Introduction:

GIFs, or Graphics Interchange Format files, are small animated images that have been popular on the internet for decades. They’re used in various ways such as social media posts, emails, and websites to add humor, personality, and visual interest to content.

As an iOS developer, you may want to include GIFs in your app or website to enhance user experience or engage users more effectively. However, finding and integrating GIFs into your project can be challenging, especially if you’re new to this.

This article aims to provide a comprehensive guide on where to find GIFs in iOS 17, along with tips and tricks on how to use them in your app or website.

How to Find GIFs:

There are several ways to find GIFs for your iOS project. Here are some of the most popular methods:

1. Giphy – Giphy is one of the largest and most popular GIF platforms on the internet. It has a vast collection of high-quality, royalty-free GIFs that you can use in your app or website. To download GIFs from Giphy, follow these steps:
1. Go to https://giphy.com/ and search for the GIF you want to use.
2. Click on the “Download” button next to the GIF.
3. Choose the file format you need (PNG or JPEG) and click “Download.”
4. Save the downloaded file in your project directory.
2. PNG Images – PNG images are a popular file format that can store both static and animated images. You can find PNG GIFs on various websites, including Unsplash, Pexels, and Shutterstock. To use PNG GIFs in your app or website, you’ll need to download the file and add it to your project directory.
3. Custom GIFs – If you can’t find a GIF that fits your needs on any of the above platforms, you can create your custom GIF using GIF creation tools such as GIFMaker or GIFBrewery. These tools allow you to create, edit and export GIFs in various sizes and formats.

How to Use GIFs in iOS 17:

Once you have found the GIF you want to use, you can add it to your app or website using the following methods:

1. ImageKit – ImageKit is a popular image loading library for iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS. It provides an easy-to-use interface for loading images and animations, including GIFs. To use ImageKit in your project, follow these steps:



1. Install the ImageKit library using CocoaPods or Carthage.
2. Import the ImageKit library into your view controller.
3. Create a UIImage object from your GIF file and add it to your UIView using the ImageKit’s image(_:) method.
2. AVFoundation – AVFoundation is a framework that provides audio and video playback functionality in iOS. You can use this framework to load GIFs into your app by creating an AVPlayer object and adding your GIF file as its asset. To use AVFoundation in your project, follow these steps:
1. Import the AVFoundation framework into your view controller.
2. Create a new AVPlayer object using the AVPlayer(_:) initializer.
3. Load your GIF file as an asset using the AVAsset(contentsOf:) method and add it to the player using the addAsset(_:) method.
4. Start playing the GIF using the play() method.
3. UIView – If you don’t want to use any libraries, you can add your GIF file directly to your app’s view controller and animate it using the UIView class. To do this, follow these steps:
1. Create a new UIImage object from your GIF file.
2. Set the image as the content of a UIView using the UIView(_:) initializer and the contentMode property.
3. Use the startAnimating() method to start animating the GIF.

Conclusion:

GIFs can be a powerful tool for enhancing user experience in your app or website. By knowing where to find GIFs and how to use them, you can create engaging and visually appealing content that will keep your users coming back.