Aliens are Cuter in a GIF
Create a short animated GIF of a cute alien using paper drawings or stop-motion with a phone, learning simple animation steps and timing.
Step-by-step guide to create a short animated GIF of a cute alien
Scooby-Doo! | Alien Moments in Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders | WB Kids
Step 1
Choose whether you will make a flipbook (drawing each page) or a stop-motion cut-out animation.
Step 2
Draw a simple cute alien design on scrap paper using big eyes and friendly shapes.
Step 3
Pick one tiny movement for the alien (a blink wave bounce or hop) and draw a clear start and end sketch.
Step 4
Draw four key poses on one sheet to plan how the alien will move between start and end.
Step 5
Prepare your frames: if flipbook stack about 20 same-size pages and clip them; if stop-motion cut out the alien and any movable parts from paper.
Step 6
Make about 12 frames by changing the alien a little bit for each new page or by shifting the cut-outs slightly between shots.
Step 7
Color each frame or the cut-outs neatly and let any glue or marker dry completely.
Step 8
Set up a steady well-lit flat surface and a plain background so every photo looks the same.
Step 9
Photograph each frame one by one or photograph each page making only tiny changes between shots.
Step 10
Import your photos into a GIF-making app or website.
Step 11
Set the frame speed to about 0.1 to 0.2 seconds per frame and export or save your animation as a GIF.
Step 12
Share your finished animated GIF of your cute alien on DIY.org.
Final steps
You're almost there! Complete all the steps, bring your creation to life, post it, and conquer the challenge!
Help!?
I don't have scrap paper, a binder clip, or liquid glue—what can I substitute so I can still make the flipbook or stop-motion?
Use index cards or torn notebook pages stacked in the same size and held with a rubber band, clothespin, or paperweight, color with markers or colored pencils, and replace liquid glue with clear tape while photographing frames with a smartphone and importing into a GIF-making app.
My animation looks shaky or jumps between frames—what step can I fix to make the motion smoother?
Add tiny pencil registration marks at the same corner of every page or place cut-outs on a taped-down background to keep alignment consistent, and stabilize the camera with a phone tripod or heavy object so photos of your 12 frames stay steady.
How can I adapt this activity for younger kids or make it more challenging for older kids?
For preschoolers, simplify to 6–8-page flipbooks with pre-drawn big-eye alien shapes and a single blink, while older kids can plan four key poses, create 20+ detailed frames or layered stop-motion cut-outs, and fine-tune timing at 0.1–0.2 seconds per frame in the GIF app.
What are some ways to extend or personalize the alien GIF beyond the basic instructions?
Add a hand-drawn background or paper planets, animate a second alien by cutting separate movable parts during frame preparation and making extra frames, use onion-skinning in your GIF app to smooth motion, then customize the title and share the finished GIF on DIY.org.
Watch videos on how to create a short animated GIF of a cute alien
Top 10 Cartoon Aliens in Movies and TV
4 Videos
Top 10 Cartoon Aliens in Movies and TV
Ben 10: Alien Worlds | Meet The Aliens | Cartoon Network UK 🇬🇧
Meet the Aliens! | Ben 10 | Cartoon Network
The Weirdest Classic Aliens! (Compilations) | Ben 10 Classic | Cartoon Network
Facts about stop-motion animation for kids
✏️ A one-second GIF at 12 FPS needs 12 drawings — counting frames first helps you plan blinks, hops, and silly poses.
👾 Big eyes, round shapes, and tiny limbs make characters look cuter — artists call this the "baby schema"!
🌀 Flipbooks and zoetropes were old-school toys that used the same 'persistence of vision' trick to make pictures move.
🎞️ Stop-motion can use anywhere from about 6 to 24 frames per second; GIFs often look great around 10–12 FPS.
📱 You can make a stop-motion GIF using just a phone: take one photo per frame or use an app to string frames into a looping GIF.
How do you make a short animated GIF of a cute alien using paper drawings or stop-motion?
What materials do I need to create an alien GIF with paper or stop-motion?
What ages is making a cute alien GIF suitable for?
What are the benefits of making a short animated alien GIF with kids?
One subscription, many ways to play and learn.
Only $6.99 after trial. No credit card required