7GIF 1.2.2.1298

Overview

GIFs have always been popular and that’s no wonder since they provide image animation without being too heavy to be categorized as videos. All image viewers have the ability to open GIF files, but very few can actually manipulate them; 7GIF is one of those programs that can play GIF files, increase/decrease playback speed, pause them at a particular frame, print or save frames and do a lot more that even the most popular image viewers can’t do.

Installation

You can either download the installer and follow the setup wizard, or get the standalone package that requires no installation. The installation procedure consists of only a few simple steps that don’t have any advanced settings, other than the shortcuts and file association options.

The program is clean from spyware, viruses, trojans (malware in general) and any other 3^rd party item.

Supported operating systems are Windows XP, Vista, 7 and 8. It’s necessary to have .NET Framework 2.0 or 3.5 (or above) for the application to work properly.

Interface

7GIF has a very simple and elegant interface that will seem easy to use even to novice users. Open a GIF file from the toolbar (or drag and drop it into the program) and it will be displayed in the main area of the window. The control buttons at the bottom allow you to pause/stop the animation, rewind the animation, go to next/previous frame, increase/decrease speed, zoom in/out, etc. The last button on the row opens up a menu with other miscellaneous options.

Pros

With 7GIF you have the ability to do anything you could do with an advanced video player when watching videos. You can adjust playback speed, go to next/previous frame, rewind the animation, configure zooming, or pause/stop the animation at a particular frame. In addition you can view the animation in full screen, save (or print) the current or all frames of the GIF, view the file’s properties, hide the toolbar, set the window always on top and change the background color.

The program is highly customizable as well, since you can configure it to pause the animation when 7GIF loses focus, reposition the window when loading a GIF, remember the position and size of the window when you exit and make some other useful settings.

The program is available in English, Italian, French and Spanish.

GIF files can be associated with 7GIF.

Cons

When shifting between GIF files, the window is resized automatically only when the size of the GIF is bigger than the size of the window. This may leave a big space when you change to a smaller GIF afterwards.

Alternatives

Not many software like 7GIF exist. But AnimGifViewer (free) and GIF Viewer (free) are two substitutes with the same basic functionality (GIF playback control) but significantly less features.

Conclusion

Using 7GIF is an awesome way to open GIF files, and it’s actually one of the few programs you can count on for this particular task. If you love GIF files, then this program will make your life a little bit better.