Who invented the GIF image format?

Steve Wilhite invented the GIF image format, leading the CompuServe team that created it in 1987.

GIF, short for Graphics Interchange Format, was designed to make color images easier to download over slow modem connections. CompuServe released the original GIF87a specification on June 15, 1987, using Lempel–Ziv–Welch (LZW) lossless compression. The format supported images with up to 256 colors, making it efficient for logos, illustrations, and simple graphics.

Many people mainly associate GIF with looping animations, but animation was not its original purpose. The later GIF89a revision, released in 1989, added features including animation delays and transparent backgrounds. Browsers eventually made animated GIFs a defining part of early web culture.

A common mix-up is confusing the format’s creator with the inventor of LZW compression. Terry Welch developed LZW, but Wilhite’s CompuServe team selected and implemented it in GIF. GIF pronunciation is also disputed: Wilhite preferred “jif,” while “gif” with a hard G remains widely used.