Animated GIF Info

Sending animated GIFs in email can be tricky. Here are a few tips.

About Sending Animated Images in Email

Many email programs allow you to insert images directly into the body of the email. Some will insert only images "pasted" from a web site, and others will only send images as attachments. Even if you can insert the image in the body of your email, the recipient's email program may not be able to receive images in their email and the picture may be converted into an attachment or stripped out altogether.

Be sure to check your settings to make sure html email is enabled.

Some people prefer not to open any attachments for fear of viruses. If the image is on a website, Include the URL in your email and your recipient may copy and paste it into their address bar and view the image online.

There are four ways to send images:

1. Copy the image, then paste into the email.

Right click on the image, then click Copy.

Open a new email. Position your cursor in the body of your email first, then right click again, and choose Paste.

2. Use the email program's Insert/Add Image button.

Open a new email.

Position your cursor in the body of your email.

Using your email program's Insert feature (or Insert Image, Insert Picture, Insert Photo) locate your image and click on it.

3. Attach Image

Open a new email and use the Attach Files command in your email program.

4. Send URL

Paste or type the URL of the image into an email and let the recipient view the image on the web site by pasting it into their browser address bar. With your order we will send the URL for your Love Custom Frame. We'll post your image online for the month of February, but to view it after that you will need to copy onto your computer or post it on a photo sharing site like Photobucket..

Saving Animated GIFs

Double click on the attachment.

When the "Save" or "File Download" menu box appears, make sure to SAVE your frame to your computer Do not click on OPEN!

Some Important Tips

Some email programs create a preview image of the attachment and display it in the body of your email. It looks great - but you can't save the preview image. It won't work! Save the attachment only.
All animated GIFs should end in .gif, however sometimes in transit the file extension gets changed to .bmp or .jpg which will not be animated. Before you save an image to your computer, check the name and type in .gif if necessary.

About Viewing Animated GIFs

Not all operating systems will display animated GIFs. You can open them with a browser such as Internet Explorer or Firefox or download an Image reader such as Irfan. You can also open them with a media player such as Quicktime. You can insert them into a PowerPoint presentation and view them through the Slide Show feature.

About Printing Animated GIFs

Animated GIF files are designed to be viewed not printed, so the file sizes are small. Print them as close to the actual size as possible as enlarging will cause them to appear blurry. Printing can be done using the print command on your browser, through your operating system or by inserting the image into a word processing program, then printing.

Resizing Animated GIFs

Although you can resize an animated GIF in a program such as PowerPoint, or using an animation program, keep in mind there may be some loss of quality. Enlarging an image too much may cause it to become grainy or blurry.

Borders in PowerPoint Learn how to frame your own photographs.

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