Advantages and Limitations of Animated .GIFs

Animated GIFs

Advantages
A GIF allows the user to create an animated, short "video" into an easily up loadable image which then replays indefinitely. This creates a new medium of animation for animators to use. GIFs are usually relatively small files, which makes uploading them and storing them on a computer much easier. GIFs can be used for lots of different animations and images, and usually varying in length. Depending on how long the GIF is, the larger the file will be. 

Disadvantages
GIFs only allow 256 colours in each image. This is a very limited number, meaning images can appear blocky. Some GIFs will be required to be compressed, and if they aren't compressed well then the GIF will appear blocky again and the resolution will become distorted. 

Types of Animation
There are several different types and formats for animation. Each one is different, with different features, advantages and disadvantages. 

Flash
A Flash animation or Flash cartoon is an animated film which is created by Adobe Flash or similar animation software.

Flash animation supports audio, animation and advanced interactivity which allows the animator to create an animation what allows interactivity from the user. This means animations can have different options that the user can take, which can continue the animation in a different direction depending on which option was chosen. 

Flash is relatively easy to learn as it provides a designer-friendly learning environment. However, it requires a good understanding of computer graphics, and the advanced features require familiarity with programming or scripting techniques.

Flash integrates well with other web technologies. This gives it a lot of options for interactivity when used in web browsers, and allows for more interactivity between the user and the animation. 

Shockwave
Adobe Shockwave is a multimedia platform used to add animation and interactivity to webpages. It allows Adobe Director applications to be published on the Internet and viewed in a web browser on any computer which has the Shockwave plug-in installed. 

Shockwave player is one of the less used multimedia platforms, as other programs like Flash have taken over the majority share and are the ones often used and integrated in webpages to add animation and user interactivity. 

Dynamic HTML
Dynamic HTML refers to HTML tags, scripts and elements that are more user interactive. Dynamic HTML combines HTML with other languages such as CSS and Javascript.

A Dynamic HTML page does not reload at every click. Instead, it loads only the part of the content that is supposed to change, such as the main text, a graphic, or the menu bar. So you can keep adding content and it won’t slow down the loading time.

Dynamic HTML makes use of built in features on the browser, so compatibility is less of a problem. Users don't have to download plug-ins or update their browser to access Dynamic HTML websites. 

Dynamic HTML sites can add more features without weighing down the site. Dynamic HTML sites often have lots of added features while still keeping a compact look.

Dynamic HTML can be costly to edit, as many HTML editors can handle Dynamic HTML code. To build a Dynamic HTML page, you may need an advanced editor such as Dreamweaver, which can be costly. 

Dynamic HTML combines with Javascript and CSS and as such has complex code. Most Dynamic HTML editors will do most of the work, but if you only have a knowledge of HTML, you'll need at least a working knowledge of the other two languages.

QuickTime
QuickTime is an extensible multimedia framework developed by Apple that is capable of handling different formats of digital video, picture, sound and interactivity. 

QuickTime is a relatively unknown platform compared to Java, and while Java is created to be compatible cross platforms, QuickTime is only installed by default on Macs. Other users must navigate to certain websites to install and update QuickTime, and it may not always work on certain PCs and operating systems.