What happens to PNG's smooth transparency in a GIF?

GIF only supports on/off transparency, so every semi-transparent pixel must become either fully solid or fully clear. Soft shadows and anti-aliased edges get hard cutoffs, which often shows as a pale fringe or halo when the GIF sits on a dark background.

Will the colors change when converting PNG to GIF?

Only if the PNG uses more than 256 colors. Screenshots of simple interfaces, logos, and line art usually fit within the palette and convert exactly; photographs and gradient-heavy images get quantized and show banding.

When does GIF actually beat PNG?

Almost never on quality — PNG is a strict upgrade for still images. GIF earns its keep in two situations: compatibility with old systems and email clients that expect it, and as the assembly format for frame-based animations, which standard PNG doesn't do.

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Converting PNG to GIF produces a compact, universally-supported image for simple graphics or animation frames. GIF's small palette keeps file sizes low for basic web imagery.

Convert PNG to GIF – Free Online PNG to GIF Converter

Why convert PNG to GIF?

Make lightweight web graphics and icons from a PNG.
Prepare frames for building a GIF animation.
Guarantee playback anywhere GIF is supported.

Tip: GIF caps at 256 colours and only supports on/off transparency — detailed PNGs may lose colour depth and smooth edges.

How to convert PNG to GIF

Upload your PNG file using the area above.
GIF is preselected as the target format.
Click Start and wait for the conversion to finish.
Download your converted GIF file.

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