WebP V.S. GIF – Save the Animated GIF to WebP to Save Bandwidth
Last Updated on March 31, 2022 by Lendle Gozun
Why should you convert animated GIF to WebP? The diverse publications and websites reach conflicting findings of when to employ animated GIF or WebP file format. The website can playback the animated GIF automatically while loading the files much faster in WebP. If you need to save bandwidth and optimize the reading experience, read more to know how to improve website performance by using WebP instead of the animated GIF.
Part 1: What are the Differences between WebP and GIF
Whether you need to convert animated GIF to WebP, or vice versa, for a better understanding of the performance of each file type, let's dives deeper into each format.
GIF Overview
Along with JPEG and PNG, the GIF format is one of the most widely used file formats on the Internet and is widely supported by most browsers due to its development in 1987, a long time ago.
GIF's most distinguishing characteristic is its ability to add motion to a picture file. An animated GIF file is a still image that contains motion similar to that of a video and repeats indefinitely. Numerous websites employ the format in place of short and compact films.
Furthermore, GIF allows up to 256 different colors, which means the format has a limited ability to display a high-quality image. When you create an animated GIF file from your film, the quality may degrade significantly. It is the reason that you need to convert GIF to WebP.
WebP Overview
Google created the WebP format in 2010 to replace the JPEG, PNG, and GIF image formats on the Web. The format is lossy and lossless in nature and has a higher compression ratio than JPEG and PNG.
WebP, like GIF, supports animation, and an animated WebP is substantially smaller than a GIF file; assuming they contain the same content, the WebP file is approximately 10% to 20% lower in size than the GIF file.
Previously, few browsers supported WebP, but now since practically all browsers except IE (Internet Explorer) support WebM, photos in this format can be viewed without restriction on almost any device.
Part 2: The Simple Method to Convert GIF to WebP
Since the WebP is much smaller compared to the animated GIF, it is quite practical to convert GIF to WebP for much better performance, especially for saving bandwidth. WidsMob WebP is a versatile method to convert WebP to JPEG/PNG/BMP/GIF or transcode the other file formats to WebP. Moreover, you can also rotate images, resize photos, and even add watermarks to the WebP before uploading them to your website.
1. Provide different browsing modes to preview the animated WebP.
2. Convert animated GIF to animated WebP with smaller file size.
3. Resize photos in 4 different modes and enlarge the photos easily.
4. Protect the WebP photos with text watermark or image watermark.
Step 1: Download and install WidsMob WebP, launch the program, and click the Import button to import the animated GIF. Once you have imported the desired GIF file, you can preview the GIF with histogram, properties, and more other parameters.
Step 2: Click the Convert button that you can preview the animated GIF. It also enables you to resize, rotate, flip, and add text/photo watermark. There are different parameters to tweak the font, style, size, angle, position, and others for the output.
Step 3: After that, you can click the Export icon to choose the WEBP as the output format, adjust the photo quality, tweak the duration, or even overwrite the existing files. Click the Convert button to convert the animated GIF to WebP files accordingly.
Part 3: How to Convert Animated GIF to WebP Online
When you need to download and convert GIF to WebP online directly, you can simply use FreeConvert to convert, crop, and resize animated GIFs by transforming URLs. Moreover, you can also resize the output image, adjust image quality, and tweak the compression speed.
Step 1: Go to the FreeConvert GIF to WebP on a web browser, you can click the Choose Files button to select your GIF files. You can select the WebP as the output format if it is not confirmed.
Step 2: Click the Gear icon to access the advanced option, which enables you to resize the output WebP file, adjust image quality, and more. After that, you can click the Apply Settings button to confirm the settings.
Step 3: Click the Convert to WebP button to start the conversion. When the status changes to done, you can click the Download WebP button to convert animated GIF to WebP accordingly.
Part 4: FAQs about Converting GIF to WebP
Conclusion
Switching from animated GIF to animated WebP yielded impressive savings, with image size and bandwidth decreased by 65-90 percent while maintaining the same visual effect. Although limited browsers support WebP files, the newer versions of Chrome are getting increasingly widespread. It is why WebP's value is growing. To save bandwidth, converting animated GIF to WebP using the WidsMob WebP should be your choice.