Adding GIFs to Your Home Page on Tumblr
By Avery Martin
Your Tumblr's business home page provides visitors with a template that stays consistent no matter what page they are currently viewing. You can add an animated GIF to your home page by placing it below your profile picture, header or background. Once the image has been added, the animated GIF will appear on every page. If you promote your business through Tumblr, adding a GIF to your page can help to identify your company or advertise a particular sale or product.
Header or Background
Access the Themes section of your Tumblr profile.
Click the "Update" button on the Header or Background option in the Appearance section. If you choose Header, the GIF will appear as the header on your page. Background tiles the image as your background.
Click the "Save" button.
Below Profile Picture
Navigate to the Themes section of your Tumblr profile.
Enter the following code into the Description text box:
<div><a href="/"><img src=http://www.yoursite.com/yourimage.gif"{PortraitURL-128}" /></a></div> <br/>
Change "http://www.yoursite.com/yourimage.gif" so that it redirects to the URL for your GIF on the Internet.
Click "Save."
HTML Template Editing
Click the "Edit HTML" button in the Themes section of your Tumblr profile.
Place the following code after the "<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC" section directly below the "-->" snippet of code:
<div><a href="/"><img src=http://www.yoursite.com/yourimage.gif"{PortraitURL-128}" /></a></div> <br/>
Change "http://www.yoursite.com/yourimage.gif" so that it redirects to the URL for your GIF on the Internet.
Click "Preview Template" to ensure everything appears as you want it. Each Tumblr theme is slightly different, so experiment with placing the code in different places within the HTML to get the image in the exact location you want.
Click "Save" when the preview shows the GIF in the location you want.
Tips
To access the Themes section, click the "Gear" icon, then select your Avatar from the Sidebar. Then, select the "Customize" button in the Theme section.
You can host your GIF on your own website, use Tumblr's static image hosting service or use an online image hosting service such as TinyPic, PostImage.org or Flickr.
Warnings
Avoid uploading anything over 1MB or wider than 500 pixels. If Tumblr resizes your GIF or the image is larger than 1MB, the animation may not work.
References
Resources
Writer Bio
Avery Martin holds a Bachelor of Music in opera performance and a Bachelor of Arts in East Asian studies. As a professional writer, she has written for Education.com, Samsung and IBM. Martin contributed English translations for a collection of Japanese poems by Misuzu Kaneko. She has worked as an educator in Japan, and she runs a private voice studio out of her home. She writes about education, music and travel.