How To Export Gif In After Effects [Plus FREE Plugin]

GIFs are an excellent way to share your work on social media, messaging apps, and websites. They are easy to make, small in size, and can loop indefinitely. In this article, we'll provide you with step-by-step instructions on how to export high-quality GIFs from After Effects. We'll cover everything you need to know, including the basic settings and some tips and tricks to make your GIFs look outstanding.

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FREE Adobe After Effects GIF Export Plugin

How To Make a Gif From After Effects - Exporting your After Effects compositing into a gif can be a complicated and time consuming process. That's why AEJuice created the Gif Exporter Plugin which is available for free. This After Effects gif plugin let's you quickly and easily take any composition and turn it into a compressed gif within just a few clicks.

Download Here

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Can After Effects Export Gif?

Prior to the creation of the Export GIF plugin, Photoshop was required in order to export GIFs from After Effects. You can download free plugins such as the AEJuice Gif Exporter to export gifs in just a few clicks from your After Effects composition.

GifGun After Effects Free Download - AE Juice GIF

If you've researched gif exporting plugins for After Effects in the past, you may have come across the plugin known as GifGun. Unfortunately, GifGun will cost you $30 US to download. While there aren't any methods to downloading this plugin for free, the AEJuice Gif export plugin makes a great GifGun alternative. We're glad to tell you that the AE Juice Gif Exporter plugin has the same capabilities as GifGun, but it's 100% for free! Best part is, you also get access to other effect packs by AEJuice included with the plugin download.

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How To Export A Gif In After Effects

Wondering how to export a gif from after effects? With the AEJuice Gif Exporter plugin, all you need to do is select the desired composition that you want to turn into a gif, then select the render option in the plugin. You also have multiple options to further customize the gif export settings. You have control over alpha channels, what to render, render settings, loop settings, framerate, output module and more!

A Step-By-Step Tutorial On How To Export An After Effects Composition As A GIF (No Plugins Needed)

1. Create Your CompositionTo start, create your composition in After Effects. You can start from scratch or import an existing video, image, or graphic. Choose the appropriate size and aspect ratio for your composition. Keep in mind that GIFs are typically small, so you don't need high resolution.
2. Select the Right SettingsAfter creating your composition, you'll need to choose the appropriate settings for your GIF. Navigate to "Composition" > "Make Movie" to access the export settings. From the format drop-down menu in the "Output Module" section, select "Animated GIF."
3. Adjust the SettingsSelect the location where you want to save your GIF in the "Output To" section. You can also choose the name and format. Choose "Forever" in the "Looping" section if you want your GIF to loop indefinitely. To minimize the file size, select "Adaptive" in the "Color Table" section.
4. Export Your GIFAfter adjusting the settings, click the "Render" button to export your GIF. After Effects will create a GIF file by rendering your composition. You can open the file to ensure everything appears as expected.

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How To Export Transparent Gif From After Effects

Follow the steps above to render a gif in Adobe After Effects as per normal, then select alpha channel in plugin interface to export your composition as a transparent gif file. Depending on what effects are used in the composition, transparency may not always be fully achievable, especially if you have semi-transparent effects such as light rays in your footage.

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Optimize Your GIF Export In AE

Here are a few helpful tricks you can follow to improve the quality, compression and file-size reduction of your exported GIF in After Effects.

Tip 1: Optimize Your Composition

Optimize your composition before exporting your GIF by removing any unnecessary layers, effects, or elements. The fewer elements you have, the smaller the file size will be.

Tip 2: Choose the Right Color Palette

Choosing the appropriate color palette is crucial for creating a high-quality GIF. Create a custom color palette by selecting "Custom" in the "Color Table" section instead of "Adaptive." Adjust the number of colors and dithering to optimize the file size and quality.

Tip 3: Adjust the Frame Rate

The frame rate determines the number of frames per second in your GIF. A higher frame rate results in smoother animation but a larger file size. Strike a balance between quality and size by adjusting the frame rate. The "Posterize Time" effect can also be used to reduce the frame rate without affecting the quality.

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Final Thoughts

By following these steps and downloading the suggested plugin (which is 100% free), you can export your creations as high-quality GIFs and share online or wherever you need to. With the extra tips and tricks we mentioned in the end, you can also ensure that your GIFs stand out and capture the attention of your audience.