Animation has become key to communication online, but if you want your own library of animations to choose from, you’re in a tricky position. Most think of GIFs as the primary animated file type, but PNG animation is an even better option in some cases. Read on to learn why.
Reaction GIFs, Flash animations in various formats, and videos are the norm, but you’re probably used to accessing them through services like GIPHY and embedding YouTube videos. We all come to a time, though, when we want to use a certain animation in our conversations or blog posts…only to struggle to find it and give up.
When an online animation becomes your Moby Dick, all you can do is hope to come across it another day, right? Think again—You have other options.
Keeping legality in mind, one option you have is saving your favorite files for another day. But, wait! You started a collection, and now your iPhone memory is all taken up!
Believe it or not, it’s possible to reduce this problem with animated PNGs. If you haven’t heard of them and/or can’t imagine making one, you’re not alone. Here’s how to go about animating PNG files.
Breaking the Mold: PNG Animation Without GIFs
Not all PNGs can move, but APNG files can: Compared to turning PNGs into GIFs, this is PNG animation in the truest sense.
The best news is that optimized APNG files typically take up less space than the same animations in GIF format. PNG also supports 24-bit RGB colors, which means that an APNG file can display more colors than a GIF file. If you can animate a PNG that takes up less space and has more colors than a GIF, why does anyone still do PNG-GIF conversion?
The reason is simple. Most people are in your place—not knowing how to make an APNG. So, this file type isn’t yet common, and there are some catches. Not all sites support APNGs, and it’s sometimes tricky to find tips on making them since people use them less often.
The good news is that they’re rising in popularity and more sites are giving users the ability to upload them. When APNG becomes the norm, you’ll be ready. Here are some great tips on how to make APNG files.
APNGs From GIFs
If APNGs are an alternative to animated GIFs, it makes sense that you can make APNGs from GIF files. That said, most people wouldn’t spot the difference between an APNG and a GIF. When it comes down to it, the differences between the animated file types are subtle.
Aside from smaller file sizes (if you optimize), the wider range of color is perhaps the biggest upside. Unfortunately, turning images into GIFs means that transparency is also affected. So, another reason web users opt for APNG files is that they also work with 8-bit transparency. 8-bit makes partial transparency possible.
For this reason, APNG is a good option over GIF for anyone who wants to keep their colors and transparency as true as they can. The best way to create an APNG from a GIF is by using file conversion software.
Turn PNGs Into APNGs
When it comes down to it, animations are sets of frames in sequence. So, animated PNG files can be created by compiling a set of PNG files, in the same way that classic cartoons were made by placing carefully drawn images one after another. Some artistic software, like GIMP and Photoshop, has this capability.
Before getting into it, be aware that the process is no walk in the park. Making a DIY animation perfect is a time-consuming and draining process. So, going that way might be something to think about if you’re an expert looking to fine-tune every aspect—not in most other cases.
Otherwise, the best and easiest way for most (as well as for plenty of artists and designers) is to instead go online and upload the files to a converter. Before you know it, your static PNG files will be a composite animation.
Video to APNG
If you’ve spent much time at all online, you’re probably familiar with turning videos into GIF files, whether or not you’ve done it yourself. Some benefits of converting video to animated files are memory conservation and greater ease of sharing on social media and forums. Just like you can convert portions of video to GIF format, you can also convert video to APNG.
The easiest way to do this is by using a converter like OffDrive. You should note that while APNG can be smaller than GIFs in some instances, video converted to APNG still creates very large files.
However, that drawback is also present when you make a GIF from a video. When the two are compared side by side, the biggest downside of APNG is still that you can’t use it everywhere. Newer browsers and software, though, do support PNG animations.
If you want an alternative for video GIFs, APNG is a great format to explore along with WebP and others. Don’t fret, because these formats are also easily created with online converters.
Become an Internet Pro in No Time
Now that you know all about PNG animation, you can get started making GIFs and APNGs from PNG files. With this information, you have everything you need to do to send professional and exciting emails, make fun ads, decorate your blog, or just have funny files on hand to send to friends and family.
Whatever you do with animated PNGs, once you’ve created your files, it’s vital to get the next steps right. Don’t worry about a thing. We have all your internet use needs covered!
Whether you want to convert files of all sorts or to draw in the most followers possible, check out the rest of our blog to read all the best blogging tips and internet advice.