diff --git a/src/animation.jl b/src/animation.jl
index b6d45f36..828cdb47 100644
--- a/src/animation.jl
+++ b/src/animation.jl
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ function buildanimation(animdir::AbstractString, fn::AbstractString,
                         fps::Integer = 20, loop::Integer = 0,
                         variable_palette::Bool=false,
                         show_msg::Bool=true)
-    fn = abspath(fn)
+    fn = abspath(expanduser(fn))
 
     if is_animated_gif
         if variable_palette
diff --git a/src/output.jl b/src/output.jl
index 95a9c158..bbc7b80e 100644
--- a/src/output.jl
+++ b/src/output.jl
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ type is inferred from the file extension. All backends support png and pdf
 file types, some also support svg, ps, eps, html and tex.
 """
 function savefig(plt::Plot, fn::AbstractString)
-
+  fn = abspath(expanduser(fn))
   # get the extension
   local ext
   try