Opening "GIF" images

[Tom]

Hi,

I searched the web, and from what I have read, Vista does not use a common
picture viewer to look at gif images. If I try to use Windows Photo Gallery
as the default, it simply opens up a gallery of already installed images and
videos when I attempt to open the gif image. It seems I can't use that
program as the default. I can use WPG as the default to look at jpgs with no
problem. The only way to view the animations is to point it to one of my
browser (IE or Firefox). Is there a solution to this or is this a moot
point?

Why did MS include the nifty picture viewer it had in XP?

 

[Puppy Breath]

I think you have to use your browser to view GIF animations. Or the program
you used to create the animation. I don't think there's any way they'll play
in a folder or gallery thumbnail.

Come to think of it, I'm not so sure you can view GIF thumbnails at all in
folders. Or Gallery, or both (I forget which). I just remember
batch-converting all my GIFs to PNGs somewhere along the line during the
beta, mainly so I could see the thumbnails. But PNG won't do for the
animated GIFs, only the stills.

 

[Synapse Syndrome]

Hi,

I searched the web, and from what I have read, Vista does not use a common
picture viewer to look at gif images. If I try to use Windows Photo
Gallery as the default, it simply opens up a gallery of already installed
images and videos when I attempt to open the gif image. It seems I can't
use that program as the default. I can use WPG as the default to look at
jpgs with no problem. The only way to view the animations is to point it
to one of my browser (IE or Firefox). Is there a solution to this or is
this a moot point?

Why did MS include the nifty picture viewer it had in XP?

I think IrfanView will do it. ACDSee certainly can.

ss.

 

[Tom]

I think IrfanView will do it. ACDSee certainly can.

ss.

Thanks,

I know other programs can do it, I already have a few on my PC now. I wonder
why MS made this not possible with thier own viewer, and why they left out
thier pciture viewer in Vista that was in XP.

 

[Adam Albright]

Thanks,

I know other programs can do it, I already have a few on my PC now. I wonder
why MS made this not possible with thier own viewer, and why they left out
thier pciture viewer in Vista that was in XP.

Don't believe everything you read, especially on the web. <snicker>

I just opened several GIFs including animated ones directly from
Windows Explorer and didn't change anything. They appeared in the
normal Photo Gallery viewer.

Now this is interesting. I went to Control Panel, Default Programs,
then Associate file types. Guess what... Vista had mine set to use
Internet Explorer as the default viewer. Still it used Photo Galley
when I clicked on GIF images in Windows Explorer. Go figure. Just to
make sure I changed the association to Photo Galley.

 

[Synapse Syndrome]

Don't believe everything you read, especially on the web. <snicker>

I just opened several GIFs including animated ones directly from
Windows Explorer and didn't change anything. They appeared in the
normal Photo Gallery viewer.

Now this is interesting. I went to Control Panel, Default Programs,
then Associate file types. Guess what... Vista had mine set to use
Internet Explorer as the default viewer. Still it used Photo Galley
when I clicked on GIF images in Windows Explorer. Go figure. Just to
make sure I changed the association to Photo Galley.

Well, when I try to even drag a .gif file over Photo Gallery I get the 'not
possible' mouse cursor. Are you running Vista RTM?

ss.

 

[Hugh Wyn Griffith]

Irfanview 399 definitely can -- I just checked File Open and it's in
the list of types.

Originally GIF was Compuserve's own property but there was a patent
dispute with someone whose name I forget and I think it is now an open
format -- but it might explain why it's not included in VISTA? Or maybe
it's not much used?

 

[Synapse Syndrome]

Irfanview 399 definitely can -- I just checked File Open and it's in
the list of types.

Originally GIF was Compuserve's own property but there was a patent
dispute with someone whose name I forget and I think it is now an open
format -- but it might explain why it's not included in VISTA? Or maybe
it's not much used?

It's still widely used for web graphics as it allows transparency. The
latest browsers have .png support, but as there are still a lot of people
using older browsers and operating systems, web designers are still using
..gif for transparency and animation.

ss.

 

[Hugh Wyn Griffith]

Thanks for the background on GIF -- I'm a longtime Compouserve user and
sysop but there's a lot I don't know <s>