How to Compress Animated GIFs on Windows/Mac/Online

Obviously, large GIF files will slow down an entire website where you upload them; perhaps you send them via email, but they will surely take time to load. Thus, compressing GIFs is important in different situations. Now, you should consider how to reduce GIF size and keep the original quality! Look at the below parts to discover ten compressors for Windows and Mac. With the perfect tool, you can compress GIFs without losing quality seamlessly.

What is the Best Size to Compress GIF?

The truth is, before you make your GIF smaller, know that the size of the file depends on where you’ll use it and where you’re going to upload it. So, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution for compressing GIFs. If you prioritize keeping the size as small as possible, you can aim for a much smaller GIF file size, though it means sacrificing the quality.

Here’s a breakdown of different cases with a perfect GIF size:

• Uploading on a website. Make sure to balance the file size with quality depending on the website's speed and the importance of your GIF file. For a small, low-detail file, focus on size reduction. On the other hand, for large or more detailed ones, prioritize quality and don’t be pretty much bothered by larger file sizes.

• Using it in an email. Most email platforms have attachment size limits, so compressing your large GIFs is necessary to fit those limitations while still maintaining an acceptable quality. You may consider keeping it under 1MB to guarantee fast processing on various devices.

• Uploading it on social media platforms. When using GIFs on social media platforms, like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc., each has size restrictions. For Twitter, you can upload GIF within 5MB, while staying 8MB below is suggested on Facebook. Check their specific guidelines and compress GIF to fit those requirements.

Now that you know the specific compression size for the intended use and place of your GIF files, proceed to the following to see tools that can aid you in learning how to reduce the file size of a GIF without crucial quality loss.

Ultimate Way to Compress GIFs without Quality Loss

A superb GIF compressing tool is what you need if you aim for a no-quality loss result in your compressed GIF, and with AnyRec Video Converter, you can achieve it! Using it, you can customize your GIFs to your liking, adjusting the GIF files by resolution, bitrate, and size. Shrinking GIF file size works by pulling the slide to alter it from 1% to 99%; otherwise, setting your desired file size would work, too. In addition to this helpful solution to compress GIF, you can use its built-in video editor to add magic touches to your GIF file with its filters, effects, themes, and editing tools.

Step 1.After launching the AnyRec Video Converter, click on the "Toolbox" widget and select the "Video Compression" tool to compress animated GIFs.

Step 2.Add your GIF file by clicking the "Add" button. After a while, you’ll go to the primary step. Pull the slide of "Size" to achieve the compression size you want.

Step 3.Next, customize the resolution and bitrate numbers. Click the "Preview" button to check out how the applied settings are seen on your GIF file. Once satisfied, click the "Compress" button.

How to Compress GIFs through Photoshop

Another program that can help reduce animated GIF file size is Photoshop. It provides a powerful solution for compressing GIFs, letting you shrink file size while preserving a good level of visual quality. With Adobe Photoshop, you can explore presets, a variety of colors, dithering levels, and more, as adjustable compression settings for GIFs.

Step 1.Launch Photoshop and head to the "File" menu. Choose the "Open" option and pick the GIF file you wish to compress.

Optionally, you can open the "Image" tab, select "Image Size", and set a smaller width and height for the GIF size, reducing dimensions that can contribute to compression.

Step 2.Later, go to the "File" menu, select "Export", and go for "Save for Web (Legacy)". There, you will see options like the following:

• Presets: Determine a preset like “Small Files” or “GIF 128 Dithered” for a balance of size and quality.

• Colors: Reduce colors to shrink file size significantly, but experiment with it to find the perfect balance.

• Dithering: Adjust this level if necessary to help you smooth out color reduction, though it adds noise.

• Selective Palette: Fine-tune which colors are used in the GIF.

Step 3.View the compressed GIF in the preview window; adjust settings repeatedly until you get the finest balance between file size and quality. If satisfied, click the "Save" button.

8 More Online Ways to Compress Animated GIFs

On the other hand, nothing beats a no-installing solution offered by online tools to compress GIFs. Check out another top 8 tools below, featuring their pros and cons.

1. AnyRec Image Compressor

While all other tools can compress GIFs for beginners, this AnyRec Free Image Compressor is an AI-based compressor and optimizer tool for everyone. It permits you to shrink the GIF image file size to 80% at the same time, guaranteeing that there will be no visual difference between the original GIF file and the compressed one.

2. Compress GIF by FreeConvert

FreeConvert's compressing solution offers a quick and easy way to reduce GIF size without downloading software. This GIF size reducer provides a preview of the compressed GIF, letting you see the impact of the compression settings you applied before downloading.

3. Ezgif

Ezgif is a popular and versatile online toolset specifically designed for optimizing and manipulating GIFs. It offers a wide range of functionalities, working beyond simple GIF compression, making it an excellent choice for beginners and experienced users. It can also trim GIFs to reduce the size.

4. VEED GIF Compressor

The GIF Compressor is part of a suite of online video editing tools provided by VEED.IO. Though it is not the primary focus of the web-based solution, it works well if you need to perform further on your GIF files, like achieving a lower GIF size.

5. ShortPixel

A famous image and GIF optimization service that helps you compress GIF images while maintaining image quality is what ShortPixel is. Its free plan provides a good starting point, while its paid plans cater to businesses and professionals requiring a large batch of images.

6. CloudConvert

Aside from being a broader file conversion online platform, CloudConvert handles GIF compression with various output options. It covers a wide range of files, like audio, video, images, documents, and more, and you can compress and convert multiple GIFs at once. Then, you can quickly send GIFs on messenger.

7. GIFReducer

GIFReducer is an online tool designed primarily for compressing animated GIFs. It contains a user-friendly interface and focuses on core functionalities to help you reduce GIF size without requiring extensive technical knowledge.

8. Compressor.io

Meanwhile, Compressor.io is an online tool specializing in image optimization. It offers efficient lossless and lossy compression in GIF, JPEG, PNG, and other formats. Its GIF compression solution is equipped with a slider to perfectly find the balance of size and GIF quality based on your needs.

FAQs

• Can I compress a GIF without losing quality?

  Unfortunately, perfect lossless compression isn’t always possible with GIF files. However, there are many tools today that offer solutions to compress GIFs while maintaining the highest possible quality, just like the ones you saw above.

• How do you compress GIFs for Discord?

  You can definitely use the above tools to achieve the perfect GIF size for Discord. When uploading GIFs to the platform, it’s best to stay below 256 KB.

• What compression settings can I adjust to compress GIF size?

  Use lossy compression as it reduces file size, but be ready since it may affect the quality. Adjust the color reduction because fewer colors mean a smaller file size. However, the GIF image may look less detailed. Otherwise, lower the frame rate to shrink GIF animation, but it makes the GIF choppier.

• Why are GIFs so large in size compared to other formats?

  GIF files store each animation frame as a separate image inside the file, so it takes a lot of data. Also, it has a maximum of 256 colors per image, and each extra color adds to the file size.

• How can I compress GIF to 1 MB?

  Compressing a GIF to exactly 1MB can be tricky since size reduction relies on the original content. However, you could use online compression tools that offer adjustable compression levels, reduced color, and lessening the frame rate to achieve the 1MB goal.

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