Wondering how to make a GIF of your very own for your blog?

We’ve all had feeling or situation that words just can’t describe. Sometimes you just need a GIF to accurately convey how you’re feeling, am I right? We won’t get into the controversy of how you actually pronounce the word GIF, {puh-tay-to, puh-tah-to} but no matter how you say it, I’m here to teach you how to make a GIF for a WordPress blog and embed that bad boy in no time flat! I promise, it’s going to only take you about two minutes from start to finish!

It will take me longer to tell you how to make a GIF for a WordPress blog than it will for you to actually do it. So, let’s get started!

1. Choose and edit your video

Obviously, you can’t create a GIF without a video! So, choose the video that perfectly encapsulates what you want to express in your WordPress blog and open it in a video editing platform like iMovie for Mac or Windows Movie Maker for PC. Important: for some programs, you will need to trim it down to less than two seconds, so zoom in to your timeline to make double-sure it’s not over two seconds before you hop over to our second step. After you’ve got the length of your clip just right, export it and save it to your desktop.

2. Import your video into a GIF creation program

There are plenty of web-based GIF creation programs you can use to make a GIF for a WordPress blog. I like Giphy and will use that in this tutorial, but use whatever floats your boat. Once you’re logged in, choose your video and upload the clip you edited from your desktop. From there, click through to add filters, glitter, and effects to really make your GIF sparkle! {See what I did there?!}

Quick note: before you upload your finished GIF to Giphy, take a pause and think about how you want it to be used and searched. Want the entire Interwebz to use and see your GIF? Leave the “public” permissions set to “on” and add some tags to make it searchable just like you would any social media post. If you want it to be for your personal use only, switch that “public” setting to “off.” All set? Hit “Upload to Giphy” and you’re ready to move on!

3. Embed your GIF into your WordPress blog

Congratulations, GIF-making Guru, you are now ready to embed that GIF into your blog post. Keep your GIPHY tab open, but head on over to your blog post and determine WHERE you want to embed your GIF. Once you’ve got the prime spot selected, click back over to GIPHY. This next part is even simpler than you may realize! All you have to do from here is click the “embed” button and grab and copy the HTML code for your GIF. Quick note here: you can click on or off on the “responsive” option if you want your GIF to change size in accordance with the size of the screen the viewer is using. This is totally optional, but I like to leave it “on.”

Now you are ready, Friends: the moment to embed has arrived! Head back over to your blog with that copied code, but before you paste it, pay attention! This is KEY: click on the “text” tab and paste your embed code there. If you do it in the visual editor, it will just show up as ugly code and not as your adorable GIF!

After you’ve pasted your code in the hot spot, click “update” to update your blog post and then “preview changes” to see your GIF in action! If you want to change the size or the centering, it’s a super-quick fix: I show you how to do that with some small code edits in my video tutorial below.

BONUS TIP: How to get your GIF used on Facebook!

Our Sparkle Society community has gotten quite a kick out of finding {and using} our custom GIFs around the interwebs.  Want to delight your own clients and shine online with your own custom Facebook GIFs?  It’s super easy!  First, you’ve got to get your GIFs into the database that Facebook pulls from when you use that fun little GIF feature in your comments. Enter the app, Tenor.  Tenor is pretty easy to use; just set up an account and start uploading those GIFs!

As your GIFs load, you can keyword all of them at once with the same tag/keyword, and then you can go through and add specific tags that apply to your gif and will help it show up to all the GIF-lovers on Facebook. Insider tip: don’t upload over twenty GIFs at a time. It doesn’t warn you of that, but it will mess up your upload!  That.Is.It.

Before you know it, you’re going to be just like the Sparkle Team and you’ll have a running note of all the GIFs you need to film for the future!  LOL!  This can be hilariously addictive!  Don’t say we didn’t warn you.  Just think of all the endless possibilities you have to use GIFs in your own business or blog!

Thanks for letting me share how to make a GIF for your WordPress blog…

Now, if you’re ready to take a step further and really ramp up your photo biz on your social channels, I’ve created a FREE gift just for you: 30 social media posts for your photo business.  I’ll take you step-by-step through the social media posts that will make your business POP on social feeds and have prospects clicking through to interact with YOU! Word has it I know a thing or two about using social media to amp up business success, so… let’s take your biz to the next level together! I hope to see your sparkly face in class!