6 Advantages and Disadvantages of Animated Gifs

A lot of images can be made in order to capture the attention of people. One of them is the use of animated gifs. These are file formats that will enable users to utilize a series of frames then combine them in such an order that will eventually form some sort of animation. However, although there are advantages of using this option, there are also corresponding disadvantages to consider. To determine if this is indeed your ideal type of image file format you can check out some pros and cons of animated gifs presented here.

List of Advantages of Animated GIFs

1. Small File Size
One of the main advantages of using animated gifs is the size which can be relatively smaller compared with other file formats. Moreover, this can be advantageous when loading images online as they can load quicker without losing its quality.

2. Professional Looking Images
Aside from the small file sizes when using animated gifs, these types can also support transparent backgrounds. This will likewise help in providing a more professional look to a particular website having animation over a varied background.

3. Convey Messages Better
Another pro for animated gifs is that it can show any thought in a much better way than it would normally do. It can show movements and emotions that a regular image can’t possibly do. More so, this can be perfect when making tutorial animations that can enhance the experience. Take note that younger audiences can easily be amused with animations, so it can really make them want to pay attention to details.

List of Disadvantages of Animated GIFs

1. Limited Color Pattern
The fact that it only uses a color palette of 256 colors, the animated images created can sometimes look poorer in comparison to other image files. For some instances, images can look slightly pixelated or images that can look blocky.

2. Editing Is Not Possible
Another con when it comes to using animate gifs is that it can’t be edited once the animation has already been coded into the actual gif file. So you need to make sure that you have the final image set before getting it in action right away. If you fail to do so, you may have to do the same thing again from the very beginning just to make a minor adjustment to an existing gif file.

3. Internet Connection Matters
Despite the fact that gif files are small in size and should run smoothly once the sequence of still images have been finally coded, some of these animated images can be dependent on Internet speed. So when the connection lags a bit, the images will not load right away and will end up displaying a less desirable version of that file.

Take note that animated gifs could be very helpful or could be a liability depending on how they are utilized on the website. So before you desire to use a particular animated gif, try to make sure that you have evaluated the pros and cons as they can work to give your site a boost or otherwise.