FE w/Animated GIF support

[FrizzleFried]

Does anyone know if any front end plans on supporting Animated GIF files?   I know Atomic FE has some animation support,  are they simply Animtef GIFs?   How about MALA?  I am told it does not support animated GIF...any future plans?

[loadman]

Does anyone know if any front end plans on supporting Animated GIF files?   I know Atomic FE has some animation support,  are they simply Animtef GIFs?   How about MALA?  I am told it does not support animated GIF...any future plans?

I don't think so...  I like my game lists pretty basic to fit in with the 80's arcade theme.

Give Atomic a go if you are into Game list 'bling bling'

Having said that there is basic MaLa animation support. A smart designer can make good use of that Check out the invaders moving on this layout:

http://mala.arcadezentrum.com/layouts.html#retrogui

[FrizzleFried]

I am not looking for major bling action...just simple animated gifs so I can animate my cabinets "title bar" or something...

But I will look at that layout.

[youki]

AtomicFE does not support Animated Gifs. But Avi , you can have up to 10 avi simultanous on a screen.

Conversion from animated GIF to AVI  is easy.

But i think Mala support AVi too. You should be able to convert your Gif in AVI and use it in mala.

[loadman]

AtomicFE does not support Animated Gifs. But Avi , you can have up to 10 avi simultanous on a screen.

Sorry Youki .. My mistake   

Yes MaLa you can run AVI's.  Its designed for Video Previews instead of using Snaps.

It will load the video with the same name as the selected game

[Havok]

AtomicFE does not support Animated Gifs. But Avi , you can have up to 10 avi simultanous on a screen.

Sorry Youki .. My mistake   

Yes MaLa you can run AVI's.  Its designed for Video Previews instead of using Snaps.

It will load the video with the same name as the selected game

Can it use avi's anywhere else, instead of just video previews?

[loadman]

Can it use avi's anywhere else, instead of just video previews?

No you would want to use ATOMIC for that 

But if your question was genuine. You can use video on MaLa start-up too 

[EDIT] I forgot...  I does Videos on Screensaver too!

[Havok]

Can it use avi's anywhere else, instead of just video previews?

No you would want to use ATOMIC for that 

But if your question was genuine. You can use video on MaLa start-up too 

Yes, it was genuine - I haven't messed with Mala for a month or so, and was wondering. Don't start acting like Headkaze...

 

[headkaze]

*Comment Removed*

Incidently some of the best themes I've seen for GameEx have AVI video as the background. I use a video background for my theme. Like Youki said converting gif to AVI is pretty straight forward, but you may as well go crazy with AVI since it's alot more flexible that gif, you can create some amazing video backgrounds. For this I recommend something like Adobe Premiere Pro or Adobe After Effects because you can layer images onto video so for example, you can have areas mapped out for your lists or a floating logo.

EDIT: Okay, I'll just ignore him.

[FrizzleFried]

OK guys... again... it takes two to tango.  Can ONE of you ignore the other PLEASE?

[loadman]

OK guys... again... it takes two to tango.  Can ONE of you ignore the other PLEASE?

...Biting my tongue   

But Let me know how you go Frizzlefriend as it could inspire others to get more creative with videos   ;

[headkaze]

This is what I mean by using Adobe Premiere to overlay panels and a logo onto an AVI video. This is a screenshot from the actual AVI playing. The animation runs for about 2 minutes, so there is quite a bit of variation going on in the visuals. The way I did this was to take a screenshot of the FE lists then bring them into Photoshop and create the panel and logo overlay. Then I import the video and overlay into Adobe Premiere and just layer it over the video. Of course this could be taken to another level with a rotating logo, smoke or other effects, but the concept is the same.

[MYX]

Another plus for AVI inside Atomic is that within Atomic you can define an alpha color. Once defined you can plan you art around it. So If you want a gif because of the transparency feature, you make an avi and keep the background your defined alpha color and poof, the animation floats nicely above the background without edges. Now add to that trajectory and man o man you got some killer effects.

Headkaze, I have premiere pro too, and tried briefly to work there to make an avi, but my problem was that it wants to work at 720x480 NTSC (or what ever resolution PAL is). I finally decided to move all animations into After effects (which seemed more appropriate anyway) because then I could render uncompressed at whatever size I wanted. But I did the same thing. I built everything in Photoshop and then brought it into AE.

[MYX]

BTW, anyone who does have access to AE, and is new to it, be sure to find Fractal Noise and LEARN IT! about 90% of all your wispy, smoky, hazy, (things that end in y)backgrounds start with fractal noise.

Noise + Masks + Adjustment Layers (and lots of render time) make for too much fun.

The picture is a little blocky because it was designed for 640x288 and looks like duki when blown up, but you will hopefully get the idea. The intention was to make it cool but subtle. I have seen several interfaces that are very in your face. I did not want something I want to keep around for a while to be screaming at me (visually). This was one of my first layouts in AFE. It utilizes many effects, but it also keeps them reserved to make it rich in experience, but at the same time NOT built to be like HEY LOOK I USED AN EFFECT. The Blackout logo has smoke that drifts outwards towards the player. Under the game name there is an animated, slightly visible, set of lines, that sort of pulse (it is subtle). The center bars actually sit on my transparent color (1,1,1) Leaving pure black for the background. This allows a solid to sit above an AVI (logo). Also, an odd effect, but kinda cool, because I chose (1,1,1) for the transparent color, the background on many of the snaps hits this color therefore making the snap background transparent. This allows my background to show through. The bkg is a dark blue so it is also another subtle effect, but nice. 

[headkaze]

You can create custom sized videos in Adobe Premiere, you just select custom from the New Project screen, and the Custom tab you can adjust your video sizes etc. After Effects is just as good though, in fact I find it easier to use in many ways.

[MYX]

After Effects is just as good though, in fact I find it easier to use in many ways.

No doubt. What version are you on?

[headkaze]

I use Adobe Premiere Pro v7 (I also had to use that for Uni) and Adobe After Effect Pro 7 (although I havn't installed that since my last HDD wipe).

[MYX]

You can create custom sized videos in Adobe Premiere, you just select custom from the New Project screen, and the Custom tab you can adjust your video sizes etc. After Effects is just as good though, in fact I find it easier to use in many ways.

Well dagum... You know I have been using Premiere for about 4 years now. I have always used standard sizing because  I was always doing stuff that would be on TV or projected. I have never (until tonight) even seen that tab for custom. I made a 640x288 avi using the Techsmith (camtasia) codec and squished the logo to a third of what it was. Sweeeeet! Thanks man!
It is a 10 second loop. It was 96Meg. Now it is 31 and change. 

[Howard_Casto]

If gifs are supported in a fe they shouldn't be.  The custom pallette in each frame makes for horrible load times and thus they aren't supported by your major rendering sdks.  Mng's aren't standardized so that is also iffy in the support category.  The best option is a sequence of pngs, which several fes support.