Definition of "GIF" by Graphic Design Newcastle:
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GIF stands for Graphics Interchange Format. It is a bitmap image format developed by CompuServe in 1987. GIFs are widely used on the web for their ability to support:
- Lossless compression, which preserves image quality.
- Transparency, allowing parts of the image to be see-through.
- Animation, enabling a sequence of images (frames) to be displayed in a loop.
GIFs are limited to a palette of 256 colors, making them best suited for simple graphics, logos, icons, and short animations rather than high-resolution photographs.