SuperGIF Frequently Asked Questions

  • What's new in SuperGIF?

    SuperGIF 1.5.2 fixes a bug on MacOS X that could cause extreme sluggishness on MacOS X

    SuperGIF 1.5.1 fixes several bugs on MacOS X and is a free update to all registered users

    SuperGIF 1.5 is three times as fast overall processing images as previous versions, and now includes a fully Carbon native version for MacOS X.

    The major improvement is speed, both in general performance and in enhanced OS X performance through native execution.

  • Do I have to pay to upgrade?

    No. It's a FREE update to all registered SuperGIF users. Just enter your existing registration number to activate the new version.

  • The progress is too fast on a single image for me to see what it saved, how do I know?

    SuperGIF is extremely fast and on most single images, the progress window barely has any chance to be seen before the operation is complete. All optimizations are logged in the "SuperGIF Log" file, which will be created in the same location as SuperGIF resides. The results of optimizations are given in the log in the following format:

    06/29/2000 10:40:40 File: "blu_arrw.gif" 2184 bytes saved (5373 - 3189) 40.6%

    Bytes saved and the percentage saved are given, along with original and ending file sizes and the date of optimization. Any time you need to know exactly how much was saved just refer to the SuperGIF log file.

    Since, SuperGIF does not strip the resource forks from GIF files, the final file size reported by the Finder may not indicate the actual GIF file size as reported in the SuperGIF log.

    It is also safe to delete this file, or the contents of this file at any time should it grow to an unmanageable size.

  • Does SuperGIF strip the resource forks from GIF files during optimization?

    No. Resource forks are left intact by SuperGIF. Custom icons and image previews contained in the resource fork are preserved, as they have no effect on GIF file sizes, and are generally useful during site authoring and maintenance.

    This may cause the Finder to report the size of files inaccurately, as the Finder includes both the size of the resource and data forks in its size calculation, while only the size of the files data fork is applicable to Web graphics size.

    You should refer to the "SuperGIF Log" file for final GIF file size information, or use a utility such as GIF Prep (Available from the BoxTop Software Web site) to strip resource forks so the Finder reports only the size of the data fork in the Get Info window.

  • Do I need SuperGIF if I already have PhotoGIF or GIFmation?

    Yes, it still doesn't hurt to have SuperGIF even if you already have PhotoGIF or GIFmation for GIF creation. The optimization in SuperGIF is a generation more advanced than that found in PhotoGIF for single images, and also that found in GIFmation for GIF animations. This is not the main advantage owning SuperGIF in addition to other BoxTop Tools for GIFs, however.

    SuperGIF is an easy to use, automated tool, which can be used on existing images with little effort, while both PhotoGIF and GIFmation are tools to create original files.

    The three tools have different scopes of use, though they are all complimentary and all have a "GIF" in their name.

  • Do I need PhotoGIF or GIFmation if I get SuperGIF?

    Unless your only task is to ensure that already created GIF files are effectively optimized, a definite yes. SuperGIF is a valuable tool to have, providing superior optimization to other tools, however, it has a singular scope of use, and can not be used for creating your original graphics or accomplishing advanced manual optimizations, which are the primary tasks of PhotoGIF and GIFmation.

  • Should I make backups or my images before optimizing them with SuperGIF?

    It is a good working practice to make backups of your Web site files, and recommended that you maintain original copies of all images.

    However, SuperGIF will not affect the future editability of any single image files, making backing them up uncritical. In contrast, GIF animations may be substantially changed during the optimization process, and it is critical to keep the master animation files, should later editing be required.

  • I got an error while using SuperGIF, what should I do?

    First, look at the type of error. The error reporting in SuperGIF is very advanced, and should provide valuable information as to the cause of the error. Memory related errors are normally solved by increasing the application's memory allocation using the Finder's Get Info command. File related, and in some cases parameter errors usually indicate a corrupt source file. Other errors are not expected in the scope of operation, and would indicate an unusual problem.

    If you encounter any error condition that is not apparent in cause, rename the application with a tilde "~SuperGIF 1.0" in front and that will activate debug logging, logging the location of all errors. Then you can send this information when requesting assistance, and a diagnosis of the problem will usually be fast.

  • Will SuperGIF cause any loss in image quality?

    No. The effects of optimization should never be discernible to the viewer, although in purely technically terms it is in some cases a lossy process where image information is lost.

  • Can I keep running SuperGIF on an image and make it even smaller?

    No. The effects of SuperGIF will not be cumulative. A single optimization with SuperGIF is all that is required to achieve maximum optimization, and further attempts will do nothing.

  • Does SuperGIF cause compatability problems with any known GIF readers?

    No. SuperGIF does not perform any questionable operations that will cause less capable GIF readers to fail as some other GIF optimization software does. All SuperGIF savings are had while sticking to the letter of the law with the GIF specification.