How To Shrink A Gif File Size

In this tutorial, we'll have a close look at all the available options to convert a video to a GIF animation, and how to optimize its file size.

What Is a GIF File?

Before we commencement, let'southward take a closer await at the question, "What is a GIF file?" GIF is the standard format for compressing images with large areas of solid colors and crisp details similar those in line art, logos, or type. Existence an eight-scrap-depth image format, it would accept disappeared from the web later the introduction of the JPEG and PNG file formats. But GIF is even so a favored web file format thanks to its frame blitheness feature.

By the way, if you piece of work with blithe GIFs oftentimes, you may desire to check out an automated solution: the Gift Export Photoshop Action available on GraphicRiver.

How to Optimize an Animated GIF: 10 Ways

If y'all want to learn these techniques via video, check out our lesson on the Envato Tuts+ YouTube aqueduct:

1. How to Trim the Blitheness

Commencement of all, you'll need to open the video file with Photoshop. Most of the time, you won't need the whole sequence for the GIF animation, then you tin trim the video past going to Window > Timeline. Turn on the Loop option and effort to find a good identify to trim your video.

Reduce GIF Size Photoshop Tutorial Trimming the video in adobe photoshop

2. How to Reduce the GIF Prototype File Size

You tin either reduce the GIF epitome file size by going to Image > Prototype Size or by hit Alt-Control-I. Your video layer will have to be turned into a Smart Object if you reduce the GIF size, merely y'all don't have to worry most this—it won't affect our workflow at all.

How to Reduce GIF Size Tutorial Resizing the image size

three. How to Save the GIF File for the Web

Another pick to reduce GIF size in Photoshop is the "Save for Spider web" function. Y'all can detect it by going to File > Export > Relieve for Web or past pressing Alt-Shift-Control-Southward.

My favorite thing about this workflow is that we don't have to do any conversion on the Timeline panel to be able to save a frame animation, as the Save for Spider web dialog box will practice the work for us once you select the GIF file format equally your output.

Observe that the blitheness options will appear in the lesser right corner of the dialog box. If you make up one's mind to farther reduce the GIF size in Photoshop, you lot can still exercise it here.

How to Reduce GIF Size Tutorial saving the gif file for Web

four. How to Reduce the Number of Frames

You tin can also reduce the GIF size if you reopen the exported GIF dorsum into Photoshop and delete every 2nd or third frame from the Timeline panel. Then you should select all the remaining frames and increment their duration to compensate for the loss of frames. If you don't exercise this compensation, your blitheness will be played faster than the original. Once you're fix, you tin relieve the new optimized GIF, which should be much smaller than the original.

How to Compress GIF Tutorial Reducing the number of frames in GIF

5. How to Change the Number of Colors That Are Animated

The most relevant selection for optimizing GIF size is the number of colors used in the Colour Table. The maximum amount of colors is 256, which comes from the 8-bit-depth limitation. Generally speaking, it'southward adept to stick with 64 colors or less to compress the GIF file in Photoshop. But depending on the original video, you might demand to increase the number of colors to become a meliorate result.

How to Compress GIF Tutorial change the number of the colors of the GIF

6. How to Choose the Color Reduction Algorithm

Here are the options for choosing colour reduction:

Perceptual to create a custom color table by giving priority to colors for which the man eye has greater sensitivity.
Selective to create a color table similar to the Perceptual color tabular array, simply favoring broad areas of color and the preservation of web colors. This color table usually produces images with the greatest color integrity. (Selective is the default choice.)
Adaptive to create a custom color table by sampling colors from the spectrum appearing most usually in the image. For example, an image with only shades of green and blue produces a color table made primarily of greens and blues. Most images concentrate colors in particular areas of the spectrum.
Restrictive uses the standard, 216‑color, spider web‑safe colour table common to the 8‑bit (256‑color) panels of Windows and Mac operating systems. This selection ensures that no browser dither is practical to colors when the prototype is displayed using 8‑bit color. If your image has fewer than 216 colors, unused colors are removed from the tabular array.

How to Compress GIF Tutorial choosing the color reduction algorithm

vii. How to Use Dithering to Reduce the GIF File Size in Photoshop

Since GIF files contain a limited number of colors, we may want to imitate the missing colors with available ones using dithering. From the Dither carte, nosotros choose one of the algorithms for such imitation. The Diffusion method lets united states of america adjust the amount of dither. With thePattern and Noise algorithms, there's nada to adjust.

The more dithering in an image, the larger the file size. Dithering adds different-colored pixels in close proximity to each other to simulate secondary colors or smoothen gradations in color. Some images must contain dithering to await good, but it's best to use the least corporeality of dithering possible to keep the smallest file size.

Compress GIF Photoshop Tutorial choosing the dither function

8. How to Use the Web Snap, Lossy, Transparency, and Interlaced Functions

Spider web Snap is used to help foreclose dithering in a browser. It's washed by snapping some of the colors to web-safety colors. The more web-safe colors present in a GIF, the less browser dithering will result. A value of 0% won't change whatsoever colors, while a value of 100% will change all the colors in the image to web-prophylactic.
Lossy compression discards visual information, which can compress the GIF file size.
If the image contains Transparency, select Transparency to preserve transparent pixels; deselect Transparency to fill fully and partially transparent pixels with the matte color.
Interlaced GIF files are loaded in a browser in a few passes (like progressive JPEGs).

Compress GIF Photoshop Tutorial using web snap lossy transparency and interlaced functions

nine. How to Compare the Original and Optimized Version of the GIF File

In one case y'all've fabricated a lot of custom changes, you can check the deviation in file size and quality by using the 2-Upwards view.

Optimize GIF Photoshop Tutorial comparing the original and optimized gifs

x. How to Use Preview, Save Preset, and Optimize to File Size

If yous're happy with your settings, take a look at your final optimized GIF with the Preview pick in a browser, and don't forget to salve your settings every bit presets. You can also specify a file size limit with this boosted choice from the Optimize carte du jour, and once this is applied, Photoshop will try to fit the size with the best possible image quality.

Reduce GIF File Size Tutorial saving the preset using preview and optimizing to file size

Which Way of Optimizing a GIF File Do You lot Prefer to Use?

At present yous know ten elementary ways to optimize your GIF files. I hope this article was helpful to you. If yous're looking for GIF-related Photoshop products, then check out these awesome actions and templates:

GIF Export Photoshop Action (ATN)

GIF Export Photoshop Activeness lets y'all take multiple images, automatically upload them in Photoshop, and export them every bit a GIF.

Blithe VHS Instagram Stories Template 5.2 (PSD)

If you want to create glitched and VHS-looking animated Instagram stories or animated GIF files from your static pictures, check out this Photoshop template, which is extremely like shooting fish in a barrel to utilise and suitable for any photo.

Animated VHS Instagram Stories Template v2

Blithe Zombie Grime Fine art Photoshop Activity (ATN, PAT, PDF)

This awesome Photoshop activity volition aid you to add together the trendy animated zombie/grime effect to your photos. In the main archive, y'all'll find one action file, i pattern file, and a link to a video tutorial.

Animated Zombie Grime Art Photoshop Action

GIF Blithe Sparkles Photoshop Action (ATN, ABR, PAT, PNG, PSD)

If you're looking for something more than bright and magic-looking, GIF Animated Sparkles Photoshop Action is the best selection for you. Information technology gives your photos that fabled glowing look in a few unproblematic clicks.

Animated lxxx's Synthwave Poster: Photoshop Action (ATN, ABR, PAT)

This action is 1 of my favorites as well. Information technology gives you the possibility to create amazing blithe posters in Adobe Photoshop, in synthwave/retrowave styles. It'due south a handy tool for recreating the atmosphere of the 80s.