GIF Playback
One of the most exciting additions in WLED 16 is animated GIF playback.
If you’re using a 2 dimensional LED matrix, you can now display animated GIFs directly inside WLED — no custom coding required.
Wait — My LEDs Can Play GIFs?
Yes! WLED 16 can now display animated GIF files on compatible 2D LED matrices. Instead of building animations frame-by-frame, you can simply upload a GIF and play it directly on your LEDs.
If you’ve ever wanted a scrolling badge, blinking pixel character, or animated costume prop, this feature makes it dramatically easier.
First: You Need a Matrix
GIF playback works on 2D matrix layouts. The Adafruit Matrix Portal ESP32-S3 is not yet supported with the standard build of WLED 16 at the time of writing, though you can install a custom build - check out this guide for details.
However, you can create your own matrix using seed pixels or LED strips. Check out the Monster Matrix guide, LED Top Hat guide and Sparkle Motion Skirt with 2D Mapping guide for ideas.
You’ll also need to configure your matrix layout in:
Config → LED Preferences → 2D Setup
before GIF playback can work correctly.
To upload your .gif, select the Image effect, then click on the WLED PixelForge link in the Colors panel. Upload your gif. There are some tools for resizing and adjusting resolution to match your matrix. Make sure the preview looks right and then click Convert & Upload to WLED.
Your image will appear on your matrix and loop. If you want, you can add another segment and create background effects or foreground sparkles.
What Makes a Good LED GIF?
The best LED GIFs are high contrast and low resolution. Even our big LED nets only have a pixel every few inches, so simpler images and big shapes read better than tiny details. Keep the color palette limited and the motion fairly simple.
You can also download existing .gifs from Giphy or other online .gif repositories.
Page last edited June 17, 2026
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