Mac: Open GIF - it works with these programs
You can open and play GIFs on Mac with simple means. You have the following two options. You can open GIFs in frames or play them animated.
Mac: Open GIF with the preview
When you open a GIF file on your Mac, it will automatically be previewed. In this way you can view and export individual frames.
- On the left side you can see all individual frames of the GIF file.
- In the right half of the screen is a large preview of the currently selected frame.
- The individual frames can be exported as an image file; they are then no longer animated.
- You cannot play all frames animated with the "Preview".
Animated: Open GIFs with browsers on Mac
- Start any browser, such as Safari, Chrome or Firefox.
- Drag-and-drop the GIF file into the URL line of the browser.
- Alternatively, open the context menu of the GIF file and select "Open with" and then any browser.
- The GIF is also animated in the Finder preview. To do this, you only have to click on the file once and select So without opening it.
Tip: How to make a GIF from a YouTube video
You can create GIFs not only from YouTube videos, but also with Photoshop. We show the procedure on the next page.