Website lets you create free animated GIFs

You see animated GIFs all the time online, frequently as icons and avatars. These moving or changing photos and/or cartoons are a bitmap image format. Here's one way to create your own without any special software.

1. Go to loogix.com, a free site where you can create animated GIFs and then save them, post them online or email them to friends and relatives (the site's FAQ states unused pictures will be deleted after three months). You will need images on your computer or mobile device that you can upload to the site.

2. Upload up to 10 pictures to create a multiple-image animation. Select the output size and how fast you want the images to change. Click "Generate Animation" to create the GIF. Page options allow you to email or post the result. Or just right-click on the GIF to copy and paste it to your PC.

3. Scroll down the site to create animated special-effects GIFs. We discovered at least 17 special effects, but only eight show up at a time. Refreshing the site changes which effects appear. Click on an effect and upload an image (most special-effect GIFs require only one photo). Click "Generate Animation."