A GIF - or graphics interchange format - is a bitmap file widely used around the internet. GIFs contain up to 256 colors, so they’re not often used for photos, but as they have lossless compression, they work well for navigation buttons and logos on websites. A huge difference between a GIF and another bitmap image file, like a JPG, is that they can be saved as animated GIFs, which cycle between images to create a short, looping animation. These are primarily designed for - and used across - websites on the internet. You’ve definitely come across them before, particularly on social media and image sharing apps.
PNG - Portable Graphics Format - is a type of raster image file widely used across the internet. They are widely compatible with plenty of software applications. Unlike JPG files, PNG files have lossless data compression, which means they can be reduced in size without losing data and overall image quality. They also have the ability to read transparent backgrounds, making them great for logos and other icons that tend to be displayed over pictures. You’ll find that most online applications support PNGs, and they are commonly used for digital photographs as well as graphics.
PNG files are a really useful image type because of the transparent background, making them great for logos and other graphics. A GIF can also read transparent backgrounds. It’s possible to convert a GIF to a PNG to use the same image with the same clear background but as a different file type. Or maybe you have an animated GIF, and you want to export one or several frames as still PNG images - that’s all totally doable by converting a GIF to a PNG. It’s an easy process to do in WinZip, and it takes just a few seconds.
WinZip is more than just a GIF to PNG converter. We built WinZip to convert multiple file formats, including the formats below.
Check some of the other file management features WinZip has to offer by downloading a free trial today.
