GIF and PS image formats are widely adopted in office and home settings. Nonetheless, each format has benefits and drawbacks depending on the application area.
The article shows how PS vs. GIF are different or similar in structure, performance, browser support, storage demands, compression technique, image quality, animation and transparency support, and file size.
When is GIF better than PS?
GIF images are less detailed and widely supported by almost all web browsers, while PS images are only supported by Google Chrome, which also needs a PostScript Compiler or viewer to display PS files on websites.
The technical attributes make GIF file formats suitable for web developers or graphic designers who want to create hilarious clips, lively content, animations, and memes with universal web browser support.
When is PS better than GIF?
PS images are smaller, high-quality, and high-resolution with limited storage demands, while GIF images are larger, low-quality, and become grainy or indistinct with downward or upward scaling and need more storage space.
The PS file format is widely used in graphic design projects such as creating logos, illustrations, and layouts. It is also ideal for image editing activities, including cropping, resizing, and color correction because the format is device-independent.
PS versus GIF Comparison Table
| Element | PS | GIF |
|---|---|---|
| Transparency | Does not support transparency | Supports transparency |
| File Size | Smaller files than GIF files. | Larger files than PS files. |
| Image Quality | High-quality images than GIF images. | Low-quality images than PS images. |
| Performance | Loads or downloads faster online compared to GIF. | Loads or downloads slowly compared to PS. |
| Structure | Vector graphics: Starts with file header, layer data, mask, image information, and color mode data. | Raster graphics: Starts with a file header, screen descriptor, color table blocks and a trailer block. |
| Animation | Does not support animations. | Supports animations. |
| Storage | Smaller with less storage space demands than GIF. | Larger with more storage space demands than PS. |
| Compression | Uncompressed files: No compression needed. | Supports lossless compression. |
| Browser Support | Limited web browser support than GIF. | Wider web browsers support than PS. |
Differences and similarities between GIF and PS images
GIF files are raster-based, while PS files are vector graphics. Therefore, the formats are hardly identical in any aspect. However, comparing PS versus GIF, both file types differ in structure, file size, browser support, performance, image quality, storage needs, compression, animation, and transparency support.
Transparency
GIF files inherently support transparency, while PS files do not support transparency or alpha channels. Partially transparent or translucent PS images can be rendered as opaque and transparent pixels. A case illustration, masks in the PS files represent its translucent images.
GIF format supports alpha channel transparency through GIF89a. The format allows different color palettes to be arranged to support transparent backgrounds while ignoring opaque or non-transparent colors.
File Size
GIF files are less detailed due to their limited color palette of up to 256 colors and the use of lossless compression. PS files are detailed, often containing vector graphics and text, and can be either uncompressed or compressed depending on the content. Each GIF file is typically small, often below 2-3MB, while a single PS file can be very large, potentially up to 4GB or more, depending on its content.
Image Quality
PS images are high-quality, while GIF images are low-quality. PS supports more bit depths, like 1-bit, 2-bit, 4-bit, and 8-bit pixels per channel, while each GIF file only supports 8-bit pixels per channel. GIF only supports RGB color profiles; PS files support RGB, Grayscale, CIE, and CMYK profiles.
PS permits resolutions between 300 and 600 dpi, but GIF allows resolutions between 70 and 90 dpi. PS images can be scaled without losing quality or resolution, which is impossible with GIF images.
Performance
GIF files use lossless compression with LZW algorithms and can contain multiple frames for animations, but they are not multilayered. GIFs can be larger than some optimized image formats but are generally smaller than uncompressed images. They are used for simple animations and images with a limited color palette and can load efficiently on websites.
PS files, on the other hand, are designed for high-quality printing and desktop publishing. They can include both compressed and uncompressed data and can contain complex vector graphics, text, and images. Due to their complexity and potential for large file sizes, PostScript files are not suitable for web use.
For better web performance, it is recommended to use optimized image formats like JPEG, PNG, SVG, or WebP, which offer a good balance of quality and file size, enhancing the online user experience by saving bandwidth and loading faster.
Structure
GIF file extensions are raster graphics, whereas PS is a vector-based file type. The differences in both formats' structural designs make them interesting to compare. Each PS file has a header, color mode data, image data, mask, layer information, and other information or elements.
Its header has information about the PS file, such as the resolution levels, version number, and type. The PS describes images, texts, and other elements as mathematical curves and lines instead of a group of pixels.
In contrast, a GIF file has a fixed-length header with GIF89a or GIF87a. It has a logical screen descriptor and file version specifying more features, and the logical screen scales in pixels. The image module has a fixed-length picture descriptor and image data with one byte, offering the unencoded icon width.
GIF also has a list with sub-blocks defining data encrypted using the LZW algorithms. The extension block has a byte and a related list with a sub-block for the applicable image data. The image data and extension blocks use the allied lists, including different sub-blocks that end with a zero-byte sub-block.
Animation
GIF files support animations and lively content, whereas the PS file type does not. The GIF89a file type has specifications that integrate different enhancers into the GIF image file header and allow programs and browsers to display GIF pictures in an organized or looped sequence.
GIF images and frames can only be used to create simple animations. Conversely, PS files are designed to create still images and lack interactive and multimedia specifications to support animations.
Storage
GIF files are multilayered because they comprise several images of different sizes, making them larger than uncompressed and detailed PS files. Hence, GIF requires more storage space and consumes more bytes than PS format. PS files store data as prearranged graphics, layouts, and texts.
PS and GIF file types can store data indefinitely in File Systems, Folders, Cloud, Content Delivery Networks, Hard Drives, and Base64 Encoding. Nonetheless, the storage period is subject to the handling process, storage mediums used, and the surroundings.
Compression
GIF format supports lossless compression, while PS files are uncompressed. PS files are vector illustrations of uncompressed file types. Such files hardly require any compression, be it lossless or lossy. Web developers or graphic designers do not need to configure the plotter to use any compression method. Unlike GIF files, PS files can be scaled up or down without losing quality.
In contrast, GIF's Lempel Ziv Welch (LZW) compression algorithms utilize repetition in data streams to store simple graphical images by exploiting flat colors. The LZW compresses GIFs by changing color space, fusing local palettes, swapping alpha channels, and merging various pixels.
Since PS files are uncompressed and preserve all detailed file information, they are larger and higher quality, although smaller than compressed and multilayered GIF files. Therefore, PS files minimize bandwidth costs and storage space because they load faster online than GIF files.
Browser Support
GIF and PS file types are widely used in web development and graphic design in office and home settings. However, PS files have limited web browser support compared to GIF files. Top web browsers, including Safari, Opera, Firefox, Vivaldi, Edge, IE, Brave, and Discord do not support PS.
Web browsers do not directly support PS files, but users can add PostScript Compiler and Viewer to their web browsers to open such in Chrome. Conversely, GIF files are compatible and supported by all web browsers, including Vivaldi, Samsung Internet, Discord, Chrome, Opera, Brave, Safari, Edge, and Firefox.
Based on each file's technical features highlighted above, users can choose GIF instead of PS to enjoy wider web browser support.
Converting GIF to PS or PS to GIF
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Convertjack is the most reliable online PS to GIF converter. The conversion tool ensures that the produced GIF files support transparency and animation and are universally supported across web browsers, increasing online user experience.