GIFs vs. Animated GIFs: What's the Difference?
GIFs: A Brief Overview
GIFs, short for Graphics Interchange Format, are raster-based image files that support both static and animated images. Animated GIFs consist of a series of individual frames displayed in sequence, creating the illusion of movement.
Animated GIFs vs. Videos
Unlike videos, which are a continuous stream of moving images, animated GIFs are composed of a finite number of frames. This difference results in smaller file sizes for GIFs compared to videos, making them more suitable for online sharing and display on web pages with limited bandwidth.
File Size and Efficiency
However, this smaller size comes at a cost. GIFs use a lossless compression algorithm, which means that the image quality remains the same regardless of the number of frames. As a result, animated GIFs are typically much larger in file size than videos encoded using efficient codecs like MP4. On average, GIFs can be 5-10 times larger than an equivalent MP4 video.
Usage and Function
In general, GIFs are commonly used for short, simple animations, such as memes, reactions, and small-scale graphic elements on web pages. Animated GIFs, on the other hand, are suitable for creating more complex and detailed animations that require a limited number of frames.
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