I am often asked how I make the fun digital stickers (or GIFS) of myself and my children that I use in my newsletters and presentations. This month, I have my famous full moon jack-o-lantern dance party sticker.
It's a fan favorite, for sure!
I also make digital stickers to motivate the teachers I work with.
Or, to get people ready for Homecoming!
Needless to say, they always bring about a smile and people ask how I make them. It definitely takes a few steps, but once you have them made, you can reuse them and spread smiles all around! Here is what you need to do:
1. Get a video of yourself. I use my cell phone. Sometimes I even use fun filters from apps like Snapchat.
2. Save the video to a folder in Google Drive. I have a folder I call "digital sticker dumping ground" where I keep all of the raw video footage and the other files you need moving forward. Having a dedicated folder to this keeps me organized and helps me find the files quickly and easily. To get the video to your Google Drive, the easiest way is to use the Google Drive app on your phone and upload it directly there.
3. Remove the background of your video. This is key for making the digital sticker background. The quickest and easiest way to do this is with the website Unscreen (https://www.unscreen.com/). It is quick, easy, and free! Once your video has a transparent background, you can layer yourself (or students, co-teachers, or whomever) on different backgrounds. Of course, if you like the video the way it is, you can skip directly to step <#> and just turn the whole video into a GIF.
4. Create your background for the digital sticker. I keep a Google Slide Presentation for this. It is easy for me to change backgrounds and add different images, GIFS, etc. to make it fun. Here is the template I will be working with. The link will create a forced copy of my document. It gives you a few pre-made slides to work with. Use the Word Art, Shapes, Insert Images, and Background tools in slides to help. There are loads of options!
5. Insert your GIF onto the Google Slide. You can crop the GIF, move it around, and place it right where you want it. Remember, to change the "layers" of the images, right-click on the item you want to move and choose "Order." From there, you can move the items from back to front, front to back, or just move between the layers. See this GIF I made ⬇️⬇️
6. Now that your digital sticker is made, you need to record it and turn it into a GIF. You can do this one of a few ways.
a. Screencastify: Use the Screencastify Extension to record your screen. When you are finished, click on the "Editor" in the top right corner. From there you can crop, trim, zoom, etc to make your finished video just what.
b. Chromebook Screen Recorder: Use the Shift + Ctrl + Show Windowsbutton. In the menu at the bottom, select Screen record. From there, you can record a partial screen, full screen, or a full window.
7. Turn your video into a GIF. There are many Video to GIF converters on the internet. Personally, I use this one at EZGif https://ezgif.com/video-to-gif. I find it easy to use. Upload your video, preview it (you can change the timing of the video), and click the button "Convert to GIF!" Below your final GIF you will see lots of options. You can use different buttons to edit, but when you're done, you will want to hit SAVE.
Make sure you save your GIF in a place where you can find it! You can insert it as an image into Google Apps (Docs, Slides, Drawings) or even Canva or Kami. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out. I hope you enjoyed this crash course!
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