If we look for the word gif in the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ), we will not find it. It is an acronym ( GIF ) that refers to the English expression Graphics Interchange Format , translatable into our language as Graphics Interchange Format .
As an acronym, therefore, GIF is written in capital letters and does not vary depending on whether it is singular or plural. On the other hand, when referring to the extension of files developed in this format , it must be written in lower case ( gif ) and it does change in plural ( gifs ), as suggested by the Fundéu BBVA – Fundación del Español Urgente .
Beyond these details, the idea of GIF or gif usually refers to a file of this graphic format, whose extension is .gif . GIFs are still images or animations .
Created in 1987 , the format achieved popularity due to the efficiency of its compression algorithm , which allows large images to be downloaded in a short time. In images of up to 256 colors, the GIF does not lose quality , although when that number of shades is exceeded, a decrease in its attributes is recorded.
Today, GIFs are often used in banners on websites . Many advertisements, in fact, are captured in GIF files. This is due to the aforementioned speed of loading and downloading since most browsers support the format.
GIF animations , on the other hand, are frequently used on social media . Due to their reduced weight or size compared to videos and how easy it is to edit them, these animations are used on Facebook , Twitter and other networks to complement messages or publications, representing ideas, emotions, etc.
In addition to all of the above, we cannot ignore the fact that GIFs are increasingly used in instant messaging applications such as WhatsApp or Telegram. Specifically, we can highlight that the use of these elements has reached such a point that many people even resort to them to answer some questions that are asked of them, to express how they are at that moment and even to say hello or say goodbye at a meeting. conversation.
Likewise, we cannot ignore the fact that more and more people do not hesitate to create their own GIFs. To do this, they proceed to use as raw material videos from programs, movies or television series or videos that they have recorded themselves with their smartphone camera. Then, the moving images you want are converted into GIFs using some of the specific apps that exist for this purpose.
Specifically, among the most used applications to create GIFs are Giphy GIF Maker, Biteable Video Maker, ImgFlip GIF Creator, GIF Marker, Gfycat, Microsoft GIF Maker or Make a GIF, among many others.
What's more, even today there are many digital media outlets that do not hesitate to use GIFs to give a more current and fun touch to some of the news they publish daily. Among those you can find some such as "The New York Times" or "The Huffington Post."