Project #7: Make Great Art

DUE: December 10

GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) art is an exciting medium for creating small animations on the internet or within games that play automatically and can be interactive in HTML (HyperText Markup Language) documents. Gif art allows digital artists to create dynamic art works that can be exhibited anywhere; from projecting on gallery walls, created specifically for a piece of browser art and on forums to upset trolls. For our final project, all I ask is that the final piece is a gif file posted on your blog. Throughout the semester we have had strong directions with either content or purpose in our assignments. I want to see your voice and artistic direction in this piece. What do you want to say as an artist and how do you express it?

I will be demoing how to create gifs using PhotoShop, importing video to layers in PhotoShop, and how to create glitch art by playing with an image's code. I want this piece to be Art (with a capital A) not a simple demonstration of using the technology. I feel that too many digital media artists rely on the novelty of using technology without really trying to communicate with the viewer. As artists, we are all image makers so think about what you would like to say.

To save your final work as a gif file. Remember to keep an eye on your file size!!

This is the fancy program inside PhotoShop that you can create your gif file with. You have the option to choose file format, size, amount of colors, and where to save it.

Here's how to import videos into PhotoShop. This will turn the frames into layers so you can manipulate them how you like.

Glitch Art:

Open your image file in a text editor of your choosing. Play around with the text and save. This process is purely experimental. With enough experience you will can start to predict what might happen but play, play, play. You are, in fact, destroying the image so make sure to have lots of copies. Sometimes PhotoShop won't be able to read the file so open your image in Preview or Finder or whatever, and take a selected screenshot. This will allow you to bring the file into PhotoShop.

Cute Bulldog

Glitch Dog!!!

Here is a link to the best collection of gif art on the ole' interweb. Browse it for inspiration!

Prosthetic Knowledge. Tumblr has a ga-jillion sites like this so search around.

MAKE GREAT ART!!!

11/19 - Project #7 3D/2D Space, Reading #5 Posted 

11/21 - Studio

11/26 - Discuss Reading #5, Reading #6 Posted, Studio

11/28 - Thanksgiving

12/3 - Discuss Reading #6, Studio

12/5 - Studio

12/10 - Project #7 Critique, Discuss Final Meeting