what is gif ?

Answer 1

GIF is a file type. It can be animation or static (still). It is limited to 256 colors and can have a transparent background. Along with a small file size and the transparent background, it is good for placing logos or small animated images in web pages.

Answer 2

GIF
(Graphics Interchange Format) A popular bitmapped graphics file format developed by CompuServe. Pronounced "giff" by Macintosh users and "jiff" by PC users, GIF supports 8-bit color (256 colors) and is widely used on the Web, because the files compress well. GIFs include a color table that includes the most representative 256 colors used. For example, a picture of the forest would include mostly greens. This method provides excellent realism in an 8-bit image.


Gif Versions

There are two versions of GIF: the original GIF87a and the subsequent GIF89a, both named after their year of introduction. GIF89a allows one of the colors to be made transparent (see alpha channel) and take on the background color of the underlying page or window. GIF89a also supports animated GIFs, which are GIF frames displayed one after the other to simulate movement (see animated GIF).


GIFs and JPEGs

Both GIF and JPEG images are widely used on the Web and are supported by all Web browsers and other Web software. The choice is usually a simple one. Charts, screen shots and technical drawings are compressed best as GIFs, and GIFs only hold up to 256 colors (8-bit color). Most all photographs are better as a JPEG, which supports 24-bit color and has the option of several compression levels (the choice depends on how much degradation you can tolerate). If you save a scanned image in both formats, you may see a dramatic difference in file size between them.

The Patent Issue
The GIF format uses the LZW compression algorithm, which was patented by Unisys, and publishers of applications that read and write GIF87a and GIF89a images were required to obtain a license and pay royalties to the company. For example, publishers of Web browsers and image editors were licensees. The Unisys patents expired in June 2003 for the U.S. and in July 2004 for Canada and Europe; however, Unisys and other companies have patents on different variants of LZW used in other GIF formats. See LZW.

Answer 3

Graphic Interchange Format (gif). Yet another image format type generated specifically for computer use. Its resolution is usually very low (72 dpi, or that of your computer screen), making it undesirable for printing purposes
Other image formats : bmp, Jpeg, Tif ...
GIF r usially used for internet animated images .. they give u transparent pics ;)

Answer 4

Gif is a image type file...usually they are animation, but not necessary

Answer 5

.gif is a type of file, a way of saving a file in a certain format