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Old Stock Photos Jolt Back to Life in These GIFs

Artists race to re-animate images from the Digital Public Library of America.

A.L. Crego, via

The magical portraits in the Harry Potter-verse have nothing on the army of artists who flocked to revitalize old photos in DigitalNZ’s the Digital Public Library of America's "GIF IT UP" competition. In lieu of a magic wand, creatives from the world over used Photoshop and other software to reanimate ancient paintings, old logos, and photos of the long-dead. Sourcing material from public domain archives DPLA, DigitalNZ, Trove, and Europeana, artists can capture the creepiness of Victorian children and energy of ye olde illustrations, or juxtapose many eras into a mishmash of meme-worthy excitement. Each post on the GIF IT UP Tumblr includes information about the source material (lots of history buffs, you'll find), and an explanation of the artist's new vision.

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"This year we received more than double the amount of entries we received last year," DPLA representative Kenny Whitebloom tells The Creators Project. Considering the fact that the GIF IT UP website includes a basic tutorial about how to make a GIF, the results are a healthy range from beginner to cold-blooded GIF master. However, with appearences from some of our favorites, like A.L. Crego, plus plenty of fresh talent, GIF IT UP 2015 has transformed the allure of old, free images into a hotbed of brand new work. Here are a few of our favorite creations:

http://gifitup2015.tumblr.com/post/133599039448/gif-it-up-2015-entry-by-dan-florence-from-kuna

http://gifitup2015.tumblr.com/post/133676127968/gif-it-up-2015-entry-by

http://gifitup2015.tumblr.com/post/133741796323/gif-it-up-2015-entry-by

http://gifitup2015.tumblr.com/post/133082744033/gif-it-up-2015-entry-from-juan-ibanez-in-sevilla

http://gifitup2015.tumblr.com/post/133338348508/gif-it-up-entry-by-devin-pascoe-from-atlanta

http://gifitup2015.tumblr.com/post/133678360928/gif-it-up-2015-entry-by-al-crego-from-a

http://gifitup2015.tumblr.com/post/133598914948/gif-it-up-2015-entry-by-dan-florence-from-kuna

http://gifitup2015.tumblr.com/post/133087596838/gif-it-up-2015-entry-by

http://gifitup2015.tumblr.com/post/133678898653/gif-it-up-2015-entry-by-al-crego-from-a

http://gifitup2015.tumblr.com/post/133034335658/gif-it-up-2015-entry-by-john-johnston-of-glasgow

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http://gifitup2015.tumblr.com/post/133487699078/gif-it-up-2015-entry-by-michael-smith-from

http://gifitup2015.tumblr.com/post/131223339323/gif-it-up-2015-entry-from

See more on the GIF IT UP Tumblr page, and learn about the project on their website.

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