Forum:Gifs Discussion, Re-opened

Where .gifs are concerned, there seems to be this prevailing belief that they are simply not allowed, because they are rarely seen here any more. This is despite there being set rules which specifically illustrate where and when the application of .gifs are allowed. Rules, some users here would rather bury, and ignore. I understand the fear of these bandwidth draining images being spammed, however that shouldn't result in an outright shunning of a valuable, and effective means of presentation.

That's why I'd like to re-open this discussion, to a certain degree. I myself recently learnt how to make quality .gif images, and have already updated several images as necessary. I also know of a couple other users, who also tried this new method and got a grasp at how to make them.

The point I'd like to present, is that I feel one of the problems with using .gifs is that we've (presumably) had to rely on alternative sources for our animated images. This would mean risking subtitles, watermarks and general low quality. What I'm trying to present is, with users who know how to make these images and have quality footage on file waiting to be used, why not make a collaborative effort in providing proper animations for articles that both deserve and need them?

If simple talk pages are insufficient, a page could even be made where requests for specific files could be made for the users who possess the skill required, to come and see to. This would allow for more efficient images to be made. I envision it as being something like;

''Hi! We need a short .gif of Blamenco pulling out his weapon from his chin. The image only needs to be 190px wide, as that's what we'll set the image as.''



Or something along those lines, this would maximise the effectiveness of the .gifs and not result in unnecessary file sizes. Knowing you guys though it'll probably be requested in a much less formal manner~. Basically that could work whenever a .gif is absolutely necessary, and any resizing wouldn't be an issue as the .gif creator should still have the footage required to make a new version of the file.

Well, that's my proposition and I'd be happy to be the 'go-between' guy for this process if it is accepted. It'll sure as hell be a lot easier to acquire proper .gifs then just searching Photobucket or the forums. 19:08, June 3, 2012 (UTC)