GIF, the Graphics Interchange Format, was developed by CompuServe, an online service from the pre-Internet era. It is used for lossless storage of images with a maximum of 256 colors as raster graphics or bitmap graphics. The original format was published in 1987 and was updated in 1989, which is why it is also known as GIF89a. The 256 colors can be selected from a palette of 16.7 million colors and transparencies. Thanks to LZW compression, small file sizes are possible, making it particularly advantageous for flat representations and drawings. However, photos may appear less vibrant, which is why JPEG or PNG formats are often preferred for them. Additionally, GIF89a format supports animations in a flipbook-style, which has been frequently used for short film clips since the 2010s.