Python Pillow .ico convert to .gif

Question

I used python pillow library because i need to convert .ico to .gif

So i used Pillow 6.1.0 ver with Python 3.7.0 I do the following:

from PIL import Image

im = Image.open("a.ico")
im.show()

im.save("a.gif")

.ico file has transparent background

But im.show() loaded Image is black background So finally i got black background .gif file

I want to know how i get transparent .gif conversion files!

Answer 1

im.show() loaded Image is black background

It is because Image.show() converts the image to .bmp (bitmap) before displaying it. And Bitmap in PIL doesn't supports Alpha (variable Transparency/Opacity). Therefore, the alpha data in your .ico image gets lost when you try to display the image using Image.show() .

Solution:- Don't view image containing alpha values using Image.show() , instead save the image and then view it (via some Image processing package like photoshop etc, or using your OS's builtin image viewer like Photos in Windows 10 ).

I want to know how i get transparent .gif conversion files!

.gif (graphical interchange format) does not support Alpha channel. So, it is not possible for you to convert .ico file into a .gif while retaining the transparent regions. Therefore, it is not advised to save an image having Alpha channel to a .gif , because it ends up having artifacts and would degrade the quality of the original image.

Solution:- I would suggest you to choose a format like .png or .jp2 , which supports alpha channel. They support a large range of colors too (as opposed to a GIF , which supports only 256 discrete colors ( 8 bit palette )).