diff --git a/Project.toml b/Project.toml
index db46a709..d283debb 100644
--- a/Project.toml
+++ b/Project.toml
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@ Cairo = "159f3aea-2a34-519c-b102-8c37f9878175"
 Colors = "5ae59095-9a9b-59fe-a467-6f913c188581"
 DataStructures = "864edb3b-99cc-5e75-8d2d-829cb0a9cfe8"
 Dates = "ade2ca70-3891-5945-98fb-dc099432e06a"
-FFMPEG = "c87230d0-a227-11e9-1b43-d7ebe4e7570a"
 FileIO = "5789e2e9-d7fb-5bc7-8068-2c6fae9b9549"
 Juno = "e5e0dc1b-0480-54bc-9374-aad01c23163d"
 LaTeXStrings = "b964fa9f-0449-5b57-a5c2-d3ea65f4040f"
@@ -17,19 +16,21 @@ MathTeXEngine = "0a4f8689-d25c-4efe-a92b-7142dfc1aa53"
 PrecompileTools = "aea7be01-6a6a-4083-8856-8a6e6704d82a"
 Random = "9a3f8284-a2c9-5f02-9a11-845980a1fd5c"
 Rsvg = "c4c386cf-5103-5370-be45-f3a111cca3b8"
+FFMPEG = "c87230d0-a227-11e9-1b43-d7ebe4e7570a"
 
 [weakdeps]
+FFMPEG = "c87230d0-a227-11e9-1b43-d7ebe4e7570a"
 LaTeXStrings = "b964fa9f-0449-5b57-a5c2-d3ea65f4040f"
 MathTeXEngine = "0a4f8689-d25c-4efe-a92b-7142dfc1aa53"
 
 [extensions]
+LuxorExtFFMPEG = ["FFMPEG"]
 LuxorExtLatex = ["LaTeXStrings", "MathTeXEngine"]
 
 [compat]
 Cairo = "0.7, 0.8, 1.0"
 Colors = "0.9, 0.10, 0.11, 0.12, 0.13, 0.14, 0.15, 0.16, 0.17, 1.0"
 DataStructures = "0.18"
-FFMPEG = "0.4"
 FileIO = "1"
 Juno = "0.7, 0.8"
 LaTeXStrings = "1.1, 1.2, 1.3"
@@ -38,10 +39,11 @@ Rsvg = "1.0"
 julia = "1.9"
 
 [extras]
+FFMPEG = "c87230d0-a227-11e9-1b43-d7ebe4e7570a"
 ImageIO = "82e4d734-157c-48bb-816b-45c225c6df19"
 LaTeXStrings = "b964fa9f-0449-5b57-a5c2-d3ea65f4040f"
 MathTeXEngine = "0a4f8689-d25c-4efe-a92b-7142dfc1aa53"
 Test = "8dfed614-e22c-5e08-85e1-65c5234f0b40"
 
 [targets]
-test = ["ImageIO", "Test", "MathTeXEngine", "LaTeXStrings"]
+test = ["ImageIO", "Test", "MathTeXEngine", "LaTeXStrings", "FFMPEG"]
diff --git a/ext/LuxorExtFFMPEG.jl b/ext/LuxorExtFFMPEG.jl
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c3366f5b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ext/LuxorExtFFMPEG.jl
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+"""
+This extension is loaded and used by Luxor if FFMPEG is loaded.
+
+The functions are accessed through Luxor as usual.
+"""
+module LuxorExtFFMPEG
+
+include("creategif.jl")
+
+end # module
diff --git a/ext/creategif.jl b/ext/creategif.jl
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0234eacf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ext/creategif.jl
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+# Functionality that requires FFMPEG.
+# Normally invoked by setting argument `create_gif` to `animate` to true.
+# Argument checking is considered sufficiently done in `animate`
+using FFMEG
+import Luxor
+import Luxor: create_gif_newer_version, create_gif_older_version
+
+function create_gif_older_version(directory::String, title::String, framerate)
+    # version of ffmpeg up to 2.1.3
+    # these two commands create a palette and then an animated GIF from the resulting images using the palette
+    FFMPEG.ffmpeg_exe(`-loglevel panic -f image2 -i $(directory)/%10d.png -vf palettegen -y $(directory)/$(title)-palette.png`)
+    FFMPEG.ffmpeg_exe(`-loglevel panic -framerate $(framerate) -f image2 -i $(directory)/%10d.png -i $(directory)/$(title)-palette.png -lavfi paletteuse -y $(directory)/$(title).gif`)
+end
+function create_gif_newer_version(directory::String, title::String, framerate)
+    @debug "we're running bundled FFMPEG", FFMPEG.exe("-version")
+     # the FFMPEG commands create a palette and then create an animated GIF from the resulting images
+    FFMPEG.ffmpeg_exe(`-framerate $(framerate) -f image2 -i $(directory)/%10d.png -filter_complex "[0:v] split [a][b]; [a] palettegen=stats_mode=full:reserve_transparent=on:transparency_color=FFFFFF [p]; [b][p] paletteuse=new=1:alpha_threshold=128" -y $(directory)/$(title).gif`)
+end
+function create_gif_newer_version_reduced_verbosity(directory::String, title::String, framerate)
+    @debug "we're running bundled FFMPEG", FFMPEG.exe("-version")
+    # the FFMPEG commands create a palette and then create an animated GIF from the resulting images
+    FFMPEG.ffmpeg_exe(`-framerate $(framerate) -f image2 -i $(directory)/%10d.png -filter_complex "[0:v] split [a][b]; [a] palettegen=stats_mode=full:reserve_transparent=on:transparency_color=FFFFFF [p]; [b][p] paletteuse=new=1:alpha_threshold=128" -y $(directory)/$(title).gif`)
+end
diff --git a/src/animate.jl b/src/animate.jl
index 97a2d595..42b01a39 100644
--- a/src/animate.jl
+++ b/src/animate.jl
@@ -218,23 +218,17 @@ function animate(movie::Movie, scenelist::Array{Scene, 1};
     if creategif == false
         return true # we're done
     end
-    # the FFMPEG commands create a palette and then create an animated GIF from the resulting images
     if !usenewffmpeg
-        # old version of ffmpeg up to 2.1.3
-        # these two commands create a palette and then an animated GIF from the resulting images using the palette
-        FFMPEG.ffmpeg_exe(`-loglevel panic -f image2 -i $(tempdirectory)/%10d.png -vf palettegen -y $(tempdirectory)/$(movie.movietitle)-palette.png`)
-        FFMPEG.ffmpeg_exe(`-loglevel panic -framerate $(framerate) -f image2 -i $(tempdirectory)/%10d.png -i $(tempdirectory)/$(movie.movietitle)-palette.png -lavfi paletteuse -y $(tempdirectory)/$(movie.movietitle).gif`)
+        create_gif_older_version(tempdirectory, movie.movietitle, framerate)
     else
-        @debug "we're running bundled FFMPEG", FFMPEG.exe("-version")
         # the latest version of ffmpeg uses built-in palettes and allegedly does transparency using complex filters ¯\\\_(ツ)_/¯
         if debug
             @info "$(framerate)"
             @info "$(tempdirectory)"
             @info "$(tempdirectory)/$(movie.movietitle).gif"
-            FFMPEG.ffmpeg_exe(`-framerate $(framerate) -f image2 -i $(tempdirectory)/%10d.png -filter_complex "[0:v] split [a][b]; [a] palettegen=stats_mode=full:reserve_transparent=on:transparency_color=FFFFFF [p]; [b][p] paletteuse=new=1:alpha_threshold=128" -y $(tempdirectory)/$(movie.movietitle).gif`)
+            create_gif_newer_version(tempdirectory, movie.movietitle, framerate)
         else
-            # reduce verbosity !
-            FFMPEG.ffmpeg_exe(`-loglevel panic -framerate $(framerate) -f image2 -i $(tempdirectory)/%10d.png -filter_complex "[0:v] split [a][b]; [a] palettegen=stats_mode=full:reserve_transparent=on:transparency_color=FFFFFF [p]; [b][p] paletteuse=new=1:alpha_threshold=128" -y $(tempdirectory)/$(movie.movietitle).gif`)
+            create_gif_newer_version_reduced_verbosity(tempdirectory, movie.movietitle, framerate)
         end
     end
 
diff --git a/src/placeholders_for_extensions.jl b/src/placeholders_for_extensions.jl
index 5a18e334..9efd6ce9 100644
--- a/src/placeholders_for_extensions.jl
+++ b/src/placeholders_for_extensions.jl
@@ -6,20 +6,45 @@ function latextextsize(catch_all)
     if Base.get_extension(Luxor, :LuxorExtLatex) isa Module
         throw(MethodError(latextextsize, catch_all))
     else
-        throw(ErrorException("Modules LaTeXStrings and MathTeXEngine are not loaded."))
+        throw(ErrorException("Modules LaTeXStrings and MathTeXEngine are not loaded. Try `using LaTeXStrings,  MathTeXEngine`!"))
     end
 end
 function latexboundingbox(catch_all; kwargs...)
     if Base.get_extension(Luxor, :LuxorExtLatex) isa Module
         throw(MethodError(latexboundingbox, catch_all))
     else
-        throw(ErrorException("Modules LaTeXStrings and MathTeXEngine are not loaded."))
+        throw(ErrorException("Modules LaTeXStrings and MathTeXEngine are not loaded. Try `using LaTeXStrings,  MathTeXEngine`!"))
     end
 end
 function rawlatexboundingbox(catch_all)
     if Base.get_extension(Luxor, :LuxorExtLatex) isa Module
         throw(MethodError(rawlatexboundingbox, catch_all))
     else
-        throw(ErrorException("Modules LaTeXStrings and MathTeXEngine are not loaded."))
+        throw(ErrorException("Modules LaTeXStrings and MathTeXEngine are not loaded. Try `using LaTeXStrings,  MathTeXEngine`!"))
     end
 end
+# Placeholders for animation functions.
+# Since there are so many similar placeholders, we could use a small macro definition and call. 
+# During initial testing, we use more verbose and conceptually simple code instead: 
+
+function create_gif_older_version(catch_all, catch_2, catch_3)
+    if Base.get_extension(Luxor, :LuxorExtFFMPEG) isa Module
+        throw(MethodError(create_gif_older_version, catch_all))
+    else
+        throw(ErrorException("Module FFMPEG is not loaded. Try `using FFMPEG`!"))
+    end
+end
+function create_gif_newer_version(catch_all, catch_2, catch_3)
+    if Base.get_extension(Luxor, :LuxorExtFFMPEG) isa Module
+        throw(MethodError(create_gif_newer_version, catch_all))
+    else
+        throw(ErrorException("Module FFMPEG is not loaded. Try `using FFMPEG`!"))
+    end
+end
+function create_gif_newer_version_reduced_verbosity(catch_all, catch_2, catch_3)
+    if Base.get_extension(Luxor, :LuxorExtFFMPEG) isa Module
+        throw(MethodError(create_gif_newer_version, catch_all))
+    else
+        throw(ErrorException("Module FFMPEG is not loaded. Try `using FFMPEG`!"))
+    end
+end
\ No newline at end of file