Eager to learn how to animated GIF files to your video or put a GIF on top of another GIF? In this blog, we will explain to you in detail how to do that using Animotica, Windows 10 video editor with custom overlays feature.
What is a GIF overlay?
GIF overlay is a GIF file that is added on top of another file (image, video, gif).
So let’s start!
Contents
How to add Gif file to your video or image
First of all, you need to prepare the files you’re going to use. There are many sources of GIF files on the Internet, though the most popular is definitely GIPHY. We assume that you already have prepared a video, GIF or images file to which you want to add your GIF.
Second, you will need a video editing software to do that. You can use online video editor, though it comes with many limitations, such as the long time needed to upload your video, a limited number of projects you can create, network dependency, etc. If you don’t want to wait for too long, feel free to use one of the desktop video editors. If you’re Mac user, you can find a few options here. However, in this blog, we will tell you how to add GIF file on top of another video, photo or GIF file in Windows 10.
To do this, we’ll be using Animotica, so far the best alternative to Windows Movie Maker. You can download and use it for free here. ?
Step #1. Launch Animotica and click ‘NEW PROJECT’.
Launch the video editor and click the ‘New Project’ on the first screen.
After that, you can start uploading your files.
Step #2. Add GIF file from your computer or directly from GIPHY.
1. Add video or image you want to add GIF overlay to.
Click ‘Add Video or Photo Clips’ and select as many video or image files from your computer as you want.
By default, Animotica sets 16:9 ratio (the one you can use for YouTube videos), but in case if you need to change it, there is a small icon under the preview of your file. Click on it and select the best aspect ratio for your project.
2. Add Gif overlay.
Option A. Add GIF from your desktop.
Click ‘+/Add‘ -> ‘Overlay’ on the menu under your clips and select ‘Add Video or Photo’. Select a GIF file from your computer.
Option B. Add GIF from GIPHY.
We mentioned above that GIPHY is the biggest database of GIF files. Good news! You can access the GIPHY library directly from Animotica.
To do that, click ‘GIPHY’, make your search and select the one you like the most from the rich library of GIPHY.
Click on the selected GIF and use the menu to apply any changes to the selected file.
How to put a GIF on top of another GIF
Simple as it sounds.
Step #1. Launch Animotica and create a new project.
Open the app and click ‘+ NEW PROJECT‘.
Step #2. Add GIF file to your project.
Click ‘Add Video or Photo Clips’ and select GIF file from your computer, on top of which you want to add another GIF file.
Step #3. Add GIF overlay to your GIF.
Click ‘+/Add‘ -> ‘Overlay‘ -> and select ‘Add Video or Photo‘ in case if your overlay file is on your computer, or ‘GIPHY‘б if you want to pick a GIF file from the GIPHY library.
In our example, we are using the ‘GIPHY’ option.
Step #4. Adjust GIF overlay.
Click on the newly added GIF overlay and drag any side to change the size and/or position of it.
You can also apply Motion and color effects, crop it, apply Chrome Key, flip and more.
(Video example) how to add Gif file to your video
We made this brief video post to explain visually the process of adding GIF files to your videos using Animotica.
How to write text on a GIF
In case if your creativity doesn’t let you stop on that, this is how easily you can add text overlays to your GIF file.
Step #1. Start a project and add a GIF file to it.
Start a new project in Animotica and add GIF files from your desktop (Click ‘Add Video or Photo Clips‘) or GIPHY.
Step #2. Add Text overlay to your GIF.
Click ‘+/Add’ on the bottom menu -> ‘Overlay’ -> ‘Add Text’.
Step #3. Write your text and style it.
Write any text you want to place on your GIF.
Now you can pick one of the text styles already available in Animotica or create your own style by setting up the custom background, font, frame, opacity and more. You can also save created text style to use it in your videos later.
All done! Now, feel free to trim, split, flip, edit colors, add custom transitions – everything your imagination whispers to you!
You can also superimpose custom overlays to photos, videos, and GIFs, or use the ones from Animotica library.
If you’re searching for something particular, please visit Video Guide section on the blog, visit our community or social profiles in case if you have any particular question.
Have question? Ask in the comment section.
4 Comments
how to save the end gif file as a gif after adding an overlay?
Unfortunately, you can not save your video as gif in Animotica, only as mp4. Though, you can go to GIPHY website to convert your video to gif.
New user – how do I set the beginning and the end of a text overlay?
Hello there! You can set the start and end position of any overlay by using “[“ – for start & “]” – for end buttons.