GIF to SVG Converter

Encoding: the GIF uses lossless LZW over a palette of at most 256 colours; SVG uses XML text describing paths, shapes and text, sometimes gzipped as .svgz, and the download is an SVG traced into vector paths (or, if you prefer, the pixels embedded in an SVG wrapper).

Bit depth: 8 bits per pixel, as indexes into a palette in the GIF; SVG allows not fixed: coordinates and colours are continuous values, and the SVG written here has vector paths with flat colours.

Colour: an indexed palette of up to 256 colours per frame in the GIF; SVG supports sRGB by default, other spaces through CSS colour functions, written here as flat colour regions.

Transparency: the GIF stores it as one palette entry marked transparent, so each pixel is either fully shown or fully hidden; the SVG keeps it as opacity on any element, with anti-aliased edges.

Animation: image blocks with their own delay and disposal method, looped by the NETSCAPE2.0 extension; the SVG holds one image, so only the first frame is converted.

Metadata: the GIF can carry comment and application extension blocks, but no EXIF; SVG can carry title, description and RDF metadata elements, but nothing is copied across.

GIF is the classic animated image format. It is limited to 256 colours per frame and 1-bit transparency, so photos look grainy and files are large, but it plays everywhere.

A GIF starts with 'GIF89a' (or the older 87a), a logical screen descriptor and an optional global colour table, then image blocks, each preceded by a graphic control extension that sets its delay and transparent colour.

GIF files usually come from reaction clips, memes, old websites and screen recordings.

SVG describes shapes, paths and text as XML instead of pixels, so it stays crisp at any size. It is the standard for logos, icons and illustrations on the web.

An SVG is an XML document: a root <svg> element with a viewBox, then paths, shapes, text, gradients and filters. It can also embed raster images and, dangerously, scripts, which is why untrusted SVG is sanitized before rendering here.

SVG is the better choice for logos, icons and illustrations, while GIF suits short animations and reactions that must play everywhere.

SVG strengths: Infinitely scalable and sharp; Tiny files for logos and icons; Editable as text and styleable with CSS. Drawbacks to weigh: Not suitable for photographs; Can contain scripts, so untrusted SVG must be sanitized; Many apps and social sites will not accept it.