>

Optimize GIFs With gifsicle

Shrink animated GIFs and crop, resize or merge them.

LinuximagescompressconvertLow risk
Run gifsicle --optimize=3 -o small.gif big.gif to rewrite the GIF with optimisations.

01Command

Command
$ gifsicle --optimize=3 -o small.gif big.gif

02What it does

gifsicle understands frames, so it can reduce palette size, apply transparency-based frame deltas, extract or reorder frames and merge several GIFs. The --optimize levels trade effort for size.

03Risk

RiskLow risk
Requirementssudo apt install gifsicle
!Warning: Aggressive optimisation can change colours or timing; check the loop and frames before publishing.

04Undo

✓No undo needed — this command does not change persistent state.

05Sources

  • Debian package: gifsicle
    Debian · vendor-doc · 2026-09-20
    Evidence: Debian packages gifsicle, a command-line tool for creating and editing GIF images.
  • gifsicle
    Official project · vendor-doc · 2026-09-20
    Evidence: Debian packages gifsicle, a command-line tool for creating and editing GIF images.

Last verified: 2026-09-22 · Category: Media