animation format · .gif

What is GIF?

Graphics Interchange Format

An animation-capable image format limited to 256 colors per frame, widely used for short looping clips and reactions.

Advantages

  • Universally supported animation
  • Small for simple, flat animations
  • Loops automatically

Limitations

  • Only 256 colors — poor for video/photos
  • Large files for complex animation
  • No sound

Best used for

Short looping animations, reactions, and simple motion graphics.

Extensions
.gif
MIME type
image/gif
Compression
Lossless

Free GIF tools