Video:Top Online Animation Files and Extensions

Transcript:Top Online Animation Files and Extensions

Hi, I’m Mark Zamora, animation expert, here for About.com. In this screencast, I’ll give you an overview of the most common types of web files and extensions you can use to share your animation online.

Flash Animation Files

Many people think of flash files when it comes to online animation and most of these will be of the SWF extension, which stands for ShockWaveFlash. They are animation files created by Adobe programs such as Flash, Flash Builder and After Effects- here’s an example of a Flash animation on a website. The benefit of SWF is that they are the complete package and ready to be embedded on your website with very little difficulty.

GIF Animation Files

 Another common file type is GIF, and if you’ve seen basic animation online then you’ve probably seen these before. GIF stands for Graphic Interchange Format. They’re often used for simple lettering and cartoons. Most people use these for websites, social media and emails because they are shorter and contain less colors making the file sizes much smaller and easier for sharing on the web.

Video Files for Animation

 These days, one of the most popular ways of getting animation online is through video, so this is where file types like AVI, MOV and MPEG come in handy. These are video extensions which allow you to either embed directly onto your site or upload to a service like YouTube for even easier sharing. You’ll choose your file-type depending on what you want to use the animation for OR if you’re uploading to a site that requires a certain file.

Saving Animation Files

Most pieces of animation software provide choices when saving your animation, but if you’re having trouble finding it, it’s usually under the "Export" or "Save For Web" option, then use the drop down menu to select your file type.

 For more on animation, be sure to visit compute.about.com. Thanks for watching!