GIF, WebP, AVIF and WebM formats

GIF

GIF format is one of the most common image file formats on the Internet along with JPEG and PNG formats, and well-supported on most browsers because it was developed in 1987, a long time ago.

The most distinctive feature of GIF is that it may give animation to an image file. An animated GIF file is an image that includes motion like a video and repeats continuously. Many websites use the format to replace short and small-sized videos.

GIF supports up to 256 different colors, which means the format has a limit to display a high-quality image; there may be severe quality deterioration when you make an animated GIF file from your video.

However, Honeycam can minimize the drawback of GIF through 256-color quantization and create an animated GIF file of ultrahigh-quality, as similar as possible to the original video.

WebP format

WebP format was developed by Google in 2010 for the replacement of JPEG, PNG, and GIF formats on the Web. The format supports both lossy and lossless compression and has a higher compression ratio than conventional JPEG and PNG have.

WebP also supports the animation feature as GIF does and an animated WebP file is much smaller than GIF one; if they have the same content, the WebP file is about 10% ~ 20% in size compared to the GIF file.

There weren't many browsers that supported WebP in the past, but now, WebM is supported on almost all browsers except IE(Internet Explorer) so images in this format can be viewed without limitation on almost any device.

NOTE: Honeyview supports WebP format.
» Download Honeyview

AVIF format

AVIF (AV1 Image Format) is a next-generation image format that is designed to provide highly efficient image compression with superior image quality. It is based on the AV1 video codec, which is a royalty-free, open-source video codec developed by the Alliance for Open Media (AOM), a consortium of major technology companies including Google, Netflix, Amazon, and Microsoft, among others.

AVIF also supports the animation feature as GIF does and an animated AVIF file is much smaller than GIF one; if they have the same content, the AVIF file is about 3% ~ 10% in size compared to the GIF file.

In the past, support for the AVIF format was limited, with only a few browsers offering compatibility. However, the landscape has changed significantly recently since Apple started to support it. Chrome and Firefox now fully support AVIF, and Safari has also joined the bandwagon, offering support since iOS 16.1 and macOS 13.3. With Apple's endorsement, AVIF is poised to gain rapid popularity in the coming days.

NOTE: BandiView supports AVIF format.
» Download BandiView

WebM

WebM format is a video file format developed by Google. Using VP8 and VP9 video codecs, the format shows a similar (or higher) compression ratio compared to that of H.264 codec.

Because WebM is a video file format, you may play a WebM file by using <video> element in HTML5. WebM is supported on almost all browsers except IE(Internet Explorer) as long as the VP8 codec is used.

WebM even supports transparent background therefore WebM is the only solution if you want to make a video with transparent background.

Comparison between formats

GIF - 929 KB

WebP - 131 KB

This image can be viewed in Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Apple Safari and Honeyview. (iPhone supports WebP since iOS 14.)

AVIF - 56 KB

This image can be viewed in Google Chrome, Apple Safari, and BandiView. (iPhone supports AVIF since iOS 16.1.)

WebM - 75 KB

The WebM file is much smaller than the GIF file.
You may view the video with Google Chrome or video player software.

NOTE: Honeycam can create WebM and MP4 files, but can’t record any sound of the original video in the files.