Creating animations has never been an easy task and is really tough if you wish to do it online. You might perhaps use a software to create animations and then embed them on web pages using an SVG file. Creating a gif file is also not really easy as it involves stitching of images which can perhaps be done using PhotoShop. Hence, to do that you would need all those images with the animated object in different locations and then combine them by putting your PhotoShop skills to use which could be a tough job for a 7-year-old kid.
But we would like to inform you about an app that lets you create animations using images online without any skills needed. Accelerated I/O (AIO) has created a tool that lets you create animations very easily using your browser. This simplifies your work to a great extent as you do not need any software or special skills to animate your photos.
Pac-n-Zoom is a cloud service which lets you create such animations utilizing the power of Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG). SVG files are those which you usually see in advertisements on websites. They are different from the raster image files like PNG, BMP or JPEG. The raster images are still images which can not be moved. SVG files are different from raster images as every part of the image is usable by the computer and can be animated.
The best part of this service is that it is the only service which lets you create animations online without any skills needed. To use this service, you need to sign up on their website and start using the tool. For example, you can upload an image from your computer as the base image and then upload several other images that you wish to animate. You can click on the “Animate” button and then move the images using your mouse. When you click on “End” button, your mouse movement is recorded and then the image is shown moving in the same path as your mouse did.
Example:
You can also scale images online. Scaling refers to zooming in and out of the image. This scaling becomes a part of your animation. The animated image can finally be downloaded to your computer as an SVG file. You can embed this SVG file anywhere online just to use them as advertisements or something that interacts with the users of your website. Also, these animations can be used for creating animated greeting cards that pleases your loved ones.
This tool can be used as a base for application developers and can be used to develop several new applications that depend on animations. Pac-n-Zoom is currently in the beta stage, hence you may face some limitations while using it. However, there are further developments that you might see in the coming years. For example, you might be able to create a small movie online which has a file size of perhaps 5 – 10 Megabytes instead of those heavy videos that eat up your data usage. Facebook integration of this tool may also let users post animated photos online as status updates or perhaps create animated images to be set as your cover photo.
The uniqueness of this cloud service is something that interested me after which I discussed more about this tool with the Chief Operating Officer of Accelerated I/O Inc. Jerry Ferguson. Thanks for the information, Jerry.
The two videos that you find below would be of great help if you wish to use this service. You may also refer to the user manual for more assistance.