GIF (Graphic Interface Format) is a graphic image on the internet that moves. These moving images (GIF’s) are on auto play and continuously loop around. They are never ending, highly entrancing and addictive – There’s something about them that draws you in! You can’t opt-in to them as they are on autoplay and they do not have a stop button, so to opt-out you must force your eyes to look away or continue to scroll down the web page.
Compuserve created the GIF in 1987. The chief technical officer of Compuserve Alexander Trevor and his team, which included inventor Steve Wilhite, created the 87a in July 1987. This image file format was an enhanced version of the GIF, which allowed people to create compressed animations using time delays. Thus GIF’s as we know them were born.
Wilhite told the Daily Dot in an interview: “What has made GIF hang around is the animation loop that Netscape added. If Netscape had not added GIF in their browser, GIF would have died in 1998.” After the popular GIF’s of the 90’s that went viral, such as the dancing baby:
and the dancing banana:
GIF’s moved their way on to big motionless, glittery graphics used to decorate MySpace and other Social Media profiles. GIF’s saw a lull there after and were no longer being used until Tumblr brought them back in 2007. Thanks to Tumblr, a blogging and social network website, GIF’s have seen a huge rise and have become a new phenomenon in recent years. They are increasingly popular and widely spread around the internet. The GIF’s of today are typically looped sequences made from video clips from movies, TV shows and YouTube.
GIF may be of low quality and have no sound but internet users and bloggers love them – They are simple yet effective! If used in the right context GIF’s can help tell a story, express emotions, convey reactions to a conversation and most importantly add humour. They certainly enhance blogs and thanks to smart phones are easily shared and produced. Non web-developers can now easily create their own GIF’s on apps and websites such as GIF Shop, GIF Boom, Cinemagram, GIF Brewery, Imgflip, and GIF Animator.
How to create your own GIF on Imgflip (https://imgflip.com/images-to-gif):
- Upload images. Click the upload button and select as many images as you want
- Arrange images. Drag and drop the images you selected until you get them ordered correctly.
- Adjust options. Adjust the delay until the speed of your GIF looks normal. …
GIF’s are spreading rapidly around social media platforms, such as Reddit, Twitter and Facebook. Facebook recently added GIF support (May 2015), recognising their popularity. Facebook messenger also encourages you to use them in private messages with your friends. GIF’s have been around for a long time and it’s safe to say they’re not going anywhere anytime soon.
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