GIF palette & alpha limits
Still GIF, up to 256 colours. Alpha below 50% becomes transparent; other pixels become opaque.
Convert BMP to GIF
- In your browser
- No upload
- Private by design
What happens when you convert BMP to GIF?
Sample precision & colour
Pixel conversion only. Original EXIF, GPS, XMP and ICC profiles are not copied; processing uses 8-bit display pixels.
BMP
Source
BMP
Windows Bitmap
Compression: Depends on variantTransparency: YesMetadata: DIB header, ICC (V5)
Windows raster storage with several DIB header versions. Simple uncompressed pixels are common, but alpha and compression vary.
Explore BMP format →GIF
Target
GIF
Graphics Interchange Format
Compression: LosslessTransparency: YesMetadata: Comments, Application extensions
Indexed-colour images and simple frame animation. GIF uses LZW compression and palette-index transparency.
Explore GIF format →Is BMP → GIF right for you?
Good choice when
- GIF fits your delivery use: Simple palette animations.
- A limited palette and binary transparency are acceptable.
- You can validate the destination’s sample precision and colour interpretation.
Probably not when
- You need smooth photographic gradients or partial transparency.
- You require identical samples without a defined colour and precision policy.
BMP to GIF conversion details
- GIF palette & alpha limits
- Still GIF, up to 256 colours. Alpha below 50% becomes transparent; other pixels become opaque.
- Sample precision & colour
- Pixel conversion only. Original EXIF, GPS, XMP and ICC profiles are not copied; processing uses 8-bit display pixels.
- Metadata & colour
- Pixel conversion only. Original EXIF, GPS, XMP and ICC profiles are not copied; processing uses 8-bit display pixels.
- Compression
- BMP: Depends on variant → GIF: Lossless BMP: BMP may be uncompressed or use a header-selected encoding. Alpha is header-dependent; 32 bits alone do not establish transparency support in the receiving application. GIF: LZW compression is lossless for the stored palette indices. Colour reduction before encoding is not lossless for an arbitrary RGB source.
- Transparency
- Transparency is replaced with white by default. Change the background in Advanced options.
- Animation
- Still image output. Animated files use only the first frame; animation is not preserved.
- Colour depth
- BMP: 1 / 4 / 8 / 16 / 24 / 32 bpp → GIF: Up to 256 colours/table
- Dimensions
- Rendered image dimensions are retained within the converter limits; this tool does not offer resizing. Orientation handling depends on the source decoder.
- Metadata
- Pixel conversion only. Original EXIF, GPS, XMP and ICC profiles are not copied; processing uses 8-bit display pixels.
Common questions
Why can GIF lose colours despite lossless compression?
Still GIF, up to 256 colours. Alpha below 50% becomes transparent; other pixels become opaque.
Are bit depth and colour values guaranteed to match?
Pixel conversion only. Original EXIF, GPS, XMP and ICC profiles are not copied; processing uses 8-bit display pixels.
Will metadata and colour profiles be retained?
Pixel conversion only. Original EXIF, GPS, XMP and ICC profiles are not copied; processing uses 8-bit display pixels.