What is GIF?
Q: What is GIF?
A: GIF stands for Graphics Interchange Format and is a type of file format for images that was developed and introduced by CompuServe in 1987.
Q: What kind of graphics format is GIF?
A: GIF is a raster graphics format meaning that the image has a fixed size.
Q: How many colors does GIF support?
A: GIF supports up to 8 bits per pixel, or 256 colors.
Q: Can GIF support animations?
A: Yes, GIF can support animations.
Q: Why is GIF not used for showing photographs very much?
A: GIF is not used to show photographs very much because having only 256 colors is limiting for such a task.
Q: How are images in GIF format compressed?
A: Images in GIF format are compressed using Lempel–Ziv–Welch compression, which is a lossless compression technique that does not lose information when compressing or uncompressing.
Q: Why was another format called PNG developed?
A: Another format called PNG was developed due to some problems with the patent of the LZW compression. That patent was not held by CompuServe, but by Unisys. These issues led to the development of another format, called PNG. However, the patent has since expired making it no longer a problem.
