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kohler/gifsicle

Command-line tool to create, edit, optimize, and inspect GIF images and animations, with companion viewer and diff programs.

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What is it?

Gifsicle is a command-line program for manipulating GIF files. It can merge several images into an animation, split an animation into individual frames, replace or edit specific frames, and change frame delays, disposal methods, and looping. It also handles transparency, interlacing, comments, flipping and rotation, colormap changes, and size optimization for animations.

The package includes two companion tools. Gifview displays GIFs and animations on an X display, either as a slideshow or as real-time playback. Gifdiff compares two GIF files for identical visual appearance, which is useful for testing GIF-processing software.

Gifsicle builds on UNIX with ./configure and make, and on Windows with nmake makefiles for Visual C or Borland C++. Gifview is not built on Windows, and the author notes that Windows support is not provided.

Key features

  • 01Merge multiple images into an animation or split animations into frames
  • 02Edit frame delays, disposal methods, looping, and transparency
  • 03Optimize animations to reduce file size, with optional lossy compression
  • 04Flip, rotate, and change colormaps of GIF images
  • 05Gifview displays animations as slideshows or real-time playback on X
  • 06Gifdiff checks whether two GIFs look identical

Use cases

  • Batch-optimizing GIF animations for websites to reduce bandwidth
  • Scripting frame-level edits to GIF files in build or content pipelines
  • Testing GIF-processing software by comparing output against reference files

Quick start

  1. 1

    Run the configure script

    ./configure
  2. 2

    Build the programs

    make
  3. 3

    Install gifsicle and its manual page

    make install

Things to know

  • Licensed under GPL-2.0 (version 2 only), a copyleft license that applies if you distribute modified code.
  • Windows builds use separate makefiles and do not include gifview, and the author does not provide Windows support.
  • Building from the GitHub source requires running autoreconf -i first if configure is missing.

In collections

Computer vision libraries & tools

Topics

#gif#image-processing#command-line#animation#optimization

FAQ

What is gifsicle?
Command-line tool to create, edit, optimize, and inspect GIF images and animations, with companion viewer and diff programs. Gifsicle is a command-line program for manipulating GIF files. It can merge several images into an animation, split an animation into individual frames, replace or edit specific frames, and change frame delays, disposal methods, and looping. It also handles transparency, interlacing, comments, flipping and rotation, colormap changes, and size optimization for animations.
Is gifsicle free to use? What license does it have?
gifsicle is open source under the GPL-2.0 license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.
Is gifsicle still maintained?
Actively maintained. The last commit to gifsicle was on Oct 15, 2026.
What can I use gifsicle for?
Batch-optimizing GIF animations for websites to reduce bandwidth Scripting frame-level edits to GIF files in build or content pipelines Testing GIF-processing software by comparing output against reference files
How do I install gifsicle?
Run the configure script: ./configure Build the programs: make Install gifsicle and its manual page: make install
Where can I get gifsicle?
The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/kohler/gifsicle

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