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How do I save GIFs?

A common problem users run into when it comes to saving your image in Microsodt Paint is, as we all know, saving GIFs in MS Paint will produce a highly dithered (dotty) image, and saving JPGs will produce a higly blurry image. Back in the day, when I only had MS Paint to make graphics, I discovered a little technique on how to save GIF's without losing it's initial quality. This tutorial has been extremely helpful for me in the past, and I hope it will be helpful for you as well.

Required Programs:
1.Microsoft Paint

Lets start out with a simple image. For my demonstration I'll be using a doll that I made at a doll-maker site.

We all know what will happen when I copy and paste this image into MS paint and then try to save it in .gif format. It'll end up looking like this...dithered and unappealing.

Read the following steps that will help you avoid a dotted image like the one above.

Step #1: Cut the image

Once you are done creating your image (in my case my doll), press CTRL-A and then go to EDIT > CUT. The image will disappear.

Step #2: Open a new file

Go to FILE > OPEN. In your file browser search for an image in .gif format that has alot of colors in it, or one that has the same types of colors as the image you created. If you don't have an image like that, go to google or even neopets and search for an image that contains alot of different colors. Save it to your computer by right-clicking the image and then clicking "save as". NOTE: Must be in .gif format. Animated gifs work really well. I chose the image below.

Click to view Image
(true...it does not have very similar colors to my doll, but I'm just using this as an example to show you what will happen if you choose a pic that doesn't have the same colors as your original).

Step #3: Paste your image into this file's space

Once you've chosen your "colorful image", open it in paint. Then go to IMAGE > CLEAR IMAGE. The image should disappear. Afterwards, go to EDIT > PASTE. Your original image (in my case, the doll) should appear. It may look different from when you made it. When I pasted mine, it looked like this:

If I save it now in .gif format it will not appear dithered, it will appear exactly as it looks now. However, I may not be satisfied with this image because it doesn't look exactly like the original. Therefore, I can always redo step #3 just with a different "colorful" image.

This time, I chose to open the animated pic below: