ImageReady Animated Slideshow (Import As Frames & Make Layers as Frames)

For a more detailed look on the particulars of using ImageReady Animations go here.

Save a series of images into a test/images folder location on your hard drive.

Open up ImageReady.

Then go 'File/Import/Folder As Frames' as I have captured below.

Note: Make sure the folder only contains those images you want to use for the animation, otherwise you will have to remove them manually once the animation is made.

Note:The sequence order of the animation frames appears in alphabetical order of your image file names.

Next browse for that folder that contains the images you want to include in the slide show. Example my folder is called 'artwork' and contains four images of the same dimensions. Then click 'OK'.

ImageReady will load the images (my case, four of them) into the 'Animation Palette', and have the first frame auto selected. (Auto selected meaning its highlighted in blue in the Animation Palette & is the active image frame in the main ImageReady Document window.)

Next select all frames by holding the Shift key + clicking on the last frame (numbered 4). They should all highlight in blue like I have captured below.

Next click on any one of the Timer Control menu options - default is '0 sec'/'No Delay' - (encased in white below) to change the delay frame rate.

This will update all Time delay between frames to 2.0 sec.

Next, click the 'Looping Control', encased in red below, and change to your preferred preference. I set mine to 'Once'.

Finally, click the Playback control to preview your slideshow.

Stop, when ready. 'File/Save' as a native .psd file. Then 'Save Optimized As' and it should default to the '.gif' file format.

Here is my final result. (I changed mine to 'Forever' so you can see the animation by the time you've finished reading)

Alternatively, you can also turn a multi-layered .psd file into a quick animated slideshow, by doing the following.

Below I have a Photoshop document with four images, each on there own layer.

Next, Edit in ImageReady by hitting 'Shift + Ctrl + M' (Mac: Shift + Command + M).

Then in ImageReady, you will be prompted with only a single frame animation in the Animation Palette. The uppermost visible layer occupies the first frame. (As I have captured below)

Then, to turn the individual layers into a quick slideshow, select the Animation Palette menu option (encircled in red) and select the 'Make Frames From Layers' option, as I have captured below.

The command makes a frame for each layer. The bottom layer in the Photoshop image is frame 1 in the Animation palette.

Then proceed to adjust the Timer & Loop Controls as described above.