Graphics Interchange Format (GIF)

The Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) is an image file format widely used for graphic images on the Internet. Created by early internet service provider (ISP) CompuServe in 1987, the GIF format was originally intended for use as a means of storing multiple bitmap images within a single file that could be easily exchanged between different platforms and systems. Since that time, GIF has become one of the most commonly used formats for the storage of graphics and image data. Much of the GIF’s popularity is driven by the fact that it is a lossless format, which means that no information is lost during the compression process. With the rise of social media in the twenty-first century, animated GIFs have become a pervasive element of online memes. For that and other reasons, GIFs eventually came to be seen as a vital part of day-to-day communication in the digital world.

Background

GIFs are one of many digital image file formats. These file formats are grouped into two broad categories: raster and vector images. Raster images are made up of a series of pixels that together form an entire picture. All normal photos found in print or online are raster images. Because pixels have a specific proportion tied to their resolution, raster images that are stretched to become larger in size than intended end up being blurry or otherwise distorted. GIFs are a type of raster image format. Other common raster image formats include Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG), Portable Network Graphics (PNG), and Tagged Image File Format (TIFF). Vector images allow for more flexibility than raster images. Instead of relying on pixels, vector images are created through the use of mathematical equations. This means that vector images can be easily resized without becoming distorted. Common examples of vector image file formats include Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) and Adobe Illustrator Document (AI).

To better understand what makes GIFs unique, it is helpful to examine other image file formats as a comparison. JPEGs are among the most commonly encountered image types online. They are frequently used on websites or in productivity applications. JPEGs are particularly useful when high resolution is a must, though they are classified as “lossy” because their quality declines as file size decreases. PNGs are widely used online and in interactive documents because they are lossless, which means that they retain their quality when compressed or saved multiple times. TIFF is another lossless file format that retains image quality even when repeatedly copied, saved, or compressed. Because they often take a long time to load, TIFFs are generally not ideal for use online. PDFs are one of the best graphic-sharing tools. This is because they make it possible to capture and review rich information from any application on any computer. EPS is a versatile file format specifically designed for producing high-resolution graphics for print. EPS files are also widely supported by many design applications. AI files are especially popular with graphic designers because Adobe Illustrator is widely viewed as the industry standard for the creation of digital artwork from scratch.

Overview

GIF is a lossless image file format widely used on the internet and, in some cases, for storing low-color sprite data on websites and in various computer games. However, because GIFs use indexed color to store image data, typical GIF images are limited to a maximum of 256 colors. On the other hand, the GIF format is uniquely advantageous, especially in relation to its ability to support animation. Ultimately, GIFs came to be one of the most commonly used image file formats on the internet along with JPEGs.

The history of the GIF file began with CompuServe, an early ISP that was one of the first major players in the internet service industry. In 1986, officials at CompuServe were looking for a graphics format that could be used on all computers. They also wanted a technology capable of quickly displaying sharp images even over slow connections. At the time, the companies that produced computers all took different approaches to displaying graphics on their machines. Equally problematic was the fact that internet speeds were still very slow compared to later standards. Computer programmer and CompuServe employee Steve Wilhite was assigned the task of coming up with a graphics file format that could overcome these hurdles. Basing his design on a lossless compression protocol known as Lempel–Ziv–Welch (LZW), Wilhite’s work ultimately yielded what he called the GIF format.

The GIF format made its debut on CompuServe in 1987 and started to make a big splash when the World Wide Web was launched in the early 1990s. In the early days of the web, the GIF format became a popular means of displaying charts, line art, and logos. It also allowed for the creation of more complex web page layouts than were previously possible. In 1994, the use of LZW compression became the subject of a patent dispute, which led developers to create alternative formats such as PNG. One of the most important milestones in the rise of GIFs during this era came with the widespread use of animated GIFs in web browsers around 1995. Animated GIFs are created by combining several image frames into a single file. When these images are displayed in succession at an appropriate frame rate, the result is a low-file-size animation. Animated GIFs quickly became a widespread internet phenomenon, with notable examples like the “under construction” and “dancing baby” GIFs earning particular notoriety.

While the original animated GIF craze quickly faded away, the GIF format remained popular. Animated GIFs eventually began to re-emerge around 2012 as people started using them on blogs and social media websites. GIFs were also incorporated into instant messaging applications as a means of expressing emotive reactions. In most cases, the animated GIFs commonly seen on websites and social media feeds are looping animations that automatically repeat once they have reached the end of their cycle. Other image formats, such as WebP and APNG, offer better color support and smaller file sizes, but GIF remains widely used because it is supported across many platforms.

One of the most disputed issues concerning the GIF file format is the correct pronunciation of its acronymic name. Wilhite, who was the original creator of the GIF format, has stated that the name is meant to be pronounced “jiff,” much like the peanut butter brand Jif. Still, many people choose to pronounce the word as “gif” with a hard G sound. Although many people pronounce it differently, the creator of GIF, Steve Wilhite, said it should be pronounced “jiff.”

Bibliography

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