Hit'em Where it Hurts! Join the Submarine
Service; Office for Emergency Management.
Office of War Information. Domestic Operations
Branch. Bureau of Special Services. 3/9/1943-
9/15/1945

32. OTHER TOOLS
• Makeagif.com (get a free account for no watermarks!)
• GIFMaker.me
• ezGIF.com
• Imgflip.com
• GIFilike.com
• GIPHY – find, make, and store GIFs here, with ability to link to
sources!
• GIMP – open source image software (gimp.org)
• Adobe After Effects

33. WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Calling all GIF-makers, creatives, history nuts, & animators!
GIF IT UP: a challenge from the Digital Public Library of America
& DigitalNZ with support from Europeana,Trove and the U.S.
National Archives to find the best GIFs created from copyright-
free heritage material.

34. GIF IT UP: 2015 Entries
Over 140 GIFs were submitted by contestants around the world. Entries were judged by a panel
including Sarah Schaaf from Imgur, Rebecca Onion from SlateVault, Alessandro Scali and Marco
Calabrese from Okkult Motion Pictures, andToby Morris from the Wireless.

35. GIF IT UP: 2015 Winners
Supreme Winner & People’s Choice
Award“Dissension,” from Tobias Rothe in Amstelveen,
the Netherlands. Source material courtesy
Fondazione Federico Zeri—Università di Bologna
via Europeana.
Runners Up
Runner up #1: Juan Ibanez in Sevilla, Spain. Source material
courtesy the National Library of France via Europeana.
Runner up #2: Michael Smith from Brooklyn, New York. Source
material courtesy photography collection, The New York Public
Library via DPLA.
Runner up #3: Robin Sloan from Berkeley, California. Source
material courtesy the National Archives and Records
Administration via DPLA.

36. National Archives GIF Challenge!
• 17 NationalArchives-sourced GIFs submitted
• Voted on by Archives Staff
• Sponsored by the National Archives Foundation
• GIFt Certificate awarded to the best GIF using NARA holdings
2015 National Archives GIF ChallengeWinner:
• Robin Sloane from Berkley, California, for the “Bumpy Jeep”.
Source material courtesy the National Archives and Records
Records Administration via DPLA.

37. GIF IT UP: 2016!
• Stay tuned for 2016!
• http://dp.la/info/gif-it-up/
• GIF IT UP 2015:
http://gifitup2015.tumblr.com/
• GIF IT UP 2014:
http://dp.la/info/gif-it-up/gif-it-up-2014/
Butterflies by Richard Naples. Courtesy Smithsonian Libraries via the Biodiversity Heritage Library (Nature and the Environment)
Typing dog by Lillie Le Dorre.CourtesyArchives New ZealandTe Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga. (Animals)
Snowflakes by Jessica Pyburn.Courtesy Smithsonian Institution. (People’s Choice)

38. WHAT CAN YOU DO?
• DPLA GIF IT UP!
• Stay tuned later today for our slides and a recap of
this session to be posted online.
• Post a GIF right now on your favorite social media
platform. Use the hashtag #GIFElement so we can
find you!

39. QUESTIONS? ANSWERS?

40. THANK YOU!
Darren Cole
@DCole7 / @todaysdocument
Digital Engagement Specialist
National Archives
Derek Tulowitzky
@DTulo
Web, Social Media, & Outreach Manager
Muncie Public Library
Richard Naples
@DigitalRN_SIL
Data Manager
Smithsonian Libraries
Shaelyn Amaio
@heyshaelyn
Consultant
Lord Cultural Resources
THANK YOU!