Animated .GIF: Video or Image?

[I am Reid]

Do you consider an animated .gif to be a video, or a image.

I was once trying to explain to someone that a .gif wasnt really a video, but no matter how I tried to explain it, I couldnt. That left me wondering, why isnt a gif a video?

[sundayx Veteran]

I'd say it's a video.

[tiagosilva29]

Image

[The_Decryptor Veteran]

Depends on the file format.

GIF is an image format that happens to be able to display animations, Video is a video format which happens to be able to display images.

[+jamesyfx Subscriber²]

I'd call it an image format. Since you could have an mpeg which is a static image, after all. And that's not an image format.

[brentaal]

Crappy image format.

[Minifig]

Image.

By definition Video has to move at 60 frames per second and have sound.

[Kudos Veteran]

By definition Video has to move at 60 frames per second and have sound.

[citation needed]

I call bull****.

[The_Decryptor Veteran]

Image.

By definition Video has to move at 60 frames per second and have sound.

You do know that the major video standards (PAL and NTSC) in use around the world are all under 30 frames a second, right?

[grimman]

You do know that the major video standards (PAL and NTSC) in use around the world are all under 30 frames a second, right?

Clearly we have yet to see video then.

[Kudos Veteran]

Clearly we have yet to see video then.

*Cue Planet of the Apes scene*

We've been watching images all along... WHYY?? *cries*

[brentaal]

You do know that the major video standards (PAL and NTSC) in use around the world are all under 30 frames a second, right?

Brb, gonna go and watch the latest "The Office" episode pictures.

[Gio Takahashi]

Technically you can use gif to display 'video', but that would take up sheer amount of space.

Video is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion.

Source

By going that defition, technically, GIF is a video. After all, it is a series of still images represented in a motion. (it does not have to have sound to be called a video either.)

but the way I see it is that GIf is just to much of a simple file to call it video, (let alone compare it to AGI, MPEG, etc), and since it is so simple, most people use it for animated images, hence calling it an icon.

Unless you're prepared to call :beer: a video. :p

[alan]

i think image

[Chasethebase Veteran]

Image. file size isn't big enough to be a video at the moment.

[+Xinok Subscriber²]

95% image format, 5% video format.

[I am Reid]

Image. file size isn't big enough to be a video at the moment.

that makes no sense

[MasterC]

Image.

By definition Video has to move at 60 frames per second and have sound.

What? Where exactly did you get your information? Normal video runs at 29.97 (or 30) frames per second. You can even have it run at 25, 24, 15, 12, 10, 8. Or you can have it at 50, 59.94, or 60. And where did you ever come up with the "fact" that video has to have sound?

I think you should get a book like this and read it cover to cover. ;)

Image. file size isn't big enough to be a video at the moment.

Once again, what? I have video files that are smaller in size that some images that I have. By your definition, that means the videos would be images.

[Dc'1]

Image :)

[Colin-uk Veteran]

its an image.

you can pause and skip videos in most media players.

you cant do that with .gif's :p

I dont think media players play.gif files anyway lol.

[I am Reid]

its an image.

you can pause and skip videos in most media players.

you cant do that with .gif's :p

I dont think media players play.gif files anyway lol.

I just tried it with VLC, and it wont play a .gif. Even though I voted for image, i think im going to have to change to video. I havnt really seen any good reason as to why it isnt a video.

[MasterC]

I dont think media players play.gif files anyway lol.

Quicktime does. (Y)

[McDave]

From Wiki

Video is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion.

I voted image however I guess it depends on the gif itself. If there are two or more frames that represent a sequence then I guess it counts as a video.

[MrChainsaw]

From wikipedia:

The Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) is a bitmap image format

[Andrew Lyle Global Moderator]

We'll video is really just fast moving still shots (frames) and so is a GIF... Guess you could see it that way, but I only consider a video a video with sound, or under a certain format.

I say it's an image