Show animated GIF

Question

How do you display an animated GIF in a Java application?

Hematite

Answer 1

Using Swing you could simply use a JLabel:

public static void main(String[] args) throws MalformedURLException {
    URL url = new URL("<url_to_animated_gif>");
    Icon icon = new ImageIcon(url);
    JLabel label = new JLabel(icon);
 
    JFrame f = new JFrame("Animation");
    f.getContentPane().add(label);
    f.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
    f.pack();
    f.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
    f.setVisible(true);
}

Airliah

For some reason, if you get your ImageIcon object with something like this Icon icon = new ImageIcon(ImageIO.read(getClass().getResourceAsStream("iconasresource.gif"))); your GIF won't get animated – Inerrant

Indeed, creating an ImageIcon with ImageIO.read does not animate the gif for some reason. Maybe obvious, but you can get the URL of the resource with: URL url = getClass().getResource("/img.gif");. – Luxor

This is a horrid API... Was trying to figure out why the GIF wasn't animating. Couldn't find ANYTHING online until I came across the comment about ImageIO. Unbelievable. – Reasonless

@Airliah how do you change the size and location of the gif? I am creating a video game and I want the gif to follow the player. – Reynalda

Answer 2

check it out:

http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/uiswing/components/icon.html#getresource

Theatricalize

Answer 3

For loading animated gifs stored in a source package (in the source code), this worked for me:

URL url = MyClass.class.getResource("/res/images/animated.gif");
ImageIcon imageIcon = new ImageIcon(url);
JLabel label = new JLabel(imageIcon);

Hairraising

This is exactly what does not work for me. The image is loaded, but only the first frame is shown, no animation. – Yen

Answer 4

This work for me!

public void showLoader(){
        URL url = this.getClass().getResource("images/ajax-loader.gif");
        Icon icon = new ImageIcon(url);
        JLabel label = new JLabel(icon);
        frameLoader.setUndecorated(true);
        frameLoader.getContentPane().add(label);
        frameLoader.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
        frameLoader.pack();
        frameLoader.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
        frameLoader.setVisible(true);
    }

Beitnes

It is good to add a some explanation about your code. How is it different, why doe it work. Thanks (moderator). – Geometrize

Answer 5

I came here searching for the same answer, but based on the top answers, I came up with an easier code. Hope this will help future searches.

Icon icon = new ImageIcon("src/path.gif");
            try {
                mainframe.setContentPane(new JLabel(icon));
            } catch (Exception e) {
            }

Pekoe

Answer 6

Fast and easy code:

Icon icon = new ImageIcon("src/image.gif");
JLabel label = new JLabel();

label.setIcon(icon);

Don't forget to have the JFrame visible and sized.

Hamsun

Answer 7

//Class Name
public class ClassName {
//Make it runnable
public static void main(String args[]) throws MalformedURLException{
//Get the URL
URL img = this.getClass().getResource("src/Name.gif");
//Make it to a Icon
Icon icon = new ImageIcon(img);
//Make a new JLabel that shows "icon"
JLabel Gif = new JLabel(icon);

//Make a new Window
JFrame main = new JFrame("gif");
//adds the JLabel to the Window
main.getContentPane().add(Gif);
//Shows where and how big the Window is
main.setBounds(x, y, H, W);
//set the Default Close Operation to Exit everything on Close
main.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
//Open the Window
main.setVisible(true);
   }
}

Christoper

Answer 8

I wanted to put the .gif file in a GUI but displayed with other elements. And the .gif file would be taken from the java project and not from an URL.

1 - Top of the interface would be a list of elements where we can choose one

2 - Center would be the animated GIF

3 - Bottom would display the element chosen from the list

Here is my code (I need 2 java files, the first (Interf.java) calls the second (Display.java)):

1 - Interf.java

public class Interface_for {

    public static void main(String[] args) {

        Display Fr = new Display();

    }
}

2 - Display.java

INFOS: Be shure to create a new source folder (NEW > source folder) in your java project and put the .gif inside for it to be seen as a file.

I get the gif file with the code below, so I can it export it in a jar project(it's then animated).

URL url = getClass().getClassLoader().getResource("fire.gif");

  public class Display extends JFrame {
  private JPanel container = new JPanel();
  private JComboBox combo = new JComboBox();
  private JLabel label = new JLabel("A list");
  private JLabel label_2 = new JLabel ("Selection");

  public Display(){
    this.setTitle("Animation");
    this.setSize(400, 350);
    this.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
    this.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
    container.setLayout(new BorderLayout());
    combo.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(190, 20));
    //We create te list of elements for the top of the GUI
    String[] tab = {"Option 1","Option 2","Option 3","Option 4","Option 5"};
    combo = new JComboBox(tab);

    //Listener for the selected option
    combo.addActionListener(new ItemAction());

    //We add elements from the top of the interface
    JPanel top = new JPanel();
    top.add(label);
    top.add(combo);
    container.add(top, BorderLayout.NORTH);

    //We add elements from the center of the interface
    URL url = getClass().getClassLoader().getResource("fire.gif");
    Icon icon = new ImageIcon(url);
    JLabel center = new JLabel(icon);
    container.add(center, BorderLayout.CENTER);

    //We add elements from the bottom of the interface
    JPanel down = new JPanel();
    down.add(label_2);
    container.add(down,BorderLayout.SOUTH);

    this.setContentPane(container);
    this.setVisible(true);
    this.setResizable(false);
  }
  class ItemAction implements ActionListener{
      public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e){
          label_2.setText("Chosen option: "+combo.getSelectedItem().toString());
      }
  }
}

Utley

Answer 9

JLabel mainLabel = new JLabel();
FileChooser chooser = new FileChooser();
chooser.setFileSelectionMode(JFileChooser.FILES_ONLY);
chooser.setMultiSelectionEnabled(false);
FileNameExtensionFilter filter = new FileNameExtensionFilter("Image", "png", "jpg", "gif");
chooser.setFileFilter(filter);
chooser.setDialogTitle(Lang.T("Open Image") + "...");
int returnVal = chooser.showOpenDialog(getParent());
if (returnVal == JFileChooser.APPROVE_OPTION) {
    URL url;
    try {
        url = new URL("file:" + chooser.getSelectedFile().getPath());
    } catch (Exception e) {
        url = null;
    }

    Icon icon = new ImageIcon(url);
    mainLabel.setIcon(icon);
}

Use "file:" for URL

Waggon

Answer 10

Try this:

// I suppose you have already set your JFrame 
Icon imgIcon = new ImageIcon(this.getClass().getResource("ajax-loader.gif"));
JLabel label = new JLabel(imgIcon);
label.setBounds(668, 43, 46, 14); // for example, you can use your own values
frame.getContentPane().add(label);

Found on this tutorial on how to display animated gif in java

Or live on youtube : https://youtu.be/_NEnhm9mgdE

Comatose

Answer 11

public class AiubMain {
    public static void main(String args[]) throws MalformedURLException{
        //home frame = new home();
        java.net.URL imgUrl2 = home.class.getResource("Campus.gif");

        Icon icon = new ImageIcon(imgUrl2);
        JLabel label = new JLabel(icon);

        JFrame f = new JFrame("Animation");
        f.getContentPane().add(label);
        f.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
        f.pack();
        f.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
        f.setVisible(true);
    }
}

Lynettalynette