

The symbol shifts from a “+” to a camera. Step 1: Tap the Create button in the top-right corner. If you are unfamiliar with the format, this is a great place to explore and get started. After downloading and installing the app, you’ll immediately see GIPHY’s gallery, from which you can browse and search for different GIFs. Launched in 2013, GIPHY is one of the web’s most popular GIF databases, but the Android app also includes the option to create your very own. GIPHY is our current favorite for making GIFs.

It is important to note that GIFs are indeed an image format, and thus cannot reproduce audio - they are silent. Communities on Reddit, such as r/GIFs, are dedicated to sharing some of the best GIFs available on the web and showcasing the abilities of the format. Due to the format’s comparatively small file size when compared to full resolution videos, GIFs have become an easy way to share moments on the web. Today, GIFs are a common image format used on the web to showcase short animations easily. However, the GIF didn’t gain its signature ability to showcase animations until a few years and a few revisions after its initial release. It was initially designed as an image format that could easily be downloaded from the now-defunct CompuServe ISP. Short for Graphics Interchange Format, GIF is a bitmap image format created by computer scientist Steve Wilhite in the late 1980s.
