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GIF Frame Splitter

Split an animated GIF into PNG frames composited exactly as browsers play them. See a table of frame delays and disposal, save single frames or download a ZIP with all frames and a delays CSV.

Overview

Splits an animated GIF into individual PNG frames, each composited the way a browser plays the animation, and lists every frame's delay and disposal method. Download a single frame or a ZIP holding all frames plus a CSV of delays. The GIF is decoded by a parser written for this tool, so nothing is uploaded.

How It Works

Drop a .gif file. The tool decodes it and shows the frame count, dimensions, total duration and loop setting, followed by a table with a thumbnail, delay and disposal for each frame. Delays below 20 ms are flagged with the 100 ms browsers actually use. Click the download icon on any row to save that frame as PNG, or Download all frames to get a ZIP of numbered PNGs and a frame-delays.csv file, with progress and Cancel for long animations.

Step-by-Step Usage Guide

  1. Drop an animated GIF onto the page.
  2. Review the frame count, duration and the delay table.
  3. Click the download icon on a row to save one frame.
  4. Click Download all frames for a ZIP of PNGs and the delays CSV.

Technical Specifications & Standards

GIF frames are often small patches drawn over the previous frame rather than full pictures, so saving raw frame data would give fragments. The decoder reads the logical screen, the global and local colour tables, and each Graphic Control Extension for delay, transparency index and disposal method. It decompresses the variable-width LZW image data, reorders rows for interlaced images, and draws each patch onto a full-size canvas. It then applies the disposal method before the next frame: leave in place, clear that rectangle to transparent, or restore what was there before. Each exported PNG is a snapshot of that canvas, so it looks exactly like the animation at that moment. The NETSCAPE2.0 or ANIMEXTS1.0 block gives the loop count; without one the GIF plays once. Thumbnails are shown for the first 60 frames to keep the page light, while the ZIP always contains every frame. Decoding stops at 1,000 frames for very large files.

Targeted Use Cases

  • Getting a clean still image from a GIF for a thumbnail or poster frame.
  • Editing frames of a GIF in an image editor before rebuilding it.
  • Checking frame timing of an animation that plays too fast or too slow.
  • Extracting sprite frames from a pixel art animation for a game.

Notes & Gotchas

  • Use the CSV delays when rebuilding a GIF so timing stays the same.
  • Check the disposal column if frames look wrong in other tools; it explains how layers combine.
  • Rebuild edited frames in the GIF Maker with the same width to keep the original look.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do some frames say they play as 100 ms?

The GIF stores a delay below 20 ms, often 0. Chrome, Firefox and Safari ignore such values and use 100 ms instead, so the table shows the delay the animation actually plays with.

Are the frames full images or just the changed parts?

Full images. Each frame is composited onto the whole canvas with the previous frames and disposal rules applied, so every PNG looks exactly as the animation does at that point.

What does disposal mean?

It tells the player what to do with a frame before drawing the next one: keep it, clear its area to transparent, or restore the earlier image. Optimised GIFs use it to store only the pixels that change.

Does it work with very large GIFs?

Yes, within your device's memory. Up to 1,000 frames are decoded; if a GIF has more, a notice says it was truncated. Thumbnails cover the first 60 frames, and the ZIP has all of them.

Related tools

  • GIF Maker - Make an animated GIF from images or a short video. Reorder frames, set per-frame delays, loop count, size and colours, with optional dithering. Encoding runs in a background worker with progress.
  • Video to GIF Converter - Turn a clip of an MP4, WebM or MOV video into an animated GIF. Trim start and end against a preview, choose frame rate, width, speed and colours, then download. Nothing is uploaded.
  • Image Splitter (Grid Tiles) - Split one image into a grid of equal tiles, such as 1x3 or 3x3 for Instagram carousels and profile grids. Tiles are named by row and column and downloaded together as a ZIP of PNG or JPG files.
  • Image Converter (PNG, JPG, WebP, AVIF, BMP, ICO, GIF) - Batch convert images between PNG, JPG, WebP, AVIF, BMP, ICO and GIF in your browser. Set quality, pick a background for transparent areas, keep file names and download everything as one ZIP.
  • PDF Page Splitter - Extract specific pages or page ranges from a PDF and download as a new file.
  • Motion Graphics Maker (Animated Text, Logos & Intros) - Keyframe animated text, logos, lower thirds and intros in your browser. Easing graph, trim paths, masks, 33 presets, 9 templates. Export WebM, MP4, GIF, PNG frames, Lottie or CSS.