Image to GIF Converter
Turn any picture into a GIF for the places that still ask for one: forum avatars, email signatures, old content systems and intranet tools. Upload, convert and download.
Image Converter
or drop JPG, JPEG, JPE … files here ·
Max 95 MB per file· Up to 20 files· Deleted after 30 minutes
Files are processed on our servers and deleted after 30 minutes.
85 keeps photos visually identical to the original. Lower it only when you need a smaller file.
JPG, BMP and EPS have no transparency. Transparent pixels are filled with this color.
Hex color used behind transparent pixels, e.g. #FFFFFF.
This format holds a single image. Choose GIF or WebP output if you want to keep the animation.
A multi-size icon contains several resolutions in one file; browsers and operating systems pick the one they need.
Keep the original dimensions, or enter one side and the aspect ratio is kept.
Pixels for the side you chose above.
Percentage of the original dimensions.
sRGB is right for screens and the web. Keep the original for print workflows; grayscale discards color.
Metadata only, 0 keeps the original value. Printers and some portals read this number; it does not change pixel dimensions.
How to use this tool
- 1
Add your images
Drop up to 20 files, 95 MB each. JPG, PNG, WebP, AVIF, HEIC, BMP, TIFF, SVG, PSD and camera raw files are all accepted.
- 2
Size it for the slot
GIF is already selected under Convert to. Avatars and signatures are small, so set Resize output image to a width under Advanced settings to keep the file light.
- 3
Convert and download
Press Convert to GIF and save each file, or take one ZIP for a batch.
A still GIF is the oldest image format the web still recognizes everywhere, and for small, flat graphics it is surprisingly compact.
Convert any image to GIF for places that only take GIF
CompuServe released GIF in 1987, and the 1989 revision, GIF89a, added the transparency and timing extensions still in use. Because every browser and mail client since the 1990s reads it, GIF became the default for anything that had to show up reliably: forum avatars and smilies, signature logos, buttons in old content systems, intranet templates and kiosk software. Many of those systems were never updated and still list GIF as the only accepted type, or the only one their avatar field allows.
This page converts whatever you have into that format: an iPhone HEIC, a WebP saved from a website, a PNG logo, an SVG icon, even a camera raw. Every file comes out as a single-frame GIF with the same pixel dimensions, unless you set a width.
If the destination accepts PNG or JPG, use those instead. GIF exists here for compatibility, not quality.
GIF limits in numbers
- CompuServe introduces GIF
- 1987
- Colors per frame, at most
- 256
- Transparent color, fully on or off
- 1
- U.S. LZW patent expires
- 2003
Still GIF, PNG or JPG: which one the slot really needs
GIF
Up to 256 colors and one fully transparent color.
- Read by every browser and mail client
- Compact for logos, icons and flat art
- Photos show banding or dither dots
PNG
Millions of colors and smooth, partial transparency.
- Sharp text and clean edges
- Soft shadows survive
- Larger than GIF for tiny graphics
JPG
Small photo files with no transparency.
- Smooth gradients and skin tones
- Blurs fine text
- No transparent background
ANY I
Any image
This tool accepts common image formats, including JPG, PNG, WebP, HEIC, GIF, BMP and TIFF. The format is detected automatically from the file, so you do not need to know what kind of image you have.
GIF
Graphics Interchange Format
GIF was introduced by CompuServe in 1987 and is still the most widely supported format for short, looping animations. It is lossless but limited to a palette of 256 colours per frame, so photos and gradients show banding and dithering. It supports only on/off (1-bit) transparency, which leaves jagged edges on curved shapes. Animated GIFs are often far larger than the same clip as MP4 or WebP. Every browser, chat app and social platform plays GIFs.
- Compression
- Lossless
- Transparency
- Yes
- Animation
- Yes
- Introduced
- 1987 · CompuServe
Any image becomes a still GIF when a forum, signature editor or older system accepts GIF and nothing else; the format's 256-color palette is the price of that reach.
How colors and edges change in a still GIF
A GIF frame can use at most 256 colors from a palette built for that image. A logo with five flat colors fits easily and looks identical to the source. A photo with tens of thousands of shades has to be squeezed: smooth skies turn into visible steps or a fine pattern of dots, and skin tones lose subtlety. Smaller pictures hide this better, which suits avatars and signatures anyway.
Transparency works differently too. GIF has a single transparent color that is either fully see-through or fully solid, with nothing in between, so soft shadows and anti-aliased edges from a PNG cannot be kept exactly; they pick up a light or dark rim against the background they were drawn on. Test the GIF on the page color it will sit on.
GIF compresses with LZW, which is lossless and works best on runs of identical pixels. That is why a flat 200 px logo can be just a few KB while a photo of the same size is much heavier. For photos specifically, JPG to GIF covers the trade-offs in more depth.
Image to GIF converter questions
Which image formats can I turn into a GIF here?
Almost any: JPG and JPEG, PNG, WebP, AVIF, HEIC and HEIF, BMP, TIFF, SVG, ICO, PSD, EPS and raw files from Canon, Nikon, Sony and other cameras. Each file becomes its own GIF.
Does a single picture become an animated GIF?
No. One still image becomes a one-frame GIF; there is no movement to keep. To make an animation, start from a clip with Video to GIF, and read how to make a GIF from a video for frame rate and size tips.
How do I keep a GIF small enough for an email signature?
Shrink it first: a signature logo rarely needs to be wider than 300–400 px, so set a width under Resize output image. Flat logos with few colors compress well; photos stay heavy as GIF.
Is the GIF format still covered by patents?
No. The Unisys patent on LZW compression, which once made GIF software pay license fees, expired in the United States in June 2003 and in the remaining countries by 2004. Anyone can read and write GIF freely.
Do email programs display GIF where they block other formats?
GIF is one of the most widely supported images in email, which is why signature logos are often GIF. Some Outlook versions for Windows show only the first frame of an animated GIF, which does not matter for a still image.
