Animated GIFs are everywhere nowadays. Lest you think they're just a fad among audiences who consume Buzzfeed-like content, then take a look at all the "serious" sites joining the GIF bandwagon (and not only when dealing with lighthearted topics): the White House, NPR and The New York Times.

Although you want to steer clear of overusing GIFs and appearing like you're trying a little too hard to be hip and young, you should still recognize that GIFs are one of the visual storytelling formats of choice right now. After all, they communicate so much more than just a static image or plain text, as descriptive as it may be.

Some of the ways you can use GIFs include a short step-by-step descriptions of processes (useful for tutorials), a visual story of the evolution of anything and a funny or quirky display of your brand's personality and culture.

Visme, an infographic and presentation tool, allows you to upload all types of GIF files into your projects, which can go a long way in spicing up your content and attracting a larger audience who might be looking for something beyond the same, old static content.

In this short tutorial, we'll show you how to insert animated GIFs into your projects to help you communicate more in the same amount of space. For the purposes of this post, we've created the first part of this eye-catching infographic on Star Wars characters and terms.

RELATED: How to Create an Animated Infographic with Visme

1 Search a GIF database.

The first step to finding just the right animated image for your project is to search one of the many GIF databases available online. Some of the most popular ones include the Buffer Mood Board, Giphy, Google Image Search (click on Search Tools and choose "Animated" under the Type menu) and Tumblr.

Next, carefully choose your keywords to specify the type of content, resolution and design style you're looking for. For example, if you're looking for high-definition GIFs, then use the search term "HD."

You can also search for transparent images with no background (use the search term "transparent" in Giphy; in Google Image Search, click on Search Tool and choose "Transparent" under the Color menu). This will allow you to insert any animated element without having to worry about adjusting the background color of your image to the background color of your infographic.

If you're searching for a motion effects GIF rather than a snippet from a film or show, then use terms such as "vector," "cartoon" or the name of the software used, such as "After Effects."

In our case, we used the terms "Star Wars" and "After Effects" and found three relevant GIF images.

2 Save your image.

Then, simply save the desired GIF image to your local hard drive. If you want to embed a GIF from, let's say, Giphy, you can also copy the embed code found under the Share tab.

3 Upload the GIF file to Visme.

Next, upload your GIF file to Visme by clicking on the Images icon on the left toolbar and then choosing the Upload Image option at the top left of your screen. Navigate to the location of your saved image and click on Open. Your GIF image should then appear on your canvas area.

4 Resize and reposition.

Depending on the layout of your infographic, you can then resize and reposition your images so that they fit in with the visual theme and design of your project.

You can also crop your GIF images within Visme by selecting the image and then choosing the Crop option from the top of the pop-menu. You can then either manually set the size of your crop area by dragging and dropping the corner handles of the frame or by inserting the exact width and height of the final image.

Also, we made sure to give credit to the creator of the GIF image by providing the link to the GIPHY page and citing his name.

5 Embed on your site or blog.

Finally, once you're satisfied with the look and layout of your infographic, you can easily share it with others by generating a view-only URL or by copying and pasting the embed code into your website or blog.

The first option will allow anyone with the link to view the project in their browser, while the second one allows you to embed the project on a blog post, article or site, which also conserves all the animation effects.

And that's it! You now have an infographic with animated GIFs that you can share anywhere to spread the word about your cause, passions, interests or organization.

Your Turn

You can start creating your own animated infographic with Visme today. Try it for free here. And if you would like to share your creation with us, just drop us a line in the comments section below, and we'll let you know what we think.

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