Add an icon to an animated GIF file

[sambul91]

When creating or editing animated GIFs in Photoshop, is it possible to select one of its frames as the GIF file icon, visible in File Managers like Windows Explorer? If not, pls explain why, are there any workaround? What image editing or other packages allow to assign & scale down if needed one of animated GIF frames as its file icon? If that requires adding a resource section to an animated GIF file to keep the icon in it, what software allows it? Ideally, it should be accomplished in Photoshop when creating animated GIFs, possibly via a plugin.

Why its required? Because when Windows Explorer creates an icon for an animated GIF file, it can pick any its frame - often the 1st one and scale it down as the file icon, stored in a hidden system icons folder. If you have a folder full of animated GIFs that all have the same 1st frame (its typical for webcam taken image collections were each image in a series must start from the same background frame - like an empty bird nest) then all animated GIFs in that folder will have the same icon. To find the right file, one would need to play hundreds of them which is very labor intensive task, completely unnecessary if there was a possibility to assign the most distinctive frame as a file icon for each animated GIF at creating it.

 

[IamSam]

Hello and welcome to PSG.

That's a good question. My first gut answer would be.......NO.............you can't designate any given frame to become the gif file icon. But if I'm being honest, I don't really know.

Even though the files may have the same icon, wouldn't they have different file names?

 

[sambul91]

Hi,

Yes, the files definitely have different names. But when such animated GIFs are created automatically by software - each GIF from 20 source images - the app auto names each such file with a date stamp or similar, so its impossible to guess its content by file name. And there are hundreds of animated GIFs in each day folder, so the only reasonable option is to assign the most distinctive frame of each Anim GIF as its file icon. Ideally such icons should be generated automatically, but if there is no software smart enough to do it, I'd do it manually - but HOW?

Its not really that hard to auto generate such icons by using common "motion detection" algorithms, since all files start from the same background image - an empty bird nest as an example, and then action begins, which is different for each animated GIF. So a Photoshop plugin or extra package can analyze each animated GIF by comparing its each frame to the 1st background frame to find the most distinct one with the most pixels different from the background frame pixels. Once found, that frame is auto assigned as the file icon. It may require to create a resource section for the animated GIF file, where such icon will be stored, like its usually done for EXE type files. Of course, having a resource section should not affect "playability" of the animated GIF in web browsers and image editors.

 

[IamSam]

Give me a chance to look into this and a possible solution.

 

[sambul91]

Thanks. While you look into this, may be you can also suggest any image editor or another type package that allows to play all animated GIFs stored in a folder simultaneously, while preserving the user ability to select any such files and copy, move, delete as usually done in a file manager. Playing files all at once would allow more easily and faster identify animated GIFs with the most interesting content, and then delete the rest.