Lottie & TGS Animation Converter: A Powerful Cross-Platform Desktop App

In today’s digital era, animations play a crucial role in various scenarios, from social media and website design to mobile applications. They bring a more vivid and engaging experience to users. However, when working with animations, there is often a need to convert different animation formats. Today, we introduce a powerful cross-platform desktop application – the Lottie & TGS Animation Converter.

Animation Example

1. Application Overview

The Lottie & TGS Animation Converter is a desktop application designed specifically to solve the problem of converting TGS (Telegram Sticker) and Lottie animation formats. It boasts powerful functionality, allowing conversion of TGS and Lottie animations into multiple common formats, including GIF, WebP, APNG, MP4, MKV, AVIF, and WebM. Whether you are a professional animation designer or an ordinary user, this application enables you to easily achieve animation format conversion to meet diverse needs.

1.1 Key Features of the Application

This application comes with many remarkable features, which we will explore in detail below.

1.1.1 Multi-Format Support

The Lottie & TGS Animation Converter supports converting input TGS and Lottie animation files into various output formats. This means you can choose the appropriate output format based on different usage scenarios and requirements. For instance, if you need to display animations on a webpage, GIF, WebP, and APNG are excellent choices due to their small file sizes and good compatibility. If you need to produce video content, MP4, MKV, and WebM are more suitable, offering high-quality video effects. AVIF, as an emerging image file format, provides higher compression rates and better image quality.

1.1.2 Batch Processing

For users who need to handle multiple animation files, the batch processing function is undoubtedly very practical. The Lottie & TGS Animation Converter allows users to convert multiple files simultaneously, significantly improving work efficiency. You only need to select a folder containing TGS or Lottie files, and the application will automatically identify and process all files within it, eliminating the need for manual selection of each file.

1.1.3 TGS & Lottie Support

The application is specifically optimized for processing TGS and Lottie animation files. TGS is the sticker file format used on the Telegram platform, while Lottie is an open-source format developed by Airbnb for rendering animations in mobile applications and web pages. The Lottie & TGS Animation Converter can directly process these two formats, ensuring that the quality of the converted animation remains unaffected.

1.1.4 Telegram Integration

In addition to basic format conversion functions, the Lottie & TGS Animation Converter supports integration with the Telegram platform. You can directly parse and download Telegram sticker packs or Emoji within the application. Simply enter the URL of the sticker pack, click the download button, and the application will automatically download all stickers from the Telegram server and convert them to your specified format.

1.1.5 Customizable Output

When converting animation files, you can customize the output according to your needs. For example, you can adjust the animation’s playback speed, frame rate, resolution, and conversion quality. These settings help you better control the effect of the converted animation to meet different scenario requirements.

1.1.6 Cross-Platform Support

The Lottie & TGS Animation Converter is a cross-platform application that supports Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems. Regardless of the operating system you use, you can easily install and use this application without worrying about compatibility issues.

1.1.7 Modern Interface

The application’s interface is built with SukiUI, featuring an attractive and responsive design. The modern interface design makes the application more convenient to operate, allowing even first-time users to get started quickly.

1.1.8 Automatic Dependency Installation

To simplify the setup process for users, the Lottie & TGS Animation Converter supports automatic installation of dependencies. In the application, you just need to go to Settings -> Dependencies, and it will automatically install the two necessary dependencies, gifski and FFmpeg. It should be noted, however, that gifski only supports automatic installation on x64 platforms. If you are using an ARM64 platform, please install it manually.

1.1.9 Concurrent Task Support

To accelerate batch conversion, the Lottie & TGS Animation Converter supports concurrent task processing. During batch conversion, the application will process multiple files simultaneously, significantly reducing conversion time and improving work efficiency.

2. System Requirements and Installation Instructions

2.1 Required Dependencies

Before using the Lottie & TGS Animation Converter, you need to install some necessary dependencies and ensure they are available in your system PATH. The main dependencies include:

  • 🍂
    gifski: Used for high-quality GIF conversion.
  • 🍂
    FFmpeg: Used for video format conversion (MP4, MKV, WebM).

2.2 Installation Instructions

There are two ways to install these dependencies: automatic installation and manual installation.

2.2.1 Automatic Installation

Now, you can automatically install gifski and FFmpeg through the application. Just run the application, then go to Settings -> Dependencies, and it will automatically complete the installation process. It should be noted that gifski only supports automatic installation on x64 platforms. If you are using an ARM64 platform, please install it manually. Currently, the automatic installation function has only been tested on Windows and Ubuntu. For other platforms, please test it yourself. If you find any issues, please submit an issue and use manual installation temporarily.

2.2.2 Manual Installation

Here are the manual installation instructions for different operating systems:

Windows:
You can install via Chocolatey using the following command:

choco install gifski ffmpeg

Or download the installation packages directly from the official website:

macOS:
You can install via Homebrew using the following command:

brew install gifski ffmpeg

Linux (Ubuntu/Debian):
For gifski, you can use either of the following methods to install:

# Install via snap
sudo snap install gifski
# Or install via cargo
cargo install gifski

For FFmpeg, use the following command to install:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install ffmpeg

2.2.3 Verify Installation

After installation, you can use the following commands to verify if gifski and FFmpeg were installed successfully:

gifski --version
ffmpeg -version

3. Quick Start

3.1 Download and Installation

To start using the Lottie & TGS Animation Converter, you first need to download and install the application. The specific steps are as follows:

  1. Download the latest version of the application package from the Releases page.
  2. Unzip the package to your preferred location.
  3. Run the application executable file.

3.2 Basic Usage

3.2.1 Single Conversion

If you only need to convert one animation file, you can follow these steps:

  1. Launch the application: Double-click the application’s executable file to open it.
  2. Select the source file: There are two ways to select the source file. One is to click the “Browse” button on the right side of the home page and select the TGS or Lottie file in the pop-up file selection dialog. The other is to directly drag and drop the file onto the application interface.
  3. Select the output format: Select the required output format from the drop-down list, including GIF, WebP, APNG, MP4, MKV, AVIF, and WebM.
  4. Adjust settings (optional):

    • 🍂
      Frame rate: You can set the frame rate from 1 to 240 fps, but note that the GIF format is limited to 100 fps.
    • 🍂
      Resolution: Adjust the animation resolution as needed.
    • 🍂
      Playback speed: Set the playback speed from 0.1x to 10.0x.
    • 🍂
      Quality settings: Adjust the conversion quality as needed.
  5. Convert: Click the “Convert” button, and the application will start converting the file. After conversion, you can find the converted file in the specified output directory.

3.2.2 Batch Conversion

If you need to convert multiple animation files simultaneously, you can use the batch conversion function. The specific steps are as follows:

  1. Launch the application: Open the application as in single conversion.
  2. Go to the Factory page: Find and click the “Factory page” button in the application interface.
  3. Browse the Tgs/Lottie folder: There are two ways to select the folder. One is to click the “Browse” button and select the folder containing TGS or Lottie files in the pop-up folder selection dialog. The other is to directly drag and drop the folder onto the application interface.
  4. Adjust settings: Like single conversion, you can adjust frame rate, resolution, playback speed, quality settings, etc.
  5. Convert: Click the “Start” button, and the application will start batch converting the files. During the conversion process, you can see the conversion progress of each file on the interface.

3.2.3 Download Telegram Stickers

If you need to download sticker packs from Telegram, you can follow these steps:

  1. Launch the application: Open the application.
  2. Set the Telegram Bot Token: Go to Settings -> Telegram and enter your bot token. You can obtain the bot token by creating a bot using BotFather on Telegram. If you need to use a proxy, you can set it in Settings -> Proxy.
  3. Go to the Tgs Download page: Find and click the “Tgs Download page” button in the application interface.
  4. Enter the sticker pack URL: Paste the URL of the Telegram sticker pack or Emoji (e.g., https://t.me/addstickers/Godzi) into the input box.
  5. Download: Click the “Download” button, and the application will automatically download all stickers from the Telegram server and convert them to your specified format.

3.3 Advanced Features

In addition to basic conversion and download functions, the Lottie & TGS Animation Converter also offers some advanced features, which we will explore in detail below.

3.3.1 Quality Presets

You can customize quality settings and choose appropriate quality presets based on different needs. For example, if you need to reduce file size while ensuring animation quality, you can select a lower quality preset. If you need high-quality animation effects, you can choose a higher quality preset.

3.3.2 Batch Operations

The application supports queuing multiple conversion tasks. You can add multiple conversion tasks to the task queue, and the application will process these tasks in the order of the queue. This allows you to conveniently handle multiple different conversion tasks at once, improving work efficiency.

3.3.3 Direct Download of Telegram Stickers

By setting the Telegram Bot Token, you can directly download sticker packs from Telegram. This is very convenient for users who need to use Telegram stickers, eliminating the need to manually download stickers on Telegram and then convert their formats.

3.3.4 Preview

Before converting an animation file, you can preview the animation effect in real-time. This helps you confirm whether the animation content and effect meet your requirements before conversion, avoiding unnecessary conversion operations.

3.3.5 Progress Tracking

During the conversion process, the application will monitor the conversion progress of each file in real-time. You can see the conversion status and remaining time of each file on the interface, allowing you to understand the progress of the conversion.

4. Interface Screenshots

Below is a screenshot of the main interface of the Lottie & TGS Animation Converter:
Main Interface

Through this interface, you can intuitively see each functional module of the application, including file selection, output format selection, setting adjustment, and conversion button. The interface design is simple and clear, with convenient and fast operations.

5. Supported Formats

5.1 Input Formats

The Lottie & TGS Animation Converter supports the following two input formats:

  • 🍂
    .tgs: Telegram sticker file format.
  • 🍂
    .json: Lottie animation file format.

5.2 Output Formats

The application supports the following multiple output formats:

  • 🍂
    .gif: Animated GIF format, with wide compatibility, suitable for display on web pages and social media.
  • 🍂
    .webp: Animated WebP format, with high compression rate and good image quality, an emerging web image format.
  • 🍂
    .apng: Animated PNG format, supporting transparency and animation effects, suitable for display on web pages.
  • 🍂
    .mp4: MP4 video format, a common video format with wide compatibility and high video quality.
  • 🍂
    .mkv: Matroska video format, supporting multiple audio and video codecs, suitable for storing high-quality video content.
  • 🍂
    .avif: AV1 image file format, with higher compression rate and better image quality, a future-oriented image format.
  • 🍂
    .webm: WebM video format, an open and free video format, suitable for playback on web pages.

6. Building from Source

If you want to build the Lottie & TGS Animation Converter from source, you can follow these steps.

6.1 Prerequisites

Before building, you need to install the following prerequisites:

  • 🍂
    .NET 8.0 SDK
  • 🍂
    Visual Studio 2022 or JetBrains Rider

6.2 Building Steps

  1. Clone the code repository:
git clone https://github.com/SwaggyMacro/LottieViewConvert.git
  1. Enter the project directory:
cd LottieViewConvert
  1. Restore project dependencies:
dotnet restore
  1. Build the project:
dotnet build --configuration Release
  1. Run the project:
dotnet run --project LottieViewConvert

6.3 Building for Specific Platforms

If you need to build the application for a specific platform, you can use the following commands:

Windows:

dotnet publish -c Release -r win-x64 --self-contained

macOS:

dotnet publish -c Release -r osx-x64 --self-contained

Linux:

dotnet publish -c Release -r linux-x64 --self-contained

7. Technology Stack

The Lottie & TGS Animation Converter uses the following technology stack:

  • 🍂
    Framework: Built with C# and Avalonia UI for cross-platform applications. Avalonia UI is an open-source cross-platform UI framework that supports Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems.
  • 🍂
    Architecture: Implements the MVVM pattern using ReactiveUI. The MVVM pattern separates the view from business logic, improving code maintainability and testability.
  • 🍂
    Rendering: Uses SkiaSharp Skottie for Lottie animation rendering. SkiaSharp is the .NET binding for Skia, and Skottie is the library provided by Skia for rendering Lottie animations.
  • 🍂
    WebP Processing: Uses ImageMagick for WebP processing. ImageMagick is an open-source image processing software suite that supports processing multiple image formats.
  • 🍂
    Dependencies: Uses gifski and FFmpeg as necessary dependencies. gifski is used for high-quality GIF conversion, and FFmpeg is used for video format conversion.

8. Contribution and Support

8.1 Contribution

If you are interested in the Lottie & TGS Animation Converter and want to contribute to the project, you can follow these steps:

  1. Fork the repository: Fork the project repository on GitHub.
  2. Create a feature branch: Create a new feature branch locally, for example:
git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature
  1. Commit changes: Make code modifications on the feature branch and commit the changes, for example:
git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature'
  1. Push to the branch: Push the changes to the remote branch, for example:
git push origin feature/AmazingFeature
  1. Open a Pull Request: Open a Pull Request on GitHub and wait for the project maintainer to review and merge it.

8.2 Support

If you encounter any problems or have questions while using the Lottie & TGS Animation Converter, you can obtain support through the following methods:

  • 🍂
    Submit an issue: Submit an issue on the GitHub Issues page, describing the problem and reproduction steps in detail.
  • 🍂
    Start a discussion: Start a discussion on the GitHub Discussions page and communicate with other users about usage experience and solutions.
  • 🍂
    Email: You can send an email to [your-email@example.com] to contact the project maintainer.

9. License and Related Projects

9.1 License

The Lottie & TGS Animation Converter is released under the MIT License. You can view the LICENSE file for details. The MIT License is a permissive open-source license that allows users to freely use, modify, and distribute the software.

9.2 Related Projects

Here are some projects related to the Lottie & TGS Animation Converter:

  • 🍂
    lottie-converter: Renders After Effects animations on the web.
  • 🍂
    rlottie: A platform-independent library for rendering Lottie animations.
  • 🍂
    gifski: A GIF encoder based on libimagequant.
  • 🍂
    FFmpeg: A complete solution for recording, converting, and streaming audio and video.
  • 🍂
    SkiaSharp: .NET bindings for Skia.

10. Acknowledgments

The development of the Lottie & TGS Animation Converter cannot be separated from the support of the following projects and teams:

  • 🍂
    Lottie by Airbnb for providing animation format support.
  • 🍂
    Telegram for providing TGS format support.
  • 🍂
    The gifski team for providing excellent GIF encoders.
  • 🍂
    The FFmpeg community for providing powerful video processing capabilities.
  • 🍂
    The Avalonia team for providing cross-platform UI frameworks.

In conclusion, the Lottie & TGS Animation Converter is a powerful and easy-to-use cross-platform desktop application that helps you easily achieve format conversion between TGS and Lottie animations to meet the needs of different scenarios. Whether you are a professional animation designer or an ordinary user, this application can help you improve work efficiency and obtain a better animation experience. If you have animation format conversion needs, try the Lottie & TGS Animation Converter.