GIF to PDF Converter

Encoding: the GIF uses lossless LZW over a palette of at most 256 colours; PDF uses per object: images inside are usually JPEG or Flate-compressed, and the download is a one-page PDF with the image embedded as a JPEG.

Bit depth: 8 bits per pixel, as indexes into a palette in the GIF; PDF allows whatever the embedded images use, and the PDF written here has 8 bits per channel.

Colour: an indexed palette of up to 256 colours per frame in the GIF; PDF supports RGB, CMYK, greyscale or spot colours, written here as 8-bit sRGB.

Transparency: the GIF stores it as one palette entry marked transparent, so each pixel is either fully shown or fully hidden; the PDF has none, so transparent areas are filled with the colour you choose.

Animation: image blocks with their own delay and disposal method, looped by the NETSCAPE2.0 extension; the PDF holds one image, so only the first frame is converted.

Metadata: the GIF can carry comment and application extension blocks, but no EXIF; PDF can carry document info and XMP, but nothing is copied across.

GIF is the classic animated image format. It is limited to 256 colours per frame and 1-bit transparency, so photos look grainy and files are large, but it plays everywhere.

A GIF starts with 'GIF89a' (or the older 87a), a logical screen descriptor and an optional global colour table, then image blocks, each preceded by a graphic control extension that sets its delay and transparent colour.

GIF files usually come from reaction clips, memes, old websites and screen recordings.

PDF is the standard for documents that look identical everywhere. Images placed in a PDF can be printed, emailed and combined into multi-page documents.

PDF is the better choice for sharing, printing and submitting documents, while GIF suits short animations and reactions that must play everywhere.

PDF strengths: Opens identically on every device; Multiple pages in one file; Print-ready page sizes. Drawbacks to weigh: Not an image format: harder to edit or embed.