GIF animator

Storygrounds is seeking a fast, detail-oriented GIF animator to create expressive, high-quality animated webcomic panels for multiple series. The role involves working with After Effects or similar tools to implement clean loops, subtle effects, and motion accents, maintaining consistent style and quality across episodes. The ideal candidate will collaborate with the production team, deliver on tight deadlines, and contribute to bringing new animated webcomics to life, building on the benchmark set by series like Beyond the Vale and Green Gang.

Must Have

• Create animated GIF panels for ongoing webcomic episodes
• Work in After Effects or similar animation tools
• Implement clean loops, subtle effects, and motion accents based on provided art
• Collaborate with our production team for rapid feedback and revisions
• Maintain consistent style and quality across multiple episodes
• Deliver on tight deadlines (48–72 hr turnaround is common)
• A portfolio demonstrating strong GIF or motion animation work
• Experience in motion graphics, 2D animation, or VFX
• Proficiency with AE, Clip Studio, Procreate, or similar tools
• Strong sense of timing, staging, and visual storytelling
• Ability to follow art direction and match existing styles
• Fast, reliable communicator
• Available for short-term contract work starting ASAP

Good to Have

• Experience with comics, manga, or sequential storytelling
• Familiarity with exporting optimized GIFs for web
• Understanding of FX (smoke, lighting, impact frames, ambient motion)
• Experience collaborating with remote teams via Slack, Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.

ABOUT THE ROLE

Storygrounds is looking for a fast, detail-oriented GIF animator to help bring a new wave of animated webcomics to life. We have multiple series in production that require expressive, high-quality GIFs on tight turnarounds.

If you want to see the exact style, timing, and polish we’re aiming for, check out the animated panels in Beyond the Vale and Green Gang — these series set the benchmark for the type of subtle motion, FX, and looped animation we want to extend to our upcoming titles.

You’ll be joining us during an active production cycle, where reliability, speed, and stylistic consistency are key. This is a great fit for someone who enjoys fast episodic work, creative freedom, and collaborating with a responsive production team.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Create animated GIF panels for ongoing webcomic episodes
• Work in After Effects or similar animation tools
• Implement clean loops, subtle effects, and motion accents based on provided art
• Collaborate with our production team for rapid feedback and revisions
• Maintain consistent style and quality across multiple episodes
• Deliver on tight deadlines (48–72 hr turnaround is common)

QUALIFICATIONS

• A portfolio demonstrating strong GIF or motion animation work
• Experience in motion graphics, 2D animation, or VFX
• Proficiency with AE, Clip Studio, Procreate, or similar tools
• Strong sense of timing, staging, and visual storytelling
• Ability to follow art direction and match existing styles
• Fast, reliable communicator
• Available for short-term contract work starting ASAP

NICE TO HAVE

• Experience with comics, manga, or sequential storytelling
• Familiarity with exporting optimized GIFs for web
• Understanding of FX (smoke, lighting, impact frames, ambient motion)
• Experience collaborating with remote teams via Slack, Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.