You can optimize the animation before saving to a file to reduce file size. MagicViewer optimizes an animation by reducing the number of pixels in each frame and by using a single global color palette for the animation.

Reducing frame pixel count

The first step in optimizing an animation, or a motion picture, is to take out the static parts of each frame.

The frame differencing method sets all static pixels in the frame to transparent, sometimes leaving the resulted frame in an odd shape. The minimum bounding rectangle method crops the frame to the smallest rectangle that fully encloses all the moving parts. Performance of these two methods depends on the details of the frames in the animation.

Using a global color palette

Each frame can have its own color palette. When multiplied by the number of frames in the animation, these color palettes can be a significant part of the total file size.

MagicViewer allows you to use a single global color palette to further reduce file size. This global color palette is automatically optimized to give the best color representation for all frames in the animation. You can also specify the number of colors, dithering method, or palette type for the global color palette.

To optimize an animation

1. Open the GIF animation in the View & Edit area, the Animation pane on the left side should show up
2. Choose Animation > Optimize to bring up the Frame Optimization dialog box
3. Specify the method for reducing pixel count and the option to use a global color palette
4. Press OK to finish

Expanding an animation

Once the frames have been optimized, they become unsuitable for editing. You can expand the frames so each frame has all the pixels for editing. To expand an animation:

1. Open or import the animation in the View & Edit area, the Animation pane on the left side should show up
2. Choose Animation > Expand