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GIF isn’t uploading, or is loading slowly

Identify why and how to fix it.

Updated over a month ago

If you can’t upload your GIF to Horizon, it means the GIF is over 10 Mb in size.

If your GIF loads slowly in the leaflet, the GIF is probably larger than the recommended 3 Mb.

There are several ways to fix this – some easier than others, and some preserve quality better than others.

📖 This article explains:

Best practices for GIFs

In theory, you always want the highest quality assets in your leaflet. But a GIF with a large file size may cause your leaflet, and the GIF itself, to load sloo-o-oowly.

So, at some point, it’s worth sacrificing a little quality to get a much faster load speed. That’s why…

  • GIF size is limited to a maximum of 10 MB in Horizon.

But to create the optimal user experience, while preserving quality, we recommend that…

  • GIFs should only be used when you have small elements you want animated. For bigger, screenwide elements, always use video.

  • A good rule of thumb, to create the best user experience, is to have GIF sizes below 3 Mb.

Ways to reduce the file size

If your GIF is larger than the best practices, we recommend the guidelines below to reduce the file size.

Get the asset as an MP4

Generally, MP4 files are smaller in size compared to GIFs for the same content.

So, ideally, you would create the asset as a video and export it as an MP4. This will give you the best quality.

Reduce the file size of the GIF

If you can’t get the asset directly as an MP4, you’ll have to work with the GIF you have.

You can either…

Convert the GIF to MP4

MP4 uses more efficient compression techniques than GIFs. So, converting a GIF to MP4 often reduces file size. There are many sites online for converting GIFs into MP4s.

Note that, compared to MP4s, the GIF format is very restrictive in frame rates and color. By converting a GIF to an MP4, the resulting MP4 will also be restricted in frame rate and color.

Compress the GIF

Compression is done using algorithms to eliminate redundant data. So, compressing your existing GIF can reduce the file size.

There are many sites online for compressing GIFs.

Other methods

You can reduce the GIF size manually, without compressing the GIF, but doing so can also affect the quality of your GIF.

  • Reduce the dimensions: Smaller image sizes mean less data, leading to smaller file sizes. Cropping extra space around the GIF can also help.

  • Lower color count: GIFs are limited to 256 colors. Reducing the color count even more can decrease file size.

  • Decrease frame rate: Lowering the number of frames per second (FPS) reduces the number of images in the animation, thereby shrinking the file size.

  • Remove any redundant frames: Identify and delete duplicate or nearly identical frames. This can be done in GIF editing software.

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