A practical GIF splitting guide
How to split a GIF into frames
Splitting a GIF into frames gives you the individual still images behind the animation. Follow these steps to choose one frame, save a selection or export the full sequence as PNG files with GIF Splitter.
1. Open the original GIF
Choose a GIF from your device or drag it onto the tool. If you saved it from another website, check that it is actually a GIF: a video renamed with a .gif extension will not decode. The file is read locally and is not uploaded.
The original animation usually gives the most useful result. A screenshot contains only one moment, and a static GIF contains only one frame. The extractor cannot reconstruct motion that is not present in the file.
2. Find the still image you want
When extraction finishes, the page shows the frame count, original dimensions and recorded duration. Use the arrows or slider to inspect adjacent frames. Click a thumbnail to view it at a larger size; its delay appears in milliseconds.
Play the preview to understand how the frames fit together, then pause on the scene you want. Extremely short delays below 20 milliseconds are played at 100 milliseconds for a usable preview. The displayed timing remains the value stored in the GIF.
3. Download one PNG or a sequence
Download the current frame to save a single PNG. This is useful for a tutorial thumbnail, an animation reference or a still from a reaction GIF. The downloaded image is static and retains the original GIF canvas dimensions.
For several images, tick their checkboxes and download the selection. Download all frames creates a ZIP of the complete sequence. Filenames use the original frame numbers, including when only selected frames are saved. Extract the ZIP with your operating system or archive app before editing its PNGs.
Why complete frames matter
GIF files often store a small changed rectangle instead of a full image for every frame. They also specify whether earlier pixels should remain, be cleared, or be restored before the next frame. Simply saving those rectangles can produce broken images.
This tool combines the patches and applies these disposal instructions before exporting each PNG. Transparent areas remain transparent; the preview's checkerboard is not baked into the file. Lossless PNG output preserves the decoded pixels, but cannot restore detail missing from the source.
Handling large or damaged GIFs
The input limit is 30 MB and 1,000 frames. A compressed file can expand into many full-size images, so pixel and memory limits also apply. For a very large GIF, try a shorter or smaller source, especially on a phone.
Each ZIP is limited to 128 MB of PNG data. If a full download exceeds that limit, select smaller groups. You can cancel extraction and choose another file. If a GIF is reported as damaged, obtain a fresh copy of the original rather than changing its file extension.