GIF on Vista only through IE ??

Question

Is there any other way to open a .gif file in Vista other than using IE ? On XP it was that superb 'Windows Picture and Fax Viewer', but on Vista there is nothing ?? I tried using the Windows Photo Gallery, but it doesn't seem to work. Any ideas ?

iKlaatu · Answer

Wow, didn't know that. Looking for info I found that Wikipedia has conflicting words to say about it. One article on the Photo Gallery says GIF doesn't open and another about Windows Picture Viewer (part mentions Vista) says it does.   Something about the GIF codec being needed anyway.   Someone has answered somebody else asking this same thing only suggesting to use Open With command to select the Photo Gallery Viewer but no more said in reply about it actually working or not.   That's all I know ATM, sorry.

DUDLEY YOUNG · Answer

iKlaatu is right. Just right click on the photo and select open with and select Windows Photo Gallery. From then on it will open in W/P/G automatically.

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Cervi · Answer

I know how to select another program to open a certain file, what I'm saying is that I don't want IE to be my default program to open GIF, but seems like I have no other choice. If I select another program to open it with (i.e. Windows Picture Gallery), it won't open...or it will open as a JPG file (it doesn't move). Basically WPG blows. Anyone has another idea ?

NancyM1037 · Answer

You can use Paint. If you read Vista's help on 'Understanding picture file types', Microsoft is encouraging people to get away from GIF and use JPG instead. (They suggest opening with Paint and then using Save as... to change it to JPG.)

NancyM1037 · Answer

Direct from Vista Help:

What are the advantages and disadvantages of common picture file types?
JPEG Advantages
Most programs can display, open, and save JPEGs.

JPEGs are great for e-mail because of their small file size.

Because you can vary the amount of compression used to save a JPEG, you can control the file size and image quality.

JPEG Disadvantage
JPEGs automatically compress your pictures when you save them, which reduces the visual quality by a small amount. If you use a high compression level, the image quality can be poor.

TIFF Advantage
There is no loss of image quality when saving a picture as a TIFF.

TIFF Disadvantages
Some programs, including most web browsers, cannot display pictures in TIFF format.

TIFF pictures can be very large (many times larger than the same picture saved as a JPEG). As a result, TIFF pictures consume hard disk space far more quickly than JPEGs.

All but the smallest TIFF pictures are too large to send through e‑mail.

What about GIF, bitmap, PNG, RAW, and other file types?
You’ll rarely need to use a file type other than JPEG or TIFF. The bitmap format (.bmp) is an older standard that creates needlessly large files. This wastes disk space and makes it difficult to send these pictures in e‑mail. GIF and PNG are commonly used on webpages, but you’ll find that JPEG works just as well. RAW files, on the other hand, can be created by many digital cameras as a high-quality alternative to JPEG. Many professional photographers choose to work with RAW files because it results in the best possible picture quality.

iKlaatu · Answer

Very curious thing, Nancy.   Can't imagine that actually happening, though. And unless Microsoft is also suggesting a change to M-JPEG from aGIF by using conversion software already in Vista most people would stay with aGIF. In fact, since JPEG and M-JPEG are lossy compression formats oftentimes a 256 color image could degrade significantly.   This is the first I've heard anything about this GIF (and aGIF) file opening trouble in Vista. I've yet to have Vista myself, and I use many GIF files-- both non-animated and animated. Never checked on what would happen to one of my animated images if it were another format like M-JPEG but I suspect the primary colors would either dissolve horribly or be a large size depending on the compression used.   Trying to think here... believe I only have a digital camera that does the motion JPEG format but I seldom use it for video.

Cervi · Answer

Nancy, I've already read everything there is on Help and Support about files conversion, but saving a GIF as a JPG using Paint is not what I have in mind. I will loose the animation, which is the whole point on having a GIF file and not a JPG. I was actually looking for a similar program to Windows Picture and Fax Viewer that XP has, but for Vista.

NancyM1037 · Answer

Sorry, I missed the part about the image moving earlier. Apparently, IE and Paint are the only "Vista" ways to open a GIF, and Paint doesn't do animation. You can download IrfanView from download.com.

Message Edited by NancyM1037 on 06-04-2007 06:57 AM

Cervi · Answer

Thanks Nancy for the IrfanView tip, that actually works, and it's a good alternative to Windows Picture and Fax Viewer that the XP has.

Windows General

GIF on Vista only through IE ??

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