Animated Docklets

not gifs - png strips

check the od gallery - there's an animated shortcut docklet you can use (and change with your own strip)

there's 2 that look the same (both have a spinning globe) - one is just an example and can't be used for a short cut - the other is a shortcut that lets you use your own strips

Animated Shortcut

Hi Bichur,

I've tried the .PNG spinning globe, along with others and what is displayed is the image with all the frames, but it does not animate. Anishortcut.dll is located in the same folder and - just in case - is also located in C:\Program Files\Stardock\ObjectDock. So what am I going wrong, if all you guys get at least the spinning globe to work? I've tried .PNG, .GIF and .AVI but still nothing. What is it that triggers the animation itself?

Right-click on dock background

Mouseover "This Dock"

Mouseover "Add"

Click on "New "Simple Animation" Docklet"

or "New "Simple Animation" Shortcut" (that'll show only if you've downloaded the Animated Shortcut Bichur pointed to in #2 above)  For some pretty decent detailed instructions on the Animated Shortcut see comment #67 under that download.

The Simple Animation Docklet doesn't let you add a shortcut to it, it just sits there.  Simple Animation Shortcut lets you add a shortcut to launch when clicked.

Hi True Scot

did you made the first step: to move the Anishortcut .dll into the Docklets folder ?

Hi Frankell,

Y'know, it all seems so obvious now. After trying DaveRI's suggestion I couldn't see any reference to 'New "Animated Shortcut" Docklet'. It just wasn't an option. As i said previously to Bichur I had Anishortcut.dll located in C:\Program Files\Stardock\ObjectDock and also in C:\Program Files\Stardock\ObjectDock\Bundled Images\Misc Icons where Globe.png lives. For some reason I had moved all my docklets to this folder as far as I can remember - to synchronise with Vista on my laptop. - I moved Anishortcut.dll to Docklets as you suggested and the 'New "Animated Shortcut" Docklet' option now appears, the spinning globe is spinning on mouseover along with other .png animations I have.

Thanks very much much to you and the others for all your help. Its much appreciated.

I'm glad you managed it was a pleasure

... now you can also enjoy my animated icons check out my gallery for the 16 I created : http://frankell.wincustomize.com/skins.aspx 

Hi again Frankell,

I can see you are well into animation, your name has popped up in the Firefox APNG 1.4 add-on site. I have a question for you if you don't mind. I think its a shame there is not support for .gif animations but what can you do? Creating an animated (A)png is proving more difficult than I expected. I have an animation comprising 60 frames. A Mercedes Benz rotating star. Originally a .avi then a .gif both work equally well. To get the .gif animation converted to and animated .png format I unpacked the 60 frames using Irfanview. This was painless except for the fact that images were variable in size ranging from 3kb to 5kb compressed. Consequently, AniUtil.exe will not create a .png animation if they are different sizes. This is where APNG 1.4 comes in - your name appeard. I tried this add-in and on the surface it was pretty straightforward, except it only produced a static .png image of the first frame. No animation. Is it something I've done wrong? I can't see any options in APNG which I could adjust, or is 60 frames just too much for this software? There is no feedback from the software, it thinks it created an animated png but it hasn't.

In your experience Frankwll, is this the best way to create an animated png from an animated gif file? Thanks again

BTW for  full instructions look at my comments #2 + #7 on the "FIREXfox 3 Animated Icon" page:  https://www.wincustomize.com/skins.aspx?skinid=15181&libid=29 

+ I just found your reply: in few words the APNG format is a new one running on Firefox 3. (not on Firefox 2.  not on the animated shortcut) the result is only the first frame (you can also choose 1 frame as front page I mean not running in the animation)  to have a try drag any APNG inside the Firefox browser !

I'll update soon ...  

sorry  I didn't ansewered to the main question !

in very simple words the gif files are very poor respect the pngs (that's why the animated shortcut is a great docklet) so is not a good use to extract pngs from a gif file and then make them animated should be much better to use the originals frames 

+ the AnimatedPNG (APNG) format was created for the same reason about the final result you can see only the first frame as the sequence is not an horizontal strip but a "deep" one AW the APNG files run only on Firefox 3 + Opera 9.5 + KSquirrel 0.7.2 + XnView 1.92  have a look here http://animatedpng.com/ 

actually I'm using the APNGs format just for my customized throbber  on Firefox 3 as I'm working on the new skin FIREfox 3.1n Black Pack

BTW did you tried to drag your animated apng into any firefox 3 open page ? it will open a new page + you will see the running animation, all the best !

  Looks like I'm not going anywhere converting these .gif animations. I've even tried rebuilding every frame in a gif and saving them as fixed sized .png frames but even that wont work with AniUtil, it still thinks they are all different sizes. I've tried out several of your animations in Ff3 and they works fine, so perhaps I'll use the APNG 1.4 and keep the animations less complex.

Someday soon I'll publish the 3D docks/docklets I've developed and perhaps by then I'll have a better grasp the animation techniques available. In the meantime many thanks once again for this exchange. Have these on me

Hey True Scot  many thanks for the pints and don't give up !
when you don't have the original frames + you really want your png "rotating star" try also with GlueIt
 
http://sysimage.250free.com/

... or manually with the Photo Filtre feature Edit> Paste special> assemble..> right
this is the way I personally prefer as when I create a new animated icon I don't have to save every
single frame but I save different trials strips so I can always go on with easy changes

http://photofiltre.free.fr/frames_en.htm

BTW when you say: << "your" animations on FF3>> you are just referring to the APNG format as all my animated icons run only on the ObjectDock AnimatedShortcut (at the moment!)

+ I'm really curious about your docklet please keep me well informed as I want to be ready for the "3D animated icons"

Always all the best ! 

True Scot-

From my vast experience with pngs (smirk - not even close) I've found that sometimes a program won't preserve the boundaries (and therefore the h/v ratio either) of what I'd call a "free-form" png - a png like some of the Object Dock TombRaider icons on the galleries here which have a person placed on a transparent square.  I've had luck with preserving the boundaries by putting a 1-pixel dot in each corner of the image, making the dot an almost but not quite completely transparent (say 10% visible) medium-gray spot.

Kind of a hacky little thing to do but it's worked for me, usually can't even notice the corner spots.  Maybe you could work something like that into the images you're working with to get them consistent?  Just a thought to maybe get you past the hump.

here I am with my first APNG uploaded on the ObjectDock gallery as part of the FIREfox3 Animated InColorsPack https://www.wincustomize.com/skins.aspx?skinid=15351&libid=29

best of all I discovered that it's perfectly working as splash screen on Firefox 3, just needed the addon Splash! https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/2995

let me know !!

hey hey True Scot

I found the application fitting your needs: "GIF to APNG converter":

 http://sourceforge.net/projects/giftoapngconver

+ after a try I can say that it's really working !!

This certainly works, and the APNG 1.4 Editor in Ffox 3 also works. Dragging both of their .apng converted animations into Ffox shows the elusive rotating star. However, both of their icons in Window Explorer show a fixed single frame image unlike the 'Spinning Globe' or your multi-coloured Ffox animation which shows the icon as a 'strip' of .png images. Neither works as an Animated Shortcut.

So, what am I doing wrong, I've missed out something if the animations are not showing as 'strips'? Both animations are sitting in Docklets and the AniShortcut.dll is right there beside them.

Incidentally, these Gif to APNG conversions opens up so many other possibilities, thanks for this.

hi True Scot !

APNG is an extension of the PNG format, adding support for animated images, the first frame on an APNG file is stored as a normal PNG stream, so the applications not ready to work with APNGs (as WindowsExplorer) will be able only to display the first frame, but XnView is an images viewer supporting APNGs you can browse all the image files and the APNG animations will automatically run: http://pagesperso-orange.fr/pierre.g/xnview/enxnview.html

if you want more also try "Imagine images and animations viewer" you can edit and save the images in every format: http://www.nyam.pe.kr/

BTW working on the APNGEdit before saving the file always check: "Looping> play forever" !

.... about the horizontal png strips they are very peculiar to the shortcut animated docklet: a kind of wonderful trick, AW on creating animated icons you must consider that could be a very much cpu eater +  I'm sorry to say that APNGs are not running  !

 .... waiting for your update on 3D docklet ....

Hi again Frankell,

When I say Windows Explorer I mean the Windows file manager. I know that Windows Internet Explorer doesn't support APNG animation, so I wouldn't expect it to animate like Firefox.  The problem was, the .apng animations I have created all work fine in Firefox and also in other Gif Editors but they don't work as Animated Shortcut Icons and they don't show as 'strip' icons in Windows Explorer. The file icon is always the first frame of the .apng file. Consequently they will never show as a strip.  .

Also, I've since discovered that only AniUtil.exe creates the first .apng frame as a Strip icon and it is this frame that is shown in Windows Explorer. Without AniUtil.exe the first frame is always the Icon. Having said all that, none of the animations I have created using the Firefox APNG Editor or the "Gif to APNG Convertor" will work as animated shortcut icons. AniUtil.exe seems to be the key to creating The Animated Shortcut. Without this I can't get any .apng to work with ObjectDock.

I'm encouraged to see that you are awaiting my 3D Docklet efforts. I just hope I haven't set your expectations too high. This is a reflective mirror dock background with reflecting Docklets (and hopefully reflecting Animated Docklets) that give a 3D impression in a 2D space. I'm happy to show you a screenshot of the work so far. Your opinion would be gratefully received.

In fact I'll post this in the next day or so. ...hic

 This is it Frankell. I couldn't figure out how to get the mouseover and magnify any part of the Dock and hit the Capture Dock at the same time. Nevertheless, I hope you get the idea.   The dock is a dark mirrored perspective with reflective Docklets. Hopefully the 3D rotating shortcuts are next.

The Docklets are sized and reflected in such a way as not to originate from the foot - or nearest edge - of the background. At the same time ensuring the foot of the image - without the reflection - does not exceed the top of the background when magnified. The 3D impression will only become available when the animation problem is overcome. You will see the MB Star. This is in fact an Animated Shortcut. What you see is the first frame of the .apng and no, it doesn't animate (yet).

This is about as far as I have got so far.

True Scot I know I'm "true italian" so my English is not very good but I'll try to be very clear:

1) APNGs will never run on the animated shortcut, consider the APNG as a stack of single frames (or layers) one upon the other not an horizontal strip

2)  the animated shortcut run only with the horizontal png strips, consider the horizontal strips as a magic trick by the docklet author

 + I'm sorry to say that the Mirrored Dock Image is not appearing, it seems very interesting try again or send the image directly to me: cipullofrancesco@libero.it 

Frankell,

I have emailed you the Desktop Screen shot as requested plus some other stuff. I won't pursue the .apng route any more now. I've got a couple of other options up my sleeve but I thank you for all your help - and patience. I will let you know if I make any progress.

Hope you like the Desktop Dock and Docklets.

arrivederci e rallegra 

Frankell,

The solution was right under my nose. In Adobe Photoshop Elements I simply opened the .Gif animation and saved each layer as a separate .png file, each file representing an animation frame. From these (60) frames I used AniUtil.exe and et Voila, created the Animated Docklet complete with transparency as a 'Strip' image which is also used as the file icon.

So, for the benefit of anyone else watching this post, or who happens across it in the future, in summary:

• Only AniUtil.exe will create the Animated Shortcut
• AniUtil.exe will only accept frames exactly the same size
• Only AniUtil.exe will combine all the frames in the animation to create a single, horizontally regimented image ,which in turn will be used as the icon when viewing the .png file in Windows Explorer or other file manager.
• At run-time AniShortcut.dll will  trigger the animation according to its configuration. ( unless of course you know different .......)

Thanks once again for everyone's contribution and help, with particular thanks to Frankell, who stayed with it! Virtual pints all round (I'd include a large whiskey (or chianti) but I can't find an appropriate Digi*Con).

Cheers everyone.

NB: Why StarDock don't support any other animation format is beyond my comprehension.