Free APNG Maker — Convert PNG Frames to Animated PNG
APNG (Animated PNG) is the modern alternative to GIF — true 24-bit colour, 8-bit alpha, smaller files, supported by every major browser. PikDraw's APNG Maker assembles a sequence of PNG frames into a single .png file that animates in browsers and falls back to a static image everywhere else. Entirely client-side, no signup.
What is the APNG Maker — Animated PNG from Frames?
APNG Maker is a browser-based APNG encoder. You upload identically-sized PNG frames, set a per-frame delay and loop count, and download a polished .png that plays the animation in any modern browser without re-compressing any pixels.
Key features
- Lossless — frames are remuxed, not re-encoded
- Per-frame delay control (10 ms – 5000 ms)
- Configurable loop count (∞ or N)
- Full 24-bit colour + 8-bit alpha support
- Outputs a standards-compliant single .png file
- Plays in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge
- 100% client-side — frames never upload
- Free, unlimited, no signup or watermark
How it works
We parse each uploaded PNG by walking its chunks (IHDR, IDAT, IEND). The first PNG's IHDR is reused; an acTL chunk is inserted declaring frame count and loop count; for each frame an fcTL chunk describes timing and position; the first frame's IDAT remains an IDAT, subsequent frames' IDAT bytes are wrapped in fdAT chunks with sequence numbers. All chunks are CRC32-tagged and concatenated under the 8-byte PNG signature.
Why use this tool
Most online APNG makers run server-side and add watermarks or limits. Desktop tools (APNG Assembler) are platform-specific. PikDraw's encoder is browser-native, lossless and free. The remuxing approach means your frames keep their original pixel-perfect quality.
Common use cases
- Animated UI elements (loaders, micro-interactions)
- Sticker packs and chat reactions
- High-fidelity logo animations
- Demos and product previews
- Animated avatars for forums/Discord
- Replacing legacy 256-colour GIFs
- Marketing email animations (with PNG fallback)
How to use this tool
- Upload PNG frames — Drop two or more PNG frames in the order you want them animated. All frames must share the same dimensions, colour type and bit depth — typically a sequence exported from any animation tool.
- Set frame delay — Choose how long each frame is shown (in milliseconds). Same delay applies to every frame — 100 ms produces a smooth 10 fps loop, 33 ms an arcade-style 30 fps.
- Choose loop count — 0 means loop forever (the default); any positive number plays the animation that many times then stops on the final frame.
- Build APNG — The tool extracts the IDAT chunk from every uploaded PNG, wraps them in APNG's acTL/fcTL/fdAT chunks, and assembles a single .png file that animates in every modern browser and falls back to the first frame elsewhere.
- Download — Save the .png. It's a valid PNG anywhere PNGs are supported and an animated APNG in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge and most photo viewers.
Who should use this
Designers shipping crisp UI animations, social-media creators making colourful stickers, indie devs needing transparent loops, anyone migrating from GIF to a higher-quality animated format.
How to get started
Drop your PNG sequence, set delay and loop, click Build APNG. Your animated .png downloads instantly.
Best practices
- Pre-trim frames to identical dimensions
- Stick to ≤ 100 frames for web-friendly files
- 100 ms delay = 10 fps, perfectly smooth for most UI
- Use PNG-24 with alpha for transparent animations
- Verify playback in Chrome before publishing
Pro tips
- Export frames at identical width × height — mismatched sizes will be rejected.
- Use PNG-24 with alpha for transparent animations.
- APNG file size scales with frame count and per-frame compressibility.
- Keep frame counts under 100 for snappy uploads on the web.
Expert insights
💡 Better Than GIF
APNG gives you 24-bit colour and full alpha — your animation will look dramatically crisper than a GIF.
💡 10 fps Is Smooth
100 ms per frame = 10 fps. That's the sweet spot for UI animations — silky smooth without bloating file size.
💡 Graceful Fallback
On older systems APNG shows the first frame as a normal PNG — never a broken image.
Limitations to be aware of
- Single delay per file in v1 — no variable frame timing yet
- All frames must share width, height, colour type and bit depth
- Some image viewers fall back to the first frame (by design)
- Browser RAM caps very large frame sets
Frequently asked questions
- What is APNG?
- Animated PNG — a backwards-compatible extension of PNG that adds animation chunks. Modern browsers play the animation; older viewers display the first frame as a static PNG.
- Why APNG instead of GIF?
- APNG supports 24-bit colour and full 8-bit alpha; GIF caps at 256 colours and 1-bit alpha. For UI animations, logos, illustrations and any content with soft edges or many colours, APNG looks dramatically better at a similar or smaller file size.
- Does APNG work everywhere?
- Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge play APNG natively. Discord, Twitter, GitHub and most modern platforms render it as animation. On older systems it falls back to a static PNG (first frame) — never a broken image.
- How are frames combined under the hood?
- Every uploaded PNG already contains a deflate-compressed IDAT chunk. We extract those, rewrite them as APNG fdAT chunks with sequence numbers, prepend the IHDR + acTL chunks, and emit a single PNG signature-prefixed file. No re-compression occurs.
- What's the maximum number of frames?
- Browser memory is the only hard limit. We recommend ≤ 100 frames for fast generation and snappy playback in webpages.
- Are my PNGs uploaded?
- No. All chunk extraction and APNG assembly happens in your browser. Frames never leave your tab.