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JFIF.IO
GIF

What is GIF?

GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) is a 1987 image format best known for short, looping animations. Each frame is limited to a palette of 256 colours.

GIFGraphics Interchange Format
File extension
.gif
MIME type
image/gif
Introduced
1987
Compression
Lossless
Transparency
1-bit only
Animation
Yes
Browser support
Universal
Maximum size
65,535 × 65,535 pixels

Overview

CompuServe introduced GIF in 1987; the GIF89a revision (1989) added transparency and the timing information that makes animation possible. Its LZW compression was patented until 2003–2004, which prompted the creation of PNG.

Every GIF frame uses a palette of at most 256 colours, and transparency is on/off per pixel. That is fine for simple graphics, but photos show banding or dithering noise, and animated GIFs are many times larger than the same clip as a video, WebP or AVIF.

Advantages

  • +Animation that works everywhere, including old email clients
  • +Simple, universally supported
  • +Lossless for images with ≤256 colours

Disadvantages

  • −Only 256 colours per frame
  • −1-bit transparency with jagged edges
  • −Very large files for animations
  • −No alpha channel

How GIF compression works

GIF maps each pixel to an index in a colour palette and compresses the stream of indices with LZW, a lossless dictionary-based algorithm. The palette step makes GIF effectively lossy for images with more than 256 colours.

Common use cases

  • Short reaction animations and stickers
  • Simple icons and pixel art
  • Maximum compatibility with legacy email and forums

Browser and software support

Supported by every browser and nearly all software.

How to convert GIF

Use the converter at the top of this page: drop your file, choose an output format and download the result. Conversions run in your browser, so nothing is uploaded.

Convert to
  • JPG has no transparency. Transparent areas will be filled with the background colour.
  • Animated images: only the first frame is converted.

Processed locally in your browser

GIF FAQ

How can I make a GIF smaller?

For still images, convert to PNG or WEBP. Animated content is far smaller as an animated WebP, AVIF or a video file.

Does JFIF.IO keep GIF animations?

Not yet: when converting an animated GIF, the first frame is converted. We say so in the converter so there are no surprises.

Is GIF lossless?

The LZW compression is lossless, but reducing an image to 256 colours is not. Photos lose colour detail when saved as GIF.