Our GIF compressor uses a two-stage palettegen + paletteuse technique. First, it analyzes your GIF to generate a custom 256-color palette optimized for your specific content (instead of using a generic web-safe palette). Then, it applies this palette with smart dithering algorithms to simulate missing colors. This approach achieves 30-45% file size reduction while maintaining 9/10 visual quality, significantly better than generic compression methods.

Some quality reduction is necessary to achieve meaningful compression, but our smart algorithms minimize perceptual loss. Using palettegen with stats_mode=diff, we preserve important color distinctions and edge definitions that matter most to human vision. For most GIFs, you can achieve 30-40% size reduction with barely noticeable quality changes. You have full control over the quality/size tradeoff with our adjustable compression settings.

Resizing changes the pixel dimensions (e.g., 1000x1000 to 500x500), which reduces file size by having fewer pixels. Compressing optimizes the existing pixels without changing dimensions - it improves color encoding, removes redundant data, and applies efficient compression algorithms. For maximum savings, resize first (if acceptable), then compress. Our tool can do both.

Typically, you can achieve 20-30% compression with imperceptible quality loss using palettegen optimization. 30-45% compression shows minor changes that most users won't notice. 45-60% compression begins showing visible artifacts like color banding and loss of detail. Beyond 60%, quality degradation becomes significant. The optimal target depends on your content - flat graphics compress better than photographs or gradients.

Large GIF file sizes usually stem from: (1) Too many frames - reduce fps or trim duration, (2) High dimensions - resize to target platform requirements (720px for web, 512px for Discord), (3) Complex content - photos and gradients compress poorly in GIF format, consider converting to MP4 or WebP, (4) Already-optimized source - if your GIF is already compressed, further compression yields diminishing returns.

Yes, but effectiveness varies by content type. Best results: Flat graphics, logos, UI elements, cartoons (40-60% reduction). Good results: Simple animations, limited-color content (30-45% reduction). Moderate results: Photographs, complex gradients, high-color content (20-30% reduction). For photos and realistic content, consider converting to MP4 or WebP instead for better quality/size ratios.

Absolutely. All compression happens locally in your browser using WebAssembly. Your GIF never leaves your device - it's not uploaded to any server. We don't store, access, or transmit your files. Once you close the page, all data is permanently deleted from browser memory. This is true privacy-first processing.

Yes! Different platforms have different size limits: Discord (8MB for emoji, 10MB uploads), WhatsApp (16MB limit), Twitter (5MB for posts), Instagram (8MB stories). Our compressor lets you set target file sizes to meet these requirements. We also offer platform presets that automatically optimize dimensions and compression for popular platforms.