Convert GIF to PNG
Drop the GIF and download its first frame as PNG, with clean transparency.
Drop an image here
or
PNG, JPG, WEBP, HEIC, AVIF, JXL, GIF, BMP, TIFF and SVG · up to 20 MB
What a GIF gains by becoming a PNG
A GIF carries two limitations from 1987 that still show today: at most 256 colours and all-or-nothing transparency. Each pixel is either in or out, with nothing in between. That's what produces the recognisably jagged edge on old logos, and the coloured halo that appears when the GIF was made for a background different from the one it sits on now.
PNG fixes the second limitation outright. It stores 256 levels of transparency, so an edge can fade away smoothly instead of stopping dead. A cut-out logo as PNG can go on any background without the seam showing.
What PNG can't do is invent colours the GIF already discarded. If the image was saved with a 256-colour palette, those 256 are what exist, and converting doesn't widen them.
First frame only
If the GIF is animated, this conversion returns its first frame. That's usually what people want: a cover for the clip, a grab to illustrate an article, a still for a document. But it's worth saying plainly, because anyone trying to keep the motion won't find it here: that needs an animated format, not an image.
When it's worth it and when it isn't
- An old logo or icon as GIF: yes, the best case. You gain decent transparency and the file stays about the same.
- A photograph saved as GIF: yes, but the damage is done. The 256 colours don't come back, so the banding and dithering stay. PNG only stops it getting worse.
- Animation you want to keep: no. Not here.
- File size: don't expect a saving. GIF already compresses losslessly and is compact with few colours. If smaller is what you're after, the destination is WEBP.
Common questions
- What happens to the animation?
- It's lost. A PNG is a still image, so an animated GIF gives you its first frame. That's what you want for a cover or a grab from the clip, and not what you want if you were trying to keep the motion.
- Does the image quality improve?
- No new colours appear: a GIF holds at most 256 colours and those are what you get. What does improve is transparency, which in GIF is all-or-nothing and leaves jagged edges, while PNG stores 256 levels and gives a soft edge.
- Why is the PNG sometimes bigger?
- Because GIF also compresses losslessly, and with 256 colours the file was already small. On low-colour images the two land close together; PNG wins clearly when there are gradients or partial transparency.
- Is it good for an old logo saved as GIF?
- That's the best case for it. Plenty of logos on older sites are still GIFs, with their jagged edge and a halo of whatever background colour was around at the time. Moving to PNG keeps the image and lets you redo the transparency without that halo.
- How do I keep the animation?
- You can't with a conversion: you'd need an animated format such as animated WEBP, or a video, which isn't what this tool does.