Animated GIF Not Animating (Fix It)

When you’re working with GIFs in your visual marketing strategy, they can be used in a number of different ways. They are ideal for social media posts and as part of blog images because they are lightweight and can loop seamlessly.

But, sometimes you might find that your animated GIF doesn’t animate. It might appear as if it is stuck on the first frame. There are a few reasons this could happen, but don’t worry.

You can easily correct the problem and get that animated GIF animated again. In this post, we’ll go over why your animated GIF may not be animating, what to do if it happens to you, and how to fix your animated GIF once you know why it isn’t animating.

Animated GIF Not Animating

If your animated GIF isn’t animating, it could be for one of several reasons. The first thing you’ll want to do is make sure that your image is an animated GIF in the first place.

There are a few different file types that are used for visual content marketing, so it’s important that you make sure you are using the right one. Animated GIFs are used to create a looping sequence of still images that play as a video.

These files use the .gif file extension. PNG files are used to create still images with transparent backgrounds and are often used in place of JPEGs. JPEG files are used for photographs that have been compressed to reduce file size.

If you have verified that you have an animated GIF saved as a GIF file, you’ll want to make sure that it is set up to loop seamlessly. Many programs that allow you to create animated GIFs automatically set them up to loop seamlessly, but it’s always a good idea to make sure.

If your image is still not animating, the problem could be with your image itself. If you are saving your GIF from a video, make sure all of the frames are still there. If you are saving a GIF from a still image, make sure the image is complete and has not been corrupted in any way.

If your animated GIF is not animating, the most likely problem is that the GIF is not marked as continuous. In other words, the GIF has been saved as discrete frames of animation and not as a single image that loops seamlessly.

This can be a few different things. If you are using a photo editing program that allows you to create GIFs, the program may be set up to save your GIF as discrete frames by default.

If you are using a program like Photoshop to create your GIF, the program can be set to save the GIF as a single image or as discrete frames. If you are saving a GIF from a video, the editing program may not be set up to create a single, seamless loop.

If you are saving a GIF from a single image, the image may not be large enough. Some GIF images need to be at least 1 megabyte in size to work correctly. Your image may also not be in the correct format.

If your image is a JPEG, GIFs need to be converted to GIFs using special tools.

How Do I Enable Animated GIFs?

You’ll need to make sure that your animated GIF is marked as a continuous animation. To do this, you will want to open the GIF file in your photo editing software and then mark it as “looping” or “continuous.”

In Photoshop, for example, you will want to open the GIF and select “Video” from the menu bar. From there, select “Loop” and then “Remove Video Properties.” This will ensure that your GIF is set up for a single seamless loop and not as a series of frames.

In GIF-creating software, you will want to make sure that your GIF is set up as continuous or looping animation.

More Fixes to apply when Animated GIF not animating

If your image is too big and is taking up too much space on your computer, this can cause your computer to run slowly and cause your GIF to not animate because it takes too long to load.

To fix this, you can create a smaller version of your image. You can do this using your photo editing software, by using an online image editing program, or by using an image compression program.

Corrupted images can cause your animated GIF to not animate because of a bad frame or image. To check this, open the file in your photo editing software and then click on the “info” tab. If you see a red “X” next to any of the frames in your image, that image is corrupted and you will want to delete it from your GIF.

You may also see “Cannot Read This Frame” or “Bad Frame” in the information area. If you see any of these errors, you will want to delete that frame from your GIF.

If your image is incorrectly formatted, it can cause your animated GIF not to animate because it hasn’t been saved as a GIF. If your image is a JPEG, you will want to convert it to a GIF using your photo editing software.

If your animation isn’t marked as continuous, it can cause your animated GIF not to animate because it has been saved as discrete frames of animation. If your GIF is a single image, you will want to mark it as continuous using your photo editing software.

If your animation is marked as discrete, it can cause your animated GIF not to animate because it has been saved as a single image that loops seamlessly. If your GIF is a series of discrete frames, you will want to make sure it is marked as a single image that loops seamlessly.

Conclusion

When your animated GIF isn’t animating, it can be frustrating. Make sure you are using the correct file type and that it is set up correctly. You may also want to check your image size to make sure it is the correct size.

You can also check to make sure the image isn’t corrupted or incorrectly formatted. Once you know why the animated GIF isn’t animating, you can fix the problem and start using your GIFs in your visual marketing strategy again.