Who this is for: Teams and individuals who want to create custom animated GIFs and emoji for Slack channels, with proper size optimization and creative animation effects.
What This Skill Does
Provides a toolkit for creating animated GIFs optimized for Slack, with validators for Slack's constraints and composable animation primitives.
Core Capabilities
- Validators — Check if GIFs meet Slack's size and dimension requirements
- Animation Primitives — Composable building blocks (shake, bounce, spin, pulse, fade, zoom, explode, wiggle, slide, flip, morph, move, kaleidoscope)
- Helper Utilities — GIF builder, text rendering, color management
- Slack Optimization — Automatic validation for message GIFs (~2MB) and emoji GIFs (64KB strict)
Usage
Basic GIF Creation
Make me a GIF for Slack of a bouncing ball
Create an animated emoji of a shaking warning sign
Specific Animations
Create a spinning loading indicator GIF for Slack
Make a pulse animation of a heart emoji
Create an explosion effect GIF
Emoji GIFs (64KB limit)
Create a custom emoji GIF of a dancing cat for Slack
Example Output
User: "Make me a GIF for Slack of a bouncing ball"
Output:
MARKDOWN
Creating bouncing ball animation...
Settings applied:
- Dimensions: 480x480 (optimal for Slack messages)
- FPS: 15
- Frames: 30
- Duration: 2 seconds
Animation: Bounce effect with easing
✓ GIF created: bouncing-ball.gif
✓ File size: 1.2MB (under 2MB limit)
✓ Slack ready: Yes
Saved to: ~/slack-gifs/bouncing-ball.gif
Slack's Requirements
Message GIFs
| Requirement | Value |
|---|---|
| Max size | ~2MB |
| Optimal dimensions | 480x480 |
| Typical FPS | 15-20 |
| Color limit | 128-256 |
| Duration | 2-5 seconds |
Emoji GIFs (Strict)
| Requirement | Value |
|---|---|
| Max size | 64KB (strict) |
| Optimal dimensions | 128x128 |
| Typical FPS | 10-12 |
| Color limit | 32-48 |
| Duration | 1-2 seconds |
Animation Primitives Available
| Primitive | Description |
|---|---|
| Shake | Horizontal, vertical, or both directions |
| Bounce | Realistic bounce with easing |
| Spin/Rotate | Clockwise, counter-clockwise, wobble |
| Pulse | Smooth pulse, heartbeat, attention pulse |
| Fade | Fade in, fade out, crossfade |
| Zoom | Zoom in/out, explosion zoom |
| Explode | Burst, shatter, dissolve, particle burst |
| Wiggle | Jello wobble, wave, excited wiggle |
| Slide | Slide in/out/across, multi-slide |
| Flip | Horizontal, vertical, quick flip |
| Morph | Crossfade, scale, spin morph |
| Move | Linear, arc, circle, wave motion |
| Kaleidoscope | Mirror effects, radial patterns |
Tips for Success
- Emoji GIFs are challenging — The 64KB limit is strict; keep designs simple
- Validate frequently — Check file size during creation
- Use fewer colors — 32-48 colors max for emoji
- Limit frames — 10-15 frames for emoji GIFs
- Avoid gradients — They bloat file size
- Test before uploading — Use validators to confirm Slack compatibility
Related Use Cases
- Creating custom reaction emojis for team channels
- Making animated announcements for Slack
- Building branded GIFs for company communications
- Creating tutorial animations for documentation
- Designing celebratory GIFs for team milestones