Transparent text GIFs: how we test them

The maker was last tested on 2026-11-05: The recorded test reported 40 of 40 files decoding, a median size of 40 KB and a largest size of 91 KB; original files are unavailable for independent review. The test used 40 runs: 10 phrases times 4 animations at default settings, and the share of files over 100 KB was: 0 of 40 files (0%) above 100 KB. See the sliding text gif tool.

These figures live in one data file and every page that mentions them shows the same text.

The pre-release browser test recorded ten common phrases across four animations with transparent soft edges and three-second loops. The test report says the files were independently decoded, but the original downloaded files are unavailable for a second check.

A GIF pixel is either fully visible or fully transparent, so a smooth anti-aliased edge cannot be stored. This maker offers three answers: dithered soft edges (the default), sharp edges blended for a light or dark page, and an APNG file that keeps true smooth transparency but is larger.

Use soft edges when the GIF goes on a page whose color you do not know, such as a chat app that switches between light and dark mode. Use sharp edges for a light page or a dark page when you know the background, because the border pixels are blended toward that color and no halo shows. Use APNG when the destination supports it and you want the cleanest result. Use a solid background when the destination does not support transparency at all.

For each pre-release run we recorded the size in kilobytes and export time. The maker can reduce the frame rate when an initial GIF exceeds the target and reports the final size. Identical rendered frames can be combined in the GIF file, so its decoded frame count can be lower than the rendered count.

The test cannot judge how a GIF looks inside a chat app or on your page, which may re-compress it, how a font that is not installed on your device will look, or very long text and large sizes, which make bigger files.

A text GIF has no right answer to be accurate about. We report file size from the recorded test runs; the original test files are unavailable for independent review.