Image and Subtitle Changes

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   Christy Kirwanposted 5 years ago

   Check out today's blog post for some upcoming updates to images and subtitles. Let me know in this thread if you have any questions.

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      theraggededgeposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      All sounds good to me

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      snakeslaneposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      Wow! Good work Hub Pages. I am excited about the Gifs! I only have one at the moment (that didn't actually work) but this could be fun. Will the Gifs work in forums too?

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         paradigmsearchposted 5 years agoin reply to this

         With paradigmsearch lurking around, that might not be wise.

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            snakeslaneposted 5 years agoin reply to this

            Well when you figure it out please share. My Gif is not Giffing. It's a YouTube link. But it doesn't Gif on You Tube either. It's still just a really really short video. Help! It works on the site where I made it. But that url is not recognized. Maybe I need to add more frames to my original movie? Any ideas?

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      2. STAFF

         Fawntiaposted 5 years agoin reply to this

         Animated gifs should work in articles and the forums now. They have to be real animated gifs, though, not videos that look like gifs (such as .gifv files). It won't work if you try to use an animated gif as a profile pic or in Q&A.
         
         

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            snakeslaneposted 5 years agoin reply to this

            Thanks Fawntia. Is there a Gif button in edit mode on Hubs now? I'm not seeing it.

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               Fawntiaposted 5 years agoin reply to this

               No, you upload or import them the same way that you do with any other photo. Please see my earlier reply to you for some clues about what might be happening.

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            Ashish Dadgaaposted 5 years agoin reply to this

            @Fawntia,
            
            Thanks for telling this.
            Is there any limitation on animated gifs?
            Such as 2 or 3 animated gifs per articles?

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               Fawntiaposted 5 years agoin reply to this

               There is no limit to the number of gifs in an article. However, I hope that your gifs are well-chosen and helpful to the reader, especially if you're trying to get an article moved to a Network Site. Otherwise, the gifs are likely to be snipped (removed) by the editor.
               
               An individual animated gif can be no wider than 520 pixels, as Christy's blog post mentioned.

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                  paradigmsearchposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                  Yes, there could be some fun to be had there.
                  
                  
                  '
                  Now there's something I would like to see, a "helpful" GIF.

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      kenneth averyposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      @Christy--(seriously) "I am truly thankful to be a member, just a small part of the Hub Community. I sometimes wonder where I would be without having HubPages to read,write and connect with true friends throughout the nation and world.
      I am also thankful to have a friend like you, Christy, who is not just an elite talent at HP. but a warm, down-to-earth person.
      I wish you, your family and friends, HP staff and all of My Value Followers a Warm and Safe Thanksgiving."
      Love you ALL!

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      Ashish Dadgaaposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      @Christy Kirwan,
      
      Thank you so much for the update.
      
      I loved animated GIFs on articles. It will look hubs more attractive and live. This is going to be an eye catchy for the readers.
      
      

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2. 92

   Rochelle Frankposted 5 years ago

   Sounds like you are taking care of it in a reasonable way. Thanks.
   I always liked the half width pictures and capsules to make a attractive layout... but totally understand the need for full width for mobile users.

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3. 97

   Glenn Stokposted 5 years ago

   Both items are great news!
   
   I'm ready for this. I've worked at removing all my floating capsules ever since July when this was first announced.
   
   Also glad to see the update for the subtitles. I’ve been waiting for that ever since I was told to stop highlighting my subtitles with extra white spacing. I always felt the subtitles are hard to find when someone quickly scans an article. The new larger font will solve that problem and make reading our hubs much more user friendly.

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4. 81

   snakeslaneposted 5 years ago

   Holy Mackerel! It works!
   
   
   [img][/img]

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      kenneth averyposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      it looks great--but I am very scared.

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         snakeslaneposted 5 years agoin reply to this

         Sorry to scare you, I'm just fooling around. Can't get it to work on a Hub yet...

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            Fawntiaposted 5 years agoin reply to this

            Snakeslane, the cat animation that you posted worked for me in an article. Did you try importing https://i.imgflip.com/1yzmlt.gif ? Make sure that whatever URL (or file) you are using ends in .gif.

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               kenneth averyposted 5 years agoin reply to this

               We Shall Overcome . . .

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               snakeslaneposted 5 years agoin reply to this

               Thanks, not working for me. Tried many times. Not sure what the problem is.
               
               Edit: It's working! It worked when I uploaded from my own picture files, but not directly from the site where it's posted. That took awhile...Thanks so much Fawntia

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5. 97

   Glenn Stokposted 5 years ago

   Does anyone else notice these stop animating after a few cycles? Or is it just me? I’m testing both large and small.
   
   
   
   

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      snakeslaneposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      Still going

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         Glenn Stokposted 5 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks. For some reason it’s working for me now too.

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            snakeslaneposted 5 years agoin reply to this

            You're welcome.
            I went way back to a forum post from 8 years ago and found how to format a GIF link for forums.
            
            [img]LinkLocation[/img]
            
            Edit Here's a link to that thread https://hubpages.com/community/forum/97 … post106572

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               Glenn Stokposted 5 years agoin reply to this

               Yep. That's how I did it above.

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                  snakeslaneposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                  How did you know how to do that?

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                     Glenn Stokposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                     I figured since it’s an image it should go between [img]and[/img], So I tried that and it worked.

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                        snakeslaneposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                        OK, thanks Glenn.

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            lobobrandonposted 5 years agoin reply to this

            I should learn to read all replies before stopping and staring waiting for it to stop

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               Ashish Dadgaaposted 5 years agoin reply to this

               @lobobrandon,
               Haha...however, it will not stop :p

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      Ashish Dadgaaposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      @Glenn Stok,
      
      It's not stopping after few cycles. I refreshed my page twice and check your gif. and it's working continuously.

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         Glenn Stokposted 5 years agoin reply to this

         Yes, that’s been confirmed yesterday. But thanks for also confirming. I think it was as clitch with my iPad, which I was using yesterday when I posted that gif.

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6. 97

   Glenn Stokposted 5 years ago

   

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      kenneth averyposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      @glenn-- why didn't I use this, but I meant what I said.

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      Venkatachari Mposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      Love this gif.

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      Ashish Dadgaaposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      @Glenn Stok,
      
      Haha
      This is beautiful

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7. 88

   Will Apseposted 5 years ago

   Animated gifs? Why would they do this? Are they opposed to people reading articles? Okay, some gifs can be sweet but many are not.
   
   Any kind of flashing gif is going to drive readers crazy, just as flashing ads drive people crazy...
   
   Most annoying ads: https://www.betterads.org/standards
   
   Quote
   
   "Ad Experience: Flashing Animated Ads
   
   Ads that animate and “flash” with rapidly changing background and colors are highly aggravating for consumers, and serve to create a severe distraction for them as they attempt to read the content on a given page.
   
   Animations that do not “flash” did not fall beneath the initial Better Ads Standard."
   
   https://www.betterads.org/mobile-flashing-animated-ad/
   
   At the very least, provide a way for readers to switch the gif off. Some kind of max speed would help, I suppose.

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      snakeslaneposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      I agree. My gif making is for a Hub I'm working on.

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   2. 97

      Glenn Stokposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      I agree with you too. Even though I’m testing it here, I don't intend to use it in hubs for that very reason you mentioned, unless I find a very good reason for it.  It definitely is a feature that should not be abused.

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         Venkatachari Mposted 5 years agoin reply to this

         How to prepare a gif? I was told that a number of similar images make a gif image. Can photo editor do it?

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            Ashish Dadgaaposted 5 years agoin reply to this

            @Venkatachari M,
            It is simple and easy.
            Option 1 - You can download
            
            For Instance,
            1) Search  " Hello gif " Google
            2)  Click on Images tab
            3)  You will get to see tons of images (in gif formats) just click on it and it will work.
            4) Whichever you liked, save it
            
            Option 2 - Create a small video clip
            - Ensure that it is having format of gif

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               Venkatachari Mposted 5 years agoin reply to this

               But, can we use those gifs in our articles? They should be free to use even for commercial purposes if you are having AdSense earnings.
               I am asking regarding creating my own gifs. How to create one?

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                  lobobrandonposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                  Option 2 of what Ashish said should be good.

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                     Venkatachari Mposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                     Thanks, I will try.

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                  Ashish Dadgaaposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                  @Venkatachari M,
                  Option 1 is just for your idea. However, those gif are not free to use.
                  So you can go with option 2.
                  Create your own clip and save with gif format.

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                     Venkatachari Mposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                     Thanks for the reply and advice. I will try to create one.

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                     snakeslaneposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                     This is good information. I just discovered I can save in the gif format in my Paint program. Thanks Ashish.

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         2. 97

            Glenn Stokposted 5 years agoin reply to this

            You need to piece together separate images and specify how long each one lasts. There are programs that help you do that. But an easier way is to use apps that make a short animated gif from your phone's camera.
            
            Two apps that I am testing are Giphy Cam and GifLab. Both make the gif backwards if you make a selfy. Not good. I haven’t found a way to correct that yet.

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               Venkatachari Mposted 5 years agoin reply to this

               Thank you, Glenn. I shall look into those apps. Not for the selfie. I may try some natural scenery or other shots.

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            eugbugposted 5 years agoin reply to this

            GIMP is a powerful, free, raster and vector image editor. I haven't used it for a while and I thought the interface was a little weird and unfamiliar (I think it was originally developed for Linux). It's very comprehensive though and you can use it to create animated GIFs.

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      lobobrandonposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      They could be useful in tutorial hubs, it's up to the hubber to know when to use them. Also, I assume the editors will make sure they are good if the article is being moved to a niche site.

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8. 48

   GiftsByDianaposted 5 years ago

   In many cases, rather than being forced to use huge photos I just deleted them as I do not want an image to be more important then my words.  Often, a small image is a perfect complement.  Something to consider.

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      Venkatachari Mposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      But, pure plain text may be not so much appealing, in many cases, when you post lengthy articles. Some kind of divergence should be there. And, HP recommends (or even insists) the use of different capsules!!!
      
      This may not apply when your content is too much interesting to the reader.

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      lobobrandonposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      What I do in that case is just add a white background to the image, this ensures the image is large enough pixel-wise but still small that it But the image on its own (with the white background) will end up taking up a lot of space (more than the capsule on the side) which may make it stand out too. It's just an option you could think about.

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         Venkatachari Mposted 5 years agoin reply to this

         It's a good trick to implement. Any white or very light-color base layer can do the job.

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   paradigmsearchposted 5 years ago

   Well, I came up with a GIF that was so eye-straining obnoxious that if I had posted it our lives would have ended as we know it. A good GIF is time and labor intensive. Unfortunately, I don't see any earnings potential in them whatsoever. I have decided that my hubs and websites shall remain GIF-free; I strongly suspect my visitors will appreciate that.

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      Venkatachari Mposted 5 years agoin reply to this

      True. Hubs need not require gifs. I am not intending to use any of them here. I may use them for greetings and posts related to celebrations.

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10. 92

    Titiaposted 5 years ago

    OMG animated GIFS on Hubs??? I hate those stupid repeating and flashing GIFS. They just drive me crazy. Facebook is already full of them and I don't click on any of them. If I would visit a hub with an animated GIF I'm out of there as fast as I can, even if the hub looks very interesting to me.

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       Will Apseposted 5 years agoin reply to this

       Glad I'm not the only killjoy, lol. Some people obviously still love them, but the novelty wore off a decade ago for many.

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    bernicestockstillposted 5 years ago

    ohhh thanks a lot)

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12. 81

    snakeslaneposted 5 years ago

    Yes, I've heard you can make gifs in GIMP, but there is a steep learning curve to using this photo editing program. I found a free Gif making site called imgflip. You just submit image(s)  and Voila, it's a gif.

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       eugbugposted 5 years agoin reply to this

       I agree there's a steep learning curve, but as with a lot of these packages, you can just do basic stuff first and then learn how to use more of the features as needed. The advantage of an editor/drawing program like this with vector capabilities is that if you draw graphics for hubs, they can easily be modified later, which isn't the case if a basic raster editing program such as Paint is used. Layers are an almost essential feature also for all but the simplest images.
       I did a search and there seems to be lots of tutorials on HubPages about how to use the program.

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          snakeslaneposted 5 years agoin reply to this

          Hey Eugbug, Yes, I tried GIMP for awhile, I really tried, but I got bogged down. What can I say. I'm a GIMP failure. Fortunately I don't really need it. I'm just exploring options for a Hub, and appreciating all this input. That said, I do admire the proficient GIMPers of the world. Thanks.

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    tritrainposted 5 years ago

    I suggest Paint.net.  It was created by a bunch of Microsoft interns and is still supported.  It is like Microsoft Paint, but much better.  You can do a lot, and it's easy to understand.  Paint.net is completely free.
    
    Gimp is great, if you understand layers, and all the fanciness of it (like Photoshop).

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       snakeslaneposted 5 years agoin reply to this

       I'm going to check that out later. Thanks

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       kenneth averyposted 5 years agoin reply to this

       @tritrain .  . . .EEEE--UUUUU---RRRREEE--KAA! Finally. A program that is FREE and well, uhhhh, FREE! Thank you!

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14. 81

    snakeslaneposted 5 years ago

    I just discovered that the GIF I posted in this thread links directly to the imgflip site...which was not my intention when posting it. Now I'm wondering if that link is 'allowed' in forum thread? Would I be notified if it's not allowed? Not wanting to rock the boat here.

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       Venkatachari Mposted 5 years agoin reply to this

       I already clicked it many hours ago and visited that site also.
       But, I do not want to make it online.
       I wanted to download some app and make it myself through my mobile which Mr.Glenn Stok already solved and many other hubbers also.

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          snakeslaneposted 5 years agoin reply to this

          Great, I don't have the mobile capability, so I'm still looking for other ways to do this.

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             Venkatachari Mposted 5 years agoin reply to this

             You can download the free GifMaker from cnet.com or if you have the windows Paint tool, you can create there.

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                snakeslaneposted 5 years agoin reply to this

                Thank you, I will be trying everything, appreciate the tips.

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    paradigmsearchposted 5 years ago

    Ya know..., I think I've actually come up with a GIF money maker. However, two skills are involved. Both are labor and time intensive. Can't decide whether to do it or sell it.

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       snakeslaneposted 5 years agoin reply to this

       Still waiting to see the GIF moneymaker update...

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          paradigmsearchposted 5 years agoin reply to this

          Still undecided.

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    snakeslaneposted 5 years ago

    Some neat GIF images I found today:
    
    
    
    https://tmblr.co/Zh3t3t2S7cMl5

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       snakeslaneposted 5 years agoin reply to this

       This link not working. My bad maybe.

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