GIF (Graphics Interchange Format)

.gif · image/gif · 1987 · CompuServe

GIF dates back to 1987 and survives purely because animated GIFs play everywhere. It is limited to a 256-color palette and 1-bit transparency, and its LZW compression is poor by modern standards — an animated GIF is typically 5–10× larger than the same clip as WebP or a video file. For static images there is no reason to choose GIF today; for animations, modern platforms increasingly convert GIFs to video behind the scenes.

Compression

Lossless

Transparency

Yes

Animation

Yes

Browser display

All browsers

Strengths & limitations

Strengths

  • Animations play absolutely everywhere
  • Universal legacy support
  • Simple 1-bit transparency

Limitations

  • Only 256 colors per frame — visible banding on photos
  • Very large files for what you get
  • 1-bit transparency (no soft edges)

Best used for

Tools for GIF

Compress GIFGIF → WebPGIF → PNGGIF → JPEGWebP → GIFPNG → GIF