An exact copy of the frame you kept
- Reading GIF
- native — no extra library needed
- Animation
- only the first frame is converted
- Writing GIF
- not possible in a browser canvas
A GIF holds at most 256 colours, and PNG reproduces every one without loss — the still frame that comes out is pixel-identical, transparency included. What surprised us is the price. We assumed PNG would be "a little larger"; measured, the flat UI capture went from 10.2 KB to 22.9 KB and the transparent logo from 4.3 KB to 26.0 KB — up 125% and 507%. For few-colour flat images, the LZW inside GIF is simply more efficient than PNG, which is the opposite of the usual advice. Come here for a format editors accept and that cannot be mistaken for an animation, not for a smaller file.
We measured it: real file sizes
Settings: page defaults
What the numbers sayBoth rows go the wrong way, and further than we expected: the flat UI capture went from 10.2 KB to 22.9 KB (+125%) and the transparent logo from 4.3 KB to 26.0 KB (+507%). The received wisdom is that PNG replaced GIF because it is better in every way — on size, for few-colour flat images, that is simply false. GIF's LZW handles long runs of identical palette indices very efficiently. Convert for compatibility and for editors that reject GIF, not to save space.
Measured on 2026-07-28 by running these files through this very page in Chromium 151.0.7922.34. Every page uses the same published test files, so the numbers are comparable across converters.Method, and download the test images →
What is GIF to PNG conversion?
This tool converts GIF images into the PNG format, entirely in your browser with no upload. GIF is an old format limited to 256 colors, best known for simple animations. When converting, only the first frame is used, producing a static image. PNG is a lossless format with transparency support, so quality never degrades when you save. It is ideal for logos, icons, screenshots with text and images with transparent backgrounds, but files tend to be larger.
How to use it
- Select or drop in your GIF image.
- The tool converts it to PNG locally, instantly.
- Click Download to save the PNG file.
When should you convert GIF to PNG?
GIFs are limited to 256 colors and are often left over from old clip art or a saved animation frame.
Convert GIF to PNG when you need lossless quality or a transparent background — for cut-outs, logos or assets you will edit further. The trade-off is that PNG files are usually larger than GIF.
GIF vs PNG: key differences
| Property | GIF | PNG |
|---|
| Compression | Lossless | Lossless |
| Transparency | Yes | Yes |
| Best for | Simple animations, low-color graphics | Logos, icons, screenshots, transparent graphics |
What to watch for when turning a GIF into a PNG
Converting a GIF to PNG is handy when you just want a clean still image out of it — grabbing one frame to use as a thumbnail, or pulling out a low-colour piece of clip art or an icon to edit or print. PNG is lossless and supports transparency, so flat colours and sharp edges stay crisp with no compression noise. The key thing to remember: this conversion only keeps the first frame of the GIF. If the original was animated, the motion is gone and you're left with that opening frame alone. So if you need to preserve the animation, stick with the GIF or switch to a video format like MP4 or WebM instead of PNG.
Round-trip back to PNG — do you get your original size back?
No, and it moves the wrong way. The original PNG of that UI screenshot in our corpus is 18.0 KB. As a GIF it is 10.2 KB, and converting it back here produces 22.9 KB (+125%). One full lap leaves the file +28% larger than it started, holding at most 256 colours. Two effects stack. Reducing to a palette dithers, scattering fine speckle that PNG then has to encode, and our output is 32-bit RGBA rather than an indexed PNG, so the discount the palette used to give is gone too. The logo row is starker: 4.3 KB → 26.0 KB (+507%). The practical rule: if you still have the original PNG, do not come back through GIF. For an indexed PNG reach for a dedicated tool such as pngquant — this converter does not emit palette PNGs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the PNG bigger than the GIF it came from?
Because a GIF is already a compressed palette image, and PNG has to describe the same picture as full-colour pixel data. Our UI capture went from 10.2 KB to 22.9 KB, up 125%, and the transparent logo from 4.3 KB to 26.0 KB, up 507%. You get exactness and a proper alpha channel in return, which matters if you are editing — but if you just need a smaller modern file, the WebP page is the one that actually shrank our GIF.
Are my images uploaded?
No. The conversion runs entirely in your browser using the Canvas API. Your images are never sent to a server or stored, so it is safe for private photos.
Does converting GIF to PNG reduce quality?
PNG is a lossless format, so converting does not reduce quality. The output file is usually a bit larger than the GIF original.
Is transparency preserved?
Yes. PNG supports transparency, so any transparent background in the original is kept.
Can I convert many images at once?
You can convert images one at a time; everything runs locally, so speed depends on your device. For large batches, a desktop browser works best.
