it's a gif
it has the wrong file extension for whatever reason
as for the why it looks like that...gif uses a color palette, but how to specifically make it look better is going to be dependent on which image editor you are using
End on
I wish that someway, somehow, that I could save every one of us
Depends on what you're using for GIF animation. In Photoshop, I'd cut out everything that doesn't change (so, the first panel) for the second frame. In that GIF, the entire image is changing in frame 2, so you're getting dithering shifts even on the half of the image that isn't supposed to move. Also, use as many colors as possible if you want to increase quality. That GIF is only using 119 out of 256 usable palette values.
Also, I don't know what's going on with that image because I downloaded it and Photoshop can't even open it. It's not a JPG, despite tinypic's renaming, but even renaming it to a GIF file comes up with "Could not complete your request because the file-format module cannot parse the file". What'd you use to make it?
Another (forum-only) trick that can increase quality is, if only a part of the image is animated, you can split it into multiple files. With a limited GIF palette, you can increase the number of color shades available and decrease the need for dithering if you put the left half of the image in a quality-compressed JPG or PNG and then the right half as an animated GIF, where the palette only needs to deal with the colors seen in that half.
Single GIF file:
GIF and JPG stacked side-by-side:
Note the dithering applied to the air canister and Gabe's hair in the top image, where extra colors have to be bumped out of the palette so as to fit everything in the image. The GIF file format maxes out at 256 color values; any more and it need to either approximate the in-between shades with dithering or make regions of flat color with hard pixelated edges that stand out.
Also, on the current forum software, this only works with images stacked side-by-side. On the old forums you could enclose a small animated block with a JPG for the top, a JPG for what's directly to the left of the animated part, a GIF for the animated part, a JPG for what's directly to the right, and a JPG for the bottom. On these forums, however, attempting to stack images on top of each other introduces a small horizontal gap in between them. If that's an effect you're going for, it can work, but it reduces the usefulness of splitting the image into segments.
That is a hell of an attempt for a first gif like that (I've no fucking clue how to do that beyond the info Sabre just gave, but I'm working with MS Paint anyway). Works well for me and is quite humorous at that!
So I had this fucking song stuck in my head earlier. Aggghhh! (I can put this in a spoiler if its really long)
I ended up using GIMP for the second panel. Not sure what some of its options meant (interlace and frame disposal or something along those lines), but the results are much better.
Thanks for the help, everyone. You have ensured that panel one has the highest fidelity possible, which is both your reward and punishment.
Haha, that is excellent! That edit is like the Ramones equivalent to my Pink Floyd.
And maybe its just because I'm crazy, but going from admiring Shanks gif again just now to reading his edit and seeing Tycho say "This body will do" amused me greatly.
life's a game that you're bound to lose / like using a hammer to pound in screws
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies
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:^:
http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=16534
This deserves better than to be buried at the bottom of the page.
(Dammit, Rehab. Stop giving me ideas.)
Haha! I don't think news posts ever really get edited like that. That is brilliant sir.
:rotate:
The darkest!
Dare I ask if the life-size contraption in the third image actually works?
Actually, I just found it:
And the tiara-plus-cravat look is just cracking me up to no end.
That is awesome!
Pluto was a planet and I'll never forget
Do you mean Catsby? Catsby's the little devil.
And now I'm imagine Catsby with Irenicus's voice in all situations.
(The compression is horrible, though. Is there a way around that, experienced editors?)
it has the wrong file extension for whatever reason
as for the why it looks like that...gif uses a color palette, but how to specifically make it look better is going to be dependent on which image editor you are using
Also, I don't know what's going on with that image because I downloaded it and Photoshop can't even open it. It's not a JPG, despite tinypic's renaming, but even renaming it to a GIF file comes up with "Could not complete your request because the file-format module cannot parse the file". What'd you use to make it?
it has the GIF header too, or at least the GIF89a magic string
Steam Profile | Signature art by Alexandra 'Lexxy' Douglass
It's a fine piece of work. :^:
GIF and JPG stacked side-by-side:
Note the dithering applied to the air canister and Gabe's hair in the top image, where extra colors have to be bumped out of the palette so as to fit everything in the image. The GIF file format maxes out at 256 color values; any more and it need to either approximate the in-between shades with dithering or make regions of flat color with hard pixelated edges that stand out.
Also, on the current forum software, this only works with images stacked side-by-side. On the old forums you could enclose a small animated block with a JPG for the top, a JPG for what's directly to the left of the animated part, a GIF for the animated part, a JPG for what's directly to the right, and a JPG for the bottom. On these forums, however, attempting to stack images on top of each other introduces a small horizontal gap in between them. If that's an effect you're going for, it can work, but it reduces the usefulness of splitting the image into segments.
I'm using Paint.NET. I downloaded the recommended plugin to add support for animated gifs and pngs, but it had almost no options.
I'd rather not retry learning GIMP just for making the occasional animation. Is there a recommended standalone program that produces decent results?
So I had this fucking song stuck in my head earlier. Aggghhh! (I can put this in a spoiler if its really long)
When you said a song was stuck in your head and led into the edit with "In the not too distant future..."
Well, the song I started singing was:
I think my mind pushed forward that particular phrasing because I've heard it so much.
Yeah, I was having trouble fitting the words in the comic to this song. Wasn't until I got to the end that I realized it was Alanis.
I ended up using GIMP for the second panel. Not sure what some of its options meant (interlace and frame disposal or something along those lines), but the results are much better.
Thanks for the help, everyone. You have ensured that panel one has the highest fidelity possible, which is both your reward and punishment.
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That is an impressive amount of backstory.
Also please tell me Lake Water is the name of the lake.
(Might have to edit my edit now! Lake joke credit: @Shanks)
And maybe its just because I'm crazy, but going from admiring Shanks gif again just now to reading his edit and seeing Tycho say "This body will do" amused me greatly.
Oh. My. Gee.
fuck up once and you break your thumb / if you're happy at all then you're god damn dumb
that's right we're on a fucked up cruise / God is dead but at least we have booze
bad things happen, no one knows why / the sun burns out and everyone dies