Macromedia® Fireworks® 8: Training from the Source

Chapter 9. Creating GIF Animations

Animated GIF images use a variant of CompuServe’s Graphics Interchange Format. In 1987, the specification was enhanced to enable GIF files to contain multiple images that play sequentially to provide flip-book–style animation. A 1989 amendment to the format added such controls as an optional delay between frames.

For all their advantages, animated GIF images aren’t perfect. Because they are GIF files, they’re limited to 256 colors. GIF files are far from ideal for photographic images, such as a time-lapse view of a sunset. They’re best for animated banners, buttons, and line art.

You can stop a looping GIF animation with a browser’s Stop button and start over by reloading the image, but you can’t stop and resume ...