There are numerous reasons why GIFs have become such a widespread phenomenon across the internet. Users on this platform alone send a whopping 7+ billion GIFs every day, so why exactly are GIF files so popular? GIPHY, a global GIF search engine, boasts 500 million daily active users on its platform, making it more popular than both Twitter and Pinterest. By June, CompuServe had already started using the new image format for the very reasons they had first sought to develop it. Wilhite was inspired by a lossless compression protocol called Lempel–Ziv–Welch, or LZW, and decided to base the GIF on this practice. They also had to create a simple graphics format that worked across all computer models. CompuServe didn’t just need technology that could quickly display high quality images over slow connections.
#Gif animator tutorial Pc#
When users wanted to transfer files or access email, chat rooms, forums, and information like stock quotes, they had to do so with hourly subscriptions from companies like CompuServe.Īt the time, the PC market was divided between multiple, big-name companies, including Apple, Atari, Commodore, IBM, and Tandy, each of which had its own method of displaying graphics.
While working at tech giant CompuServe, Wilhite and his team were trying to develop a solution for one of the company’s most pressing issues: How could a color image file be shared without taking up too much of the computer’s memory?ĬompuServe played a vital role in the 1980s, during a time before the World Wide Web was invented. The GIF was created by an American computer scientist named Steve Wilhite in 1987. With the rise of social media and instant messaging, however, GIFs made a comeback, as users realized they’re the perfect format for animated memes. In the early days, most GIFs were simply moving icons, like flashing "Buy Now" buttons, but these quickly lost their popularity. They have become so widely used, in fact, that the word “GIF” was named the 2012 Oxford Dictionary Word of the Year. GIFs are popular on blogs, social media, and instant messaging applications, and are particularly used as funny or emotive reactions. The Oxford English Dictionary and Merriam-Webster have both pronunciations listed, so no matter how you prefer to say it, you're technically correct. Originally, a GIF was referred to as a “Jif”, however over the years the term’s pronunciation as “gif”, as in “gift”, has become common. Additionally, GIFs use a lossless compression algorithm, which allows the original data to be perfectly reconstructed from the compressed data with no image data loss. GIF images also support transparency. The format supports up to 8 bits per pixel for each image, which means that they’re restricted to 256 colors chosen from the 24-bit RGB color space.
#Gif animator tutorial series#
They simply feature a series of still images in quick succession, often on a loop, and cannot be paused, rewound, or fast-forwarded like a traditional video file. We refer to these moving images as animation, not video because GIFs don’t have the ability to produce sound. But here’s where a GIF differs from other image files: It can hold multiple images at once and can therefore be used to create moving images - much like a flipbook. Just like other image files, including JPEG, PNG, and BMP formats, a still image can be saved in GIF format. Simply put, a GIF is a type of image file. Are animated GIFs subject to copyright?įirstly, let’s define the word GIF. We’ve created this in-depth guide to teach you everything you need to know about GIFs, how do you make your own, and how they can serve you. Without this knowledge, many business owners fail to realize just how effective GIFs can be for boosting brand identity and how these animated images can successfully be used to their advantage.
#Gif animator tutorial how to#
It all starts with understanding what a GIF is, as well as why the format is so popular, how you can make your own GIFs, how to use GIFs, and more. But how can you make these on-trend, bite-sized animations work for you? With millions of searches for GIFs every day, this image format certainly means big business.
GIF is an acronym that means “Graphics Interchange Format.” Pronounced “GIF” (or “JIF”) it's essentially a highly compressed image file to quickly and easily allow the exchange of images between computers.Īnimated GIFs have become an essential tool for expressing ourselves, boosting engagement, and creating hype online - both for individuals and brands alike.
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