How to write GIF image files in Java (Tutorial)

Why do GIF Images cause problems for Java Developers?

There is still a large legacy of GIF files out there and they are still used by some developers.

What options are there for supporting GIF files in Java?

Java does support GIF files in ImageIO (not animations). There are also Open Source and Commercial options available, including Java wrappers on non-Java solutions.

There is a free, open source Image library called Apache Imaging which can write GIF (and other image formats).

We recommend JDeli because it is a pure, complete Java implementation with no known security issues. It can be used with existing ImageIO code and has an API to write new code so we will document that in this article. It can also <read GIF files and supports several other complex Image formats such as AVIF, HEIC and WEBP.

How to write an image as a GIF file in ImageIO

1. Create a File (or OutputStream) object for the GIF output.
2. Pass image, GIF type, and File (or OutputStream) object into write method

and the Java code to write GIF in ImageIO…

File file = new File("/path/to/outputFile.gif");

ImageIO.write(bufferedImage, "GIF", file);

• Download the JDeli trial jar with our ImageIO plugin
• Follow the support documentation to install

How to write an image as a GIF file with JDeli

1. Add JDeli to your class or module path. (download the trial jar).
2. Create a File (or OutputStream) object
3. Pass image, Heic type, and File (or OutputStream) object into write method

and here is the Java code to write GIF…

File file = new File("/path/to/outputFile.gif");

JDeli.write(bufferedImage, "gif", file);


//In JDeli you can also use a typesafe version

JDeli.write(bufferedImage, OutputFormat.GIF, file);


//or pass in an object for more control over GIF image output, such as level of Compression.

GifEncoderOptions options = new GifEncoderOptions();

JDeli.write(bufferedImage, options, file);

Other useful GIF links

• Related articles on our support site.
• How to read GIF files in Java.
• What is a GIF?

How can JDeli help?

JDeli is the best enterprise-level Java image library for image manipulation. You can use JDeli to read, write and convert your images as it has GIF support. Visit our documentation to learn more about JDeli’s GIF support.

// Read an image
BufferedImage bufferedImage = JDeli.read(avifImageFile);

// Read an image
BufferedImage bufferedImage = JDeli.read(dicomImageFile);

// Read an image
BufferedImage bufferedImage = JDeli.read(heicImageFile);

// Write an image
JDeli.write(bufferedImage, "heic", outputStreamOrFile);

// Read an image
BufferedImage bufferedImage = JDeli.read(jpegImageFile);

// Write an image
JDeli.write(bufferedImage, "jpeg", outputStreamOrFile);

// Read an image
BufferedImage bufferedImage = JDeli.read(jpeg2000ImageFile);

// Write an image
JDeli.write(bufferedImage, "jpx", outputStreamOrFile);

// Write an image
JDeli.write(bufferedImage, "pdf", outputStreamOrFile);

// Read an image
BufferedImage bufferedImage = JDeli.read(pngImageFile);

// Write an image
JDeli.write(bufferedImage, "png", outputStreamOrFile);

// Read an image
BufferedImage bufferedImage = JDeli.read(tiffImageFile);

// Write an image
JDeli.write(bufferedImage, "tiff", outputStreamOrFile);

// Read an image
BufferedImage bufferedImage = JDeli.read(webpImageFile);

// Write an image
JDeli.write(bufferedImage, "webp", outputStreamOrFile);