What is a GIF file?
GIF is the short looping animation that plays anywhere: any browser, any chat, any email, with nothing to install. It is limited to 256 colours per frame, so flat graphics stay crisp while photos go grainy. Files are large for what you get. You can convert GIF files here, both into the format and out of it.
Specification
| Full name | Graphics Interchange Format |
|---|---|
| Extensions | .gif |
| Media type | image/gif |
| Compression | Lossless |
| Transparency | Supported |
| Animation | Supported |
| Multiple pages | — |
| Colour depth | 8-bit indexed, 256 colours per frame |
| Size limits | — |
| Introduced | 1987 |
| Developed by | CompuServe |
| Standard | Open |
| Browser support | Every browser, including older ones |
What GIF is used for
- Short looping animations and reaction clips
- Simple flat-colour graphics and pixel art
- Animated content for platforms that will not accept video
- Legacy email templates where video cannot be embedded
Strengths and limitations
What GIF does well
- Animation plays everywhere with no player or plugin needed
- Flat colours stay crisp, with nothing smudged around the edges
- Binary transparency works in even the oldest software
Where GIF falls short
- Only 256 colours per frame, which wrecks photos and smooth gradients
- File sizes are enormous compared to an equivalent MP4 or WebM
- Transparency is on or off with nothing in between, so edges look jagged
Convert GIF to
Every target this format can be written out as, each on its own page.
Convert to GIF
Everything that can be turned into a GIF file.
Tools that accept GIF
Questions about GIF
What is a .gif file?
GIF is the short looping animation that plays anywhere: any browser, any chat, any email, with nothing to install. The extension .gif identifies it, and its media type is image/gif.
How do I open a GIF file?
Any current browser will open it directly, so dragging the file into a tab is usually enough. Most operating systems also preview it without extra software.
Is GIF lossy or lossless?
Lossless. Nothing is discarded, so repeated saves never degrade the contents.
What is GIF good for?
Animation plays everywhere with no player or plugin needed. Flat colours stay crisp, with nothing smudged around the edges. Binary transparency works in even the oldest software. In practice that makes it a good fit for short looping animations and reaction clips, and Simple flat-colour graphics and pixel art.
What are the drawbacks of GIF?
Only 256 colours per frame, which wrecks photos and smooth gradients. File sizes are enormous compared to an equivalent MP4 or WebM. Transparency is on or off with nothing in between, so edges look jagged.