Can GIFs Have Sound?

Can GIFs have sound

GIFs are image files and one of the most popular file formats. It was revolutionary when it first came out. It was intended to support multiple consecutive images, which are a  simple animation. GIF is an ancient file format. GIFs aren’t videos and were never intended to be. An Actual GIF file can’t have and doesn’t support sound. 

The whole reason that the GIF file format exists is to serve the purpose of allowing an image to have multiple frames played one at a time in a loop. That is how the GIF file format was programmed. 

If you see any loops with sound on the internet, then those are not GIFs, they are videos. Nowadays, the majority of popular user platforms support looping videos. It’s easy to simulate GIF with sound. Here are a few ways to make a GIF with sound,

Ways 1: Video With Sound

You can make an MP4 video or other video formats such as AVI, MKV, WMV, and drop a GIF on the timeline. Then, drop in an audio file. 

Ways 2: HTML Page

You can embed a GIF on an HTML page and include HTML audio on the same page. You can use that page and embed the HTML file through an iframe.

Ways 3: Online

Nowadays, many online websites help create GIFs or videos that simulate GIFs. A simple Google search will land you tons of sites.

However, like many other old computer technologies such as Flash, GIFs need to be discontinued. The GIF is an old file format, has a terrible compression algorithm for images, and its support for transparency is flawed. The only reason it’s still around because of diverse web forums, apps, and social networks that allow images but no videos.