GIF to PNG
An animated GIF keeps its first frame only, and this page says so.
The short answer
A GIF holds at most 256 colours and PNG holds millions, so nothing is lost on the way across for a still image. Animation is a different matter: a canvas decodes one frame, and PNG has nowhere to put the rest, so an animated GIF arrives here as its first frame.
GIF holds 256 colours; PNG holds millions. For a still image nothing is lost crossing over. For an animation, only the first frame comes with it.
The formula
decode the first frame → draw it onto a canvas → encode as PNG
Worked examples
- A still GIF
- identical, in a modern format
- An animated GIF
- the first frame only
- A GIF with transparency
- transparency kept, and now it can fade
Reference table
| Format | Colours | Transparency | Animation |
|---|---|---|---|
| GIF | 256 | On or off, no fade | Yes |
| PNG | 16.7 million | 256 levels | No |
| WebP | 16.7 million | 256 levels | Yes |
| APNG | 16.7 million | 256 levels | Yes |
How to use it
- 01Drop the GIF inOr pick a file. Decoded by your own browser.
- 02Save the PNGLossless, with the full colour range and proper transparency.
Also searched for
Searches that land here include gif to png, convert gif to png, gif to image, gif frame to png and gif converter.
Two formats from different decades
The colour ceiling
GIF stores a palette of at most 256 colours and an index per pixel. That was generous in 1987 and is the reason gradients in a GIF look striped: the format cannot describe the shades in between. PNG stores the colours themselves, so it has no ceiling to hit.
Transparency, on or off
A GIF pixel is either fully transparent or fully opaque, which is why a GIF logo on a coloured background has a jagged fringe. PNG has 256 levels of transparency, so an edge can fade. Converting will not repair the fringe that is already baked in, but anything you do to the PNG afterwards can.
If the animation matters
Nothing here can keep it. Animated WebP is the current answer, usually a fraction of the size of the equivalent GIF, and APNG exists if you need something PNG-based. Both need an encoder that a browser canvas does not provide.
Questions people ask
Will the animation survive?
No. A canvas decodes one frame at a time and PNG has nowhere to put the others, so what you get is the first frame. If the animation is the point, WebP and APNG both animate and both are far smaller than a GIF; converting to those needs an encoder this page does not have.
Why does my GIF look banded or dithered?
Because it can only carry 256 colours. Whatever made the GIF had to throw away everything else, often by dithering — scattering dots of the available colours to fake the missing ones. Converting to PNG keeps that dithering exactly as it is: the colours were discarded before you got here.
Is PNG better than GIF?
For a still image, in every way that matters: millions of colours instead of 256, real transparency with 256 levels instead of on-or-off, and usually a smaller file. GIF's only remaining advantage is animation, and even there WebP beats it on both size and quality.