Graphics Interchange Format: Difference between revisions
(Created page with "== Introduction == The Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) is a bitmap image format that was developed by a team at the online services provider CompuServe led by American computer scientist Steve Wilhite and released on 15 June 1987. It is in widespread usage on the World Wide Web due to its wide support and portability between applications and operating systems. == History == The format supports up to 8 bits per pixel for each image, allowing a single image to refer...") |
No edit summary |
||
| Line 11: | Line 11: | ||
Despite its age, the GIF format is widely used due to its support across browsers and operating systems. GIFs are suitable for sharp-edged line art (such as logos) with a limited number of colors. This takes advantage of the format's lossless compression, which favors flat areas of uniform color with well defined edges. | Despite its age, the GIF format is widely used due to its support across browsers and operating systems. GIFs are suitable for sharp-edged line art (such as logos) with a limited number of colors. This takes advantage of the format's lossless compression, which favors flat areas of uniform color with well defined edges. | ||
[[Image:Detail-145315.jpg|thumb|center|A computer screen displaying a GIF image. The image is a simple logo with sharp edges and a limited color palette.]] | |||
GIFs can also be used to store low-color sprite data for games. GIFs can be used in modern web pages to display small animations. | GIFs can also be used to store low-color sprite data for games. GIFs can be used in modern web pages to display small animations. | ||
Revision as of 21:28, 2 November 2025
Introduction
The Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) is a bitmap image format that was developed by a team at the online services provider CompuServe led by American computer scientist Steve Wilhite and released on 15 June 1987. It is in widespread usage on the World Wide Web due to its wide support and portability between applications and operating systems.
History
The format supports up to 8 bits per pixel for each image, allowing a single image to reference a palette of up to 256 distinct colors chosen from the 24-bit RGB color space. It also supports animations and allows a separate palette of up to 256 colors for each frame. These palette limitations make the GIF format less suitable for reproducing color photographs and other images with continuous color, but it is well-suited for simpler images such as graphics or logos with solid areas of color.
Design
GIF images are compressed using the Lempel–Ziv–Welch (LZW) lossless data compression technique to reduce the file size without degrading the visual quality. This compression technique was patented in 1985. Controversy over the licensing agreement between the software patent holder, Unisys, and CompuServe in 1994 spurred the development of the Portable Network Graphics (PNG) standard. All the relevant patents have now expired.
Usage
Despite its age, the GIF format is widely used due to its support across browsers and operating systems. GIFs are suitable for sharp-edged line art (such as logos) with a limited number of colors. This takes advantage of the format's lossless compression, which favors flat areas of uniform color with well defined edges.
GIFs can also be used to store low-color sprite data for games. GIFs can be used in modern web pages to display small animations.
Criticism and Controversies
The GIF format has been criticized for its outdated lossless data compression techniques. Furthermore, the GIF patents have been the subject of significant controversy due to perceived overreach by the patent holders. This controversy has spurred the development of alternative image formats such as PNG.