Graphics question

[kaaatie]

Does anyone know a lot about optimising .gifs? I've added a header to my journal. It's a .gif, showing polaroid style pictures of pretty, pretty people.

Currently, there are six different pictures, and only 8 frames in the animation. I'd like to be able to add a lot more (because there are so many other pretty people to display!), but I'm not particularly impressed with the quality. In a couple of pictures (especially in the background of the David Hewlett picture and the one with the Supernatural boys) the restricted colour palette is obvious.

I created it with Adobe ImageReady, with 256 colours, which seems to be the maximum available. Am I dreaming to hope that there's a way to keep the image in .gif format, but also keep quality? Or should I make it black and white so that there are fewer colours to display? Any suggestions are appreciated! :)






(This black and white version was just made with a gradient map because it's quick. If I do go with the black and white version, I'll make better black and white versions)

Comments

[onecheekyhobbit.livejournal.com]

don't know what to tell you, but those look great!!!

K

[kaaatie.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Glad you like them. :)

[strange-magic.livejournal.com]

I'm kinda partial to the B&W actually. The other would look nice too if you could fix the distortion. I can't really help you there because I have a crappy animation program.

[kaaatie.livejournal.com]

I decided to go with the black and white version. I changed it a little, and I think it looks better than the colour version now. :)

[sky-star.livejournal.com]

I wish I could pause on Paul Gross. <3
...Perhaps you could see if making the animation in Photoshop ImageReady would work better?...

[kaaatie.livejournal.com]

I love that picture of Paul Gross so much. Have you seen the other pictures from that photoshoot? He was gorgeous in all of them.

It was Photoshop's ImageReady that I used. In the end, I decided to go for a black and white version. That'll allow me to add a lot more photos! :)

[larian.livejournal.com]

Don't know much about the whole optimizing thing, but try phyncke She does a whole lot of graphics stuff. Tell her I sent ya. (let me know if she doesn't have contact info at her lj profile page, I'll point her in your direction)

[kaaatie.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much for the suggestion. I actually decided to go for a black and white version, and I've decided that I like it more than the colour version anyway. But thanks! :)