What happens to an animated GIF?

You get the first frame as a still PNG. PNG has no animation, so there is nowhere for the rest to go — this is a limitation of the target format rather than of the tool.

Will the colours improve?

They will not get better than the GIF already is, because the colour information was reduced to 256 when the GIF was made. What you gain is that no further reduction happens, and any editing from here has the full range available.

Does the transparent background survive?

Yes. It stays hard-edged, because that is how it was stored in the GIF, but it is preserved.

Free converter

GIFPNG

GIF to PNG Converter

GIF is limited to 256 colours and a hard-edged, one-bit transparency that leaves a fringe around everything. PNG has neither limitation. For a still image, converting to PNG is a straight improvement in what the format is capable of storing.

Download for Windows

Windows 10/11 (x64) · Free · No account

Drop in your files — PNGs land in the folder you pick, with transparency carried across.

Why convert

Why convert GIF to PNG

GIF was designed in 1987 and it shows: 256 colours maximum, and transparency that is either fully on or fully off, which is what produces those jagged white fringes around a cut-out. PNG supports millions of colours and smooth partial transparency. If the image is not animated, there is very little reason to keep it as a GIF.

A logo or icon saved as GIF with an ugly fringe around the edges.
Getting better colour out of a still image stuck in GIF.
Preparing an old web graphic for reuse somewhere modern.
Converting a folder of legacy assets in one pass.

How it works

Convert GIF to PNG in a few clicks

1
Drop your GIFs in
One file or a folder of them.
2
Choose PNG
Lossless, with the transparency carried across.
3
Get the PNGs back
In the folder you chose, GIFs untouched.

The details

GIF to PNG, at a glance

Engine: sharp (libvips)
Output: PNG, lossless
Transparency: Carried across
Animated GIFs: The first frame only — animation is not preserved in PNG
Where it runs: Your own PC — nothing is uploaded
Limits: None — no file count, no file-size cap, no watermark
Platform: Windows 10/11 (x64)

Questions