Slack GIF Creator

A toolkit providing utilities and knowledge for creating animated GIFs optimized for Slack.

Slack Requirements

Dimensions:

• Emoji GIFs: 128x128 (recommended)
• Message GIFs: 480x480

Parameters:

• FPS: 10-30 (lower is smaller file size)
• Colors: 48-128 (fewer = smaller file size)
• Duration: Keep under 3 seconds for emoji GIFs

Core Workflow

from PIL import Image, ImageDraw
import imageio
import numpy as np

# 1. Create frames
frames = []
width, height = 128, 128

for i in range(12):
    frame = Image.new('RGB', (width, height), (240, 248, 255))
    draw = ImageDraw.Draw(frame)
    # Draw your animation using PIL primitives
    frames.append(np.array(frame))

# 2. Save with optimization
imageio.mimsave('output.gif', frames, duration=1/10, loop=0)

Drawing Graphics

Working with User-Uploaded Images

If a user uploads an image, consider whether they want to:

• Use it directly (e.g., "animate this", "split this into frames")
• Use it as inspiration (e.g., "make something like this")

Drawing from Scratch

Use PIL ImageDraw primitives:

from PIL import ImageDraw

draw = ImageDraw.Draw(frame)

# Circles/ovals
draw.ellipse([x1, y1, x2, y2], fill=(r, g, b), outline=(r, g, b), width=3)

# Stars, triangles, any polygon
points = [(x1, y1), (x2, y2), (x3, y3)]
draw.polygon(points, fill=(r, g, b), outline=(r, g, b), width=3)

# Lines
draw.line([(x1, y1), (x2, y2)], fill=(r, g, b), width=5)

# Rectangles
draw.rectangle([x1, y1, x2, y2], fill=(r, g, b), outline=(r, g, b), width=3)

Don't use: Emoji fonts (unreliable across platforms) or assume pre-packaged graphics exist.

Making Graphics Look Good

Use thicker lines - Always set width=2 or higher. Thin lines (width=1) look choppy.

Add visual depth:

• Use gradients for backgrounds
• Layer multiple shapes for complexity

Make shapes more interesting:

• Don't just draw a plain circle - add highlights, rings, or patterns
• St...