Making a .gif of your character

[Techwright]

I've noticed the occasional posting of a .gif of a character in the costume thread.  How is this accomplished, especially those framed close to the character, rather than the full screen?  I've dabbled with many technologies, but never really looked into .gif work before.  Some of my characters pictures don't really have an impact without their auras taken into account, and that will require recording, I think.

[First Player]

I use FRAPS and then Photoshop CS6 but the most popular and easiest method is by using Gyazo.