Why do gifs load slowly?

GIFs or Graphic Interchange Format is one type of format in images that was first introduced by a company named CompuServe during the early 1987. The use of the GIF format is highly compatible with images having not more than 8 bits per pixel, virtually detecting up to 256 colors. Well suited simple images, GIF has the ability to support animations, without mixing the palettes indicated for every image used. Until this time, GIF is still widely used, especially in games, low resolution film clips and videos and even in logos and other art designs made in the web.

Over the years that GIF has been used as the basic format for most images, many people have enjoyed using it while others experience the worst in utilizing such format. One common complain regarding the use of GIF format is its slow response. Regardless of the speed of the internet connection, many people find images to be loading so slowly, particularly when the format being used is in GIF format. One reason why GIF images load slowly is primarily because of its poor resolution. Most GIF images cannot be detected by the new applications, which basically have advanced versions and resolutions. More so, the type of web browser being used can also affect the rate at which GIF images load. In most cases, the use of Internet Explorer slows down the loading speed of images and files in GIF format mainly because the browser is poorly responding.

In today’s modern era, there are other formats being used aside from the Graphic Interchange Format. However, regardless of this fact, many people still utilize such kind of format mainly for the reason that it has the ability to support simple data and files that are still useful today.