gif-anim-hotkeys-linux

Make gif animations, snapping frames with hotkeys

Scripts:

• gif-anim-settings: Sourced by the other scripts for common settings
• gif-anim-select-area: Initial script to run (map to a hotkey).
  • Ensures creation of folders,
  • wipes prior session frames,
  • Uses slop to get mouse-drawn area of screen,
    • Uses slurp in Wayland
  • Stores coordinates in coords.txt file in cache dir (see -settings)
• gif-anim-cap-frame: Script to capture a frame and add it to the frames/ folder
• gif-anim-make-gif: Final script which uses ffmpeg to output the frames

Installation:

1. Clone this repository:
   • git clone https://github.com/jaggzh/gif-anim-hotkeys-linux
2. Copy default settings:
   • cp gif-anim-settings.example gif-anim-settings
3. (Optional) The scripts can run in place (assign hotkeys to full path). They auto-detect where they are running since they need to find the -settings script. HOWEVER, if you want, you can symlink all scripts to a folder in your path. This makes it easier to run them commandline from anywhere:
   1. srcdir=~/path-to-scripts/gif-anim-hotkeys-linux
   2. my_bin_path=~/bin/
   3. cd "$srcdir" && for i in gif-*; do (cd "$my_bin_path" && ln -s "$srcdir/$i" "$i"; done
4. Assign hotkeys
   1. Bind rectangle-selection command: gif-anim-select-area
   2. Bind add-a-frame command: gif-anim-cap-frame
   3. (Optional but convenient) Bind gif-anim-make-gif
5. (Optional) Settings changes:
   • Modify gif-anim-settings to change the hotkey comments help which is output when you run gif-anim-select-area (and presently displays my own personal hotkey assignments). See ga_hotkey_comments=.... This is probably only seen if you run gif-anim-select-area from commandline.
   • Modify gif-anim-settings to change the framerate (default is 2 fps)

Testing

You can test the scripts, without hotkeys, by just running them:

$ gif-anim-select-area  # Spits out informative output
$ gif-anim-cap-frame
$ gif-anim-cap-frame
$ gif-anim-make-gif
$ your-favorite-image-viewer ~/.cache/gif-anim-capture-area/gifanim-output.gif

Dependencies

• X11
  • slop - to get the rectangle screen area with the user's mouse selection
  • scrot - to grab the frames (of the chosen area)
  • ffmpeg - to make the final gif
• Wayland
  • slurp - to get the rectangle screen area with the user's mouse selection
  • grim - to grab the frames (of the chosen area)
  • ffmpeg - to make the final gif

Limitations and Known Issues

• I didn't test the installation steps above. :}
• FPS is hard-coded in the settings file (currently 2 fps at the time of this writing)
• The delay is the same between the end and loop to start
• The area cannot be changed during a session (you must start a new session with gif-anim-select-area)