They say a picture paints a thousand words, but what if you can do more? We are talking about GIF keyboards, emojis, face emojis, and more. Whether it is for your social media post, IG stories, or text messages, you can get your emotions across using these add-ons.
Whether you are too sleepy, excited, lazy, hungry, pissed off, in love, or have news to share, you can use GIFs especially if you are running out of words to say. Here’s what you need to know about a GIF keyboard, how to install it on your phone, how to use it, and how to create your GIF keyboard or photo editing software.
Before we start, we need to find out what a GIF is and what it does.
What Is a GIF?
GIF pronounced as “jiff” or “giff,” stands for Graphics Interchange Format. It is an image format used for the web as it doesn’t lose the quality of images even after multiple compressions.
In a technical context, GIF uses indexed colors and can include a maximum of 256 colors. This means you cannot store digital photos using this format. Therefore, JPEG and other photo formats are more popular than GIF.
GIFS are best suited for web buttons and banners since these require minimal colors. If you’re browsing, most ad banners you will see are made of GIFs. Even pop-up messages can be a GIF.
People have tried to replace the GIF format and they always fail. Although most web developers choose PNG on websites right now, for the sake of time, GIF is still the way to go.
Reasons For Using GIFs
- Not all browsers are the same – Browsers have their features, and sometimes browsers can prevent the web from moving forward. Good thing all browsers support animated GIFs.
- No Videos for HTML – You read it right. Before HTML5, the HTML standard didn’t support video. Meaning, it was easier to share GIFs than actual videos. Many websites used Flash plug-in for videos, but Flash didn’t work on mobile devices, plus it takes forever to load if you have slow internet or have disabled Flash on your browsers.
- GIFs are a piece of cake – Why complicate life when tons of GIF websites and software are available for your use?
How GIFs are Created
There are a lot of options on how to create GIF images. Depending on your purpose, you can choose how to create and share GIFs.
- Built-in phone features – Most smartphones now have a built-in GIF keyboard. Just search for the best for your message and just hit send.
- Photo stitching – If you decide to create from scratch, you can set your phone camera into multiple shots and you’ll be able to make GIFs in no time.
- Photo editing software – A lot of software now can create GIFs. If you are not a graphic designer, an app like Photoscape can let you upload and choose photos. You can set up animation and speed. For a more experienced fellow, Adobe Photoshop’s animation is pretty straightforward too.
- GIF sharing website – To avoid complications, you can just download a keyboard or share from various websites available online like GIF Keyboard by Tenor.
What Is GIF Keyboard by Tenor?
Formerly known as Riffsy, Tenor is a GIF-sharing app across all devices. With over 300 million monthly users and 12 billion searches every month. Tenor is the #1 downloaded and used GIF-sharing app on both iOS and Android. They are available on Hitbox, Intercom, TouchPal, Zynga, Dropbox, Microsoft, Fleksy, Layer, GBoard, Kik, Discord, Twitter, Bai, Whatsapp, Facebook, Apple, LinkedIn, and Facebook Messenger.
This just means that aside from your keyboards, they are integrated into your social media and messenger apps. Here are some of the features of GIF Keyboard by Tenor that you will enjoy.
GIF Keyboard Features
- Send a GIF or video to let people know how you feel about their message.
- Search Tenor’s millions of GIFs and videos to find the one that perfectly fits the moment. Find GIFs that resemble an emoji.
- Need inspiration? Browse by categories like reactions, trending topics, and more.
- Once you find the GIF or video you want, simply tap and copy it to your clipboard. Press the iMessage text box to paste and voila!
- Save GIFs that you see online.
- Make a GIF you like as one of your favorites by tapping twice on the GIF.
- Works with your favorite messengers and social media platforms.
Tenor also partnered with content platforms such as Netflix, Showtime, Vevo, Viacom, 21st Century Fox, NBC, and Warner Bros to drive mobile shares and views of their GIFs.
Aside from the GIF keyboard for Android and iOS, they also have API and insights for content creators.
GIF Keyboard by Tenor iMessage App Features
- A search function that’s the same as GIF Keyboard for easier access to favorite GIFs.
- Create stickers.
- Drag and drop stickers to iMessage photos, GIFs, and text.
- Capture GIFs.
- Create your GIFs with your front or back camera and personalize them with text, a handwritten note, or drawings. You can save this into a pack or share it anytime you want.
Packs
- Pack creation for your favorite stickers and GIFs. This makes it easier to share with friends and family.
- Syncs with GIF Keyboard.
- Tenor GIF Keyboard syncing to allow you to use your favorite GIFs.
How to Download the GIF Keyboard App on Android
Downloading the GIF keyboard on Android is like downloading other apps.
- Open the Google Play Store.
- Search for GIF Keyboard. Make sure to choose the one developed by Tenor.
- Click install and wait for it to finish downloading.
How to Use GIF Keyboard by Tenor on Android
Of course, you will not always begin a conversation with a funny GIF so you need to switch keyboards in between.
- After installation, you will be prompted to open the app.
- You need to grant access to your storage and contacts to use the app.
- Once granted, you can access the GIF library where it will prompt you to send your very first GIF. You can send it to a messenger contact or your stories.
How to Download the GIF Keyboard App on iPhone
- On your iPhone, go to the App Store.
- Search for GIF Keyboard by Tenor.
- Click install and wait for your phone to complete the download process. Depending on your App Store settings, you may need to enter your Apple ID password, use face recognition, passcode, or Touch ID.
- After installation, it will prompt you to open the app.
How to Use GIF Keyboard by Tenor on iPhone
- Open the app and you’ll find instructions on how to use the app.
- Go to Settings.
- Tap Keyboards.
- Toggle “GIF Keyboard.”
- Toggle “Allow full access.”
Once all settings are complete, you can switch keyboards whenever you like.
- Open messages.
- Press and hold the globe icon.
- Choose GIF Keyboard.
You can just keep on tapping the globe icon to choose a keyboard if you installed multiple options.
Tips on How to Upload & Create Gifs
How to Upload Your GIF to GIF Keyboard
Once you have the images or videos you want to use for a GIF, follow the steps below to have your GIF available on GIF Keyboard.
- Go to Tenor.com and click upload.
- Drag and drop, or upload images.
- Add tags and edit descriptions.
- Click upload.
To make it viral, make sure to add relevant tags and the GIF itself must be funny. You can check trending GIFs for inspiration. The funnier it is, the more shareable it will be. Start with facial reactions or cats; any captured moments can turn into a GIF.
How to Create GIFs Using Photoscape to Upload to Tenor
We’ve mentioned that you can create GIFs using photo-editing software. Here’s a fast and easy way to do it, so you can upload more GIFs online.
- Download the Photoscape app, it’s FREE.
- Choose the CREATE GIF option.
- Navigate the images you want to use on the left panel.
- Drag the images to the workspace.
- Settings are found on the right panel.
- Adjust the animation, duration, and speed to your preference.
- You can interchange the images on the timeline.
Once you are happy with the design, go to the bottom-right portion of the screen and click SAVE. The final pop-up will ask you if you want to loop the GIF once, twice, thrice, or forever.
You can also change the size here.
How to Convert Videos to GIF Using Photoshop
Not all the time we prefer images to create GIFs. If you have videos, you can convert them using Adobe Photoshop. Here’s how:
- Open Adobe Photoshop App.
- Click File, then Import, and lastly Video Frames to Layers.
- Choose a segment of your video or use all the frames.
- Add text and other elements.
- To save, click File > Export > Save for Web.
To ensure high-quality GIFs, select every other frame from your video.
Why Choose GIF Keyboard by Tenor
Variety and Categories
You can choose from movies, TV shows, animals, food & drinks, greetings & sayings, holidays, gestures, sports, celebrities, music, interest, internet, places, weather, and memes.
All your emotions conveyed in one go.
Easy-Sharing
Since GIF Keyboard by Tenor is available across all devices and platforms you do not need to switch tabs just to get your GIF fix.
If you are choosing via the web, there is an option to share it on your favorite social media sites, use a link to share, or embed it to your website.
Marketing Tool
If you are a content creator, you can increase your brand exposure by creating GIFs out of your movies, TV shows, artists, and even yourself.
Get clippings from a funny scene or an RBF. The option for GIFs is endless. You can also use GIFs on websites. Articles like these can have GIFs in between to showcase humor and other feelings.
You can get insights to see how they are performing, giving you intelligent feedback on what to launch next. If you notice that comedy is the way to go, then you can create GIFs from funny facial reactions of celebrities.
Integrations
Since they have API for apps, if you own a messaging app, you can easily find the documentation on your website and connect GIF keyboard to your app.
If you have integrated GIFs on messenger platforms, your app will have higher usage because GIFs are fun.
If you are creative enough, you can edit and write different captions for the same GIF, and people won’t get tired of it.
Accessibility
Given we are on-the-go, having a GIF keyboard can save you time and effort. You can instantly respond to messages with a GIF or use them as the main post. A lot of social media sites of brands are living from GIFs.
Spice up Your Messages With GIF Keyboard by Tenor
Whether for personal or work use, GIF is one of the best media formats you can use to get your message across. You can create your own or use tools to use one.
All your messages are more exciting than ever. If you are looking for a GIF Keyboard for Android, GIF Keyboard for iPhone, or curious on how to create your own, we’ve got you covered. Scroll our tips above, and in no time you will be a GIF Jedi.
Now, can you imagine life without GIFs?
If you want to know more about GIF Keyboard by Tenor, we encourage you to download this app to your phone. Now, if you want to know where to use them, read up on our list of new social media apps you can use today. Also, your favorite GIFs can be used on the best Android messaging apps that we have listed. Lastly, you can check out our list of the top free phone chat apps where you can meet and date people.
