And the actually final fourth:
EDIT: Ugh, this thing is pissing me off. Here it is quick: Put in compiler, choose frame delay (4 is usually best, if not, then it's usually 5), create gif, test gif in browser, make adjustments as needed, upload to picasa (best gif host), enjoy gif.
Once you get a rhythm going, it takes less time than it looks (though definitely more time than using a video-to-gif program, and more tedious).
Doing it this way, I can retain the quality of large gifs and have complete control over everything (well, except the quality of the RAW, lol), giving me results like this: