The magnetic effects of deuterium implantation and subsequent annealing were measured in Gd, Tm, and Ga-substituted yttrium iron garnet films for comparison with measurements made earlier with hydrogen implantation. Implantation energy was 60 keV and the dose ranged from 0.5 to 3×1016 ions/cm2 for D+2 ions, as compared to an energy of 120 keV and a dose from 0.3 to 4×1016 ions/cm2 for H+2 in the earlier study. Measurements made included x-ray rocking curves and ferromagnetic resonance spectra measured at 9.5 GHz. For all doses the implanted layer remained crystalline. Implanted layer thickness was about 4200 Å and peak strain occured at a depth of 2600 Å. Peak strain increased monotonically, but departed from a linear relation with dose. For the highest dose, the peak strain was 2.5%. Relaxation of strain with annealing was intermediate between that found earlier for hydrogen and neon implantation. As compared to all other implant elements, both deuterium and hydrogen show a large anomalous magnetic anisotropy which can exceed 10 000 Oe for either ion. The absence of this effect for He, Ne, and other ions supports the conjecture that the effect is chemical and related to electronic bonding rather than strain or disorder. The anomalous anisotropy for deuterium decreases and shifts location with annealing. It has largely disappeared at temperatures of 300–350 °C. The shape of the profile is consistent with the hypothesis that the shift in anisotropy is associated with diffusion of the deuterium atoms to the surface of the garnet film. At the highest dose, crystalline damage in the region of highest strain is sufficient to radically alter magnetic properties and in particular reduces even the excess anisotropy so that a two-peak profile results until modified by annealing.