GIF
Export
Short looping animation, 256 colours, big files.
GIF is ancient and limited — 256 colours per frame, no partial transparency, poor compression for photographic content. It survives because it plays anywhere with no player.
Gradients band badly. Design for it rather than converting to it.
When to reach for it#
- Email, chat, and forums where video will not embed.
- Very short loops of flat-coloured artwork.
Parameters#
Up to 256. Fewer colours means smaller files and more banding.
Trades banding for noise. Usually the better trade on gradients, but it inflates the file.
Keep it low. GIF stores whole frames, so every extra frame costs real size.
Things that catch people out#
Alpha is on or off
No partial transparency, so soft and feathered edges get a hard fringe. Match the intended background colour instead.
See also#
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