How do I get an animated gif to work in WPF

Question

What control type should I use - Image  MediaElement  etc

User · Answer

Basically the same PictureBox solution above, but this time with the code-behind to use an Embedded Resource in your project:

In XAML:

<WindowsFormsHost x:Name="_loadingHost">
  <Forms:PictureBox x:Name="_loadingPictureBox"/>
</WindowsFormsHost>

In Code-Behind:

public partial class ProgressIcon
{
    public ProgressIcon()
    {
        InitializeComponent();
        var stream = Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly().GetManifestResourceStream("My.Namespace.ProgressIcon.gif");
        var image = System.Drawing.Image.FromStream(stream);
        Loaded += (s, e) => _loadingPictureBox.Image = image;
    }
}

User · Answer

An alternative to waiting animation in WPF is     lt ProgressBar Height  20  Width  100  IsIndeterminate  True   gt    It will show an animated progress bar

User · Answer

I  too  did a search and found several different solution in just a thread on the old MSDN forums   link no longer worked so I removed it   The simplest to execute seems to be to use a WinForms PictureBox control  and went like this  changed a few things from the thread  most of it the same    Add a reference to System Windows Forms  WindowsFormsIntegration  and System Drawing to your project first    lt Window x Class  GifExample Window1      xmlns  http   schemas microsoft com winfx 2006 xaml presentation      xmlns x  http   schemas microsoft com winfx 2006 xaml      xmlns wfi  clr-namespace System Windows Forms Integration assembly WindowsFormsIntegration      xmlns winForms  clr-namespace System Windows Forms assembly System Windows Forms      Loaded  Window Loaded   gt       lt Grid gt           lt wfi WindowsFormsHost gt               lt winForms PictureBox x Name  pictureBoxLoading  gt               lt  winForms PictureBox gt           lt  wfi WindowsFormsHost gt       lt  Grid gt   lt  Window  gt    Then in the Window Loaded handler  you would set the pictureBoxLoading ImageLocation property to the image file path that you want to show   private void Window Loaded object sender  RoutedEventArgs e        pictureBoxLoading ImageLocation       Images mygif gif       The MediaElement control was mentioned in that thread  but it is also mentioned that it is a rather heavy control  so there were a number of alternatives  including at least 2 homebrewed controls based on the Image control  so this is the simplest

User · Answer

Adding on to the main response that recommends the usage of WpfAnimatedGif  you must add the following lines in the end if you are swapping an image with a Gif to ensure the animation actually executes   ImageBehavior SetRepeatBehavior img  new RepeatBehavior 0    ImageBehavior SetRepeatBehavior img  RepeatBehavior Forever     So your code will look like   var image   new BitmapImage    image BeginInit    image UriSource   new Uri fileName   image EndInit    ImageBehavior SetAnimatedSource img  image   ImageBehavior SetRepeatBehavior img  new RepeatBehavior 0    ImageBehavior SetRepeatBehavior img  RepeatBehavior Forever

User · Answer

I modified Mike Eshva s code And I made it work better You can use it with either 1frame jpg png bmp or mutil-frame gif If you want bind a uri to the control bind the UriSource properties or you want bind any in-memory stream that you bind the Source propertie which is a BitmapImage            lt summary gt                                                                      GIF        lt  summary gt   public class AnimatedImage   Image       static AnimatedImage                 DefaultStyleKeyProperty OverrideMetadata typeof AnimatedImage   new FrameworkPropertyMetadata typeof AnimatedImage                 region Public properties           lt summary gt                                                                  lt  summary gt       public int FrameIndex               get   return  int GetValue FrameIndexProperty             set   SetValue FrameIndexProperty  value                     lt summary gt          Get the BitmapFrame List           lt  summary gt      public List lt BitmapFrame gt  Frames   get  private set              lt summary gt          Get or set the repeatBehavior of the animation when source is gif formart This is a dependency object           lt  summary gt      public RepeatBehavior AnimationRepeatBehavior               get   return  RepeatBehavior GetValue AnimationRepeatBehaviorProperty             set   SetValue AnimationRepeatBehaviorProperty  value                public new BitmapImage Source               get   return  BitmapImage GetValue SourceProperty             set   SetValue SourceProperty  value                public Uri UriSource               get   return  Uri GetValue UriSourceProperty             set   SetValue UriSourceProperty  value                 endregion       region Protected interface           lt summary gt           Provides derived classes an opportunity to handle changes to the Source property            lt  summary gt       protected virtual void OnSourceChanged DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs e                ClearAnimation            BitmapImage source          if  e NewValue is Uri                        source   new BitmapImage                source BeginInit                source UriSource   e NewValue as Uri              source CacheOption   BitmapCacheOption OnLoad              source EndInit                      else if  e NewValue is BitmapImage                        source   e NewValue as BitmapImage                    else                       return                    BitmapDecoder decoder          if  source StreamSource    null                        decoder   BitmapDecoder Create source StreamSource  BitmapCreateOptions DelayCreation  BitmapCacheOption OnLoad                     else if  source UriSource    null                        decoder   BitmapDecoder Create source UriSource  BitmapCreateOptions DelayCreation  BitmapCacheOption OnLoad                     else                       return                    if  decoder Frames Count    1                        base Source   decoder Frames 0               return                     this Frames   decoder Frames ToList             PrepareAnimation                endregion       region Private properties      private Int32Animation Animation   get  set        private bool IsAnimationWorking   get  set          endregion       region Private methods      private void ClearAnimation                 if  Animation    null                        BeginAnimation FrameIndexProperty  null                      IsAnimationWorking   false          Animation   null          this Frames   null             private void PrepareAnimation                 Animation               new Int32Animation                  0                  this Frames Count - 1                  new Duration                      new TimeSpan                          0                          0                          0                          this Frames Count   10                           int   this Frames Count   10 0 - this Frames Count   10    1000                                   RepeatBehavior   RepeatBehavior Forever                         base Source   this Frames 0           BeginAnimation FrameIndexProperty  Animation           IsAnimationWorking   true             private static void ChangingFrameIndex          DependencyObject dp  DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs e                AnimatedImage animatedImage   dp as AnimatedImage           if  animatedImage    null     animatedImage IsAnimationWorking                        return                     int frameIndex    int e NewValue            Image animatedImage  Source   animatedImage Frames frameIndex           animatedImage InvalidateVisual                    lt summary gt           Handles changes to the Source property            lt  summary gt       private static void OnSourceChanged          DependencyObject dp  DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs e                  AnimatedImage dp  OnSourceChanged e               endregion       region Dependency Properties           lt summary gt           FrameIndex Dependency Property           lt  summary gt       public static readonly DependencyProperty FrameIndexProperty           DependencyProperty Register               FrameIndex               typeof int               typeof AnimatedImage               new UIPropertyMetadata 0  ChangingFrameIndex              lt summary gt           Source Dependency Property           lt  summary gt       public new static readonly DependencyProperty SourceProperty           DependencyProperty Register               Source               typeof BitmapImage               typeof AnimatedImage               new FrameworkPropertyMetadata                  null                  FrameworkPropertyMetadataOptions AffectsRender                   FrameworkPropertyMetadataOptions AffectsMeasure                  OnSourceChanged              lt summary gt          AnimationRepeatBehavior Dependency Property          lt  summary gt      public static readonly DependencyProperty AnimationRepeatBehaviorProperty           DependencyProperty Register           AnimationRepeatBehavior           typeof RepeatBehavior           typeof AnimatedImage           new PropertyMetadata null         public static readonly DependencyProperty UriSourceProperty           DependencyProperty Register           UriSource           typeof Uri           typeof AnimatedImage                   new FrameworkPropertyMetadata                  null                  FrameworkPropertyMetadataOptions AffectsRender                   FrameworkPropertyMetadataOptions AffectsMeasure                  OnSourceChanged          endregion     This is a custom control  You need to create it in WPF App Project and delete the Template override in style

User · Answer

How about this tiny app  Code behind   public MainWindow       InitializeComponent      Files   Directory GetFiles   I  images      this DataContext  this    public string   Files  get set     XAML    lt Window x Class  PicViewer MainWindow          xmlns  http   schemas microsoft com winfx 2006 xaml presentation          xmlns x  http   schemas microsoft com winfx 2006 xaml          Title  MainWindow  Height  350  Width  525  gt       lt Grid gt           lt Grid ColumnDefinitions gt               lt ColumnDefinition Width  175    gt               lt ColumnDefinition Width       gt           lt  Grid ColumnDefinitions gt           lt ListBox x Name  lst  ItemsSource   Binding Path Files    gt           lt MediaElement Grid Column  1  LoadedBehavior  Play  Source   Binding ElementName lst  Path SelectedItem   Stretch  None   gt       lt  Grid gt   lt  Window gt

User · Answer

I couldn t get the most popular answer to this question  above by Dario  to work properly  The result was weird  choppy animation with weird artifacts  Best solution I have found so far  https   github com XamlAnimatedGif WpfAnimatedGif  You can install it with NuGet  PM gt  Install-Package WpfAnimatedGif  and to use it  at a new namespace to the Window where you want to add the gif image and use it as below   lt Window x Class  MainWindow      xmlns  http   schemas microsoft com winfx 2006 xaml presentation      xmlns x  http   schemas microsoft com winfx 2006 xaml      xmlns gif  http   wpfanimatedgif codeplex com   lt  -- THIS NAMESPACE -- gt      Title  MainWindow  Height  350  Width  525  gt    lt Grid gt       lt  -- EXAMPLE USAGE BELOW -- gt       lt Image gif ImageBehavior AnimatedSource  Images animated gif    gt    The package is really neat  you can set some attributes like below    lt Image gif ImageBehavior RepeatBehavior  3x         gif ImageBehavior AnimatedSource  Images animated gif    gt    and you can use it in your code as well   var image   new BitmapImage    image BeginInit    image UriSource   new Uri fileName   image EndInit    ImageBehavior SetAnimatedSource img  image     EDIT  Silverlight support  As per josh2112 s comment if you want to add animated GIF support to your Silverlight project then use github com XamlAnimatedGif XamlAnimatedGif

User · Answer

Here is my version of animated image control  You can use standard property Source for specifying image source  I further improved it  I am a russian  project is russian so comments are also in Russian  But anyway you should be able understand everything without comments           lt summary gt      Control the  Images   which supports animated GIF       lt  summary gt  public class AnimatedImage   Image        region Public properties           lt summary gt          Gets   sets the number of the current frame           lt  summary gt      public int FrameIndex               get   return  int  GetValue FrameIndexProperty             set   SetValue FrameIndexProperty  value                     lt summary gt          Gets   sets the image that will be drawn           lt  summary gt      public new ImageSource Source               get   return  ImageSource  GetValue SourceProperty             set   SetValue SourceProperty  value                 endregion       region Protected interface           lt summary gt          Provides derived classes an opportunity to handle changes to the Source property           lt  summary gt      protected virtual void OnSourceChanged DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs aEventArgs                ClearAnimation             BitmapImage lBitmapImage   aEventArgs NewValue as BitmapImage           if  lBitmapImage    null                        ImageSource lImageSource   aEventArgs NewValue as ImageSource              base Source   lImageSource              return                     if   IsAnimatedGifImage lBitmapImage                         base Source   lBitmapImage              return                     PrepareAnimation lBitmapImage               endregion       region Private properties      private Int32Animation Animation   get  set        private GifBitmapDecoder Decoder   get  set        private bool IsAnimationWorking   get  set          endregion       region Private methods      private void ClearAnimation                 if  Animation    null                        BeginAnimation FrameIndexProperty  null                      IsAnimationWorking   false          Animation   null          Decoder   null             private void PrepareAnimation BitmapImage aBitmapImage                Debug Assert aBitmapImage    null            if  aBitmapImage UriSource    null                        Decoder   new GifBitmapDecoder                  aBitmapImage UriSource                  BitmapCreateOptions PreservePixelFormat                  BitmapCacheOption Default                     else                       aBitmapImage StreamSource Position   0              Decoder   new GifBitmapDecoder                  aBitmapImage StreamSource                  BitmapCreateOptions PreservePixelFormat                  BitmapCacheOption Default                      Animation               new Int32Animation                  0                  Decoder Frames Count - 1                  new Duration                      new TimeSpan                          0                          0                          0                          Decoder Frames Count   10                           int    Decoder Frames Count   10 0 - Decoder Frames Count   10    1000                                           RepeatBehavior   RepeatBehavior Forever                             base Source   Decoder Frames 0           BeginAnimation FrameIndexProperty  Animation           IsAnimationWorking   true             private bool IsAnimatedGifImage BitmapImage aBitmapImage                Debug Assert aBitmapImage    null            bool lResult   false          if  aBitmapImage UriSource    null                        BitmapDecoder lBitmapDecoder   BitmapDecoder Create                  aBitmapImage UriSource                  BitmapCreateOptions PreservePixelFormat                  BitmapCacheOption Default               lResult   lBitmapDecoder is GifBitmapDecoder                    else if  aBitmapImage StreamSource    null                        try                               long lStreamPosition   aBitmapImage StreamSource Position                  aBitmapImage StreamSource Position   0                  GifBitmapDecoder lBitmapDecoder                       new GifBitmapDecoder                          aBitmapImage StreamSource                          BitmapCreateOptions PreservePixelFormat                          BitmapCacheOption Default                   lResult   lBitmapDecoder Frames Count  gt  1                   aBitmapImage StreamSource Position   lStreamPosition                            catch                               lResult   false                                   return lResult             private static void ChangingFrameIndex          DependencyObject aObject  DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs aEventArgs                AnimatedImage lAnimatedImage   aObject as AnimatedImage           if  lAnimatedImage    null     lAnimatedImage IsAnimationWorking                        return                     int lFrameIndex    int  aEventArgs NewValue            Image  lAnimatedImage  Source   lAnimatedImage Decoder Frames lFrameIndex           lAnimatedImage InvalidateVisual                    lt summary gt          Handles changes to the Source property           lt  summary gt      private static void OnSourceChanged          DependencyObject aObject  DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs aEventArgs                  AnimatedImage  aObject  OnSourceChanged aEventArgs               endregion       region Dependency Properties           lt summary gt          FrameIndex Dependency Property          lt  summary gt      public static readonly DependencyProperty FrameIndexProperty           DependencyProperty Register               FrameIndex               typeof  int               typeof  AnimatedImage               new UIPropertyMetadata 0  ChangingFrameIndex              lt summary gt          Source Dependency Property          lt  summary gt      public new static readonly DependencyProperty SourceProperty           DependencyProperty Register               Source               typeof  ImageSource               typeof  AnimatedImage               new FrameworkPropertyMetadata                  null                  FrameworkPropertyMetadataOptions AffectsRender                   FrameworkPropertyMetadataOptions AffectsMeasure                  OnSourceChanged          endregion

User · Answer

Previously  I faced a similar problem  I needed to play  gif file in your project  I had two choices    using PictureBox from WinForms using a third-party library  such as WPFAnimatedGif from codeplex com    Version with PictureBox did not work for me  and the project could not use external libraries for it  So I made it for myself through Bitmap with help ImageAnimator  Because  standard BitmapImage does not support playback of  gif files   Full example   XAML   lt Window x Class  PlayGifHelp MainWindow          xmlns  http   schemas microsoft com winfx 2006 xaml presentation          xmlns x  http   schemas microsoft com winfx 2006 xaml          Title  MainWindow  Height  350  Width  525  Loaded  MainWindow Loaded  gt        lt Grid gt           lt Image x Name  SampleImage    gt       lt  Grid gt   lt  Window gt    Code behind  public partial class MainWindow   Window       public MainWindow                 InitializeComponent               Bitmap  bitmap      BitmapSource  source       private BitmapSource GetSource                 if   bitmap    null                        string path   Directory GetCurrentDirectory                    Check the path to the  gif file              bitmap   new Bitmap path      anim gif                       IntPtr handle   IntPtr Zero          handle    bitmap GetHbitmap             return Imaging CreateBitmapSourceFromHBitmap handle  IntPtr Zero  Int32Rect Empty  BitmapSizeOptions FromEmptyOptions                private void MainWindow Loaded object sender  RoutedEventArgs e                 source   GetSource            SampleImage Source    source          ImageAnimator Animate  bitmap  OnFrameChanged              private void FrameUpdatedCallback                 ImageAnimator UpdateFrames             if   source    null                         source Freeze                        source   GetSource             SampleImage Source    source          InvalidateVisual               private void OnFrameChanged object sender  EventArgs e                Dispatcher BeginInvoke DispatcherPriority Normal  new Action FrameUpdatedCallback              Bitmap does not support URI directive  so I load  gif file from the current directory

User · Answer

Its very simple if you use  lt MediaElement gt     lt MediaElement  Height  113  HorizontalAlignment  Left  Margin  12 12 0 0   Name  mediaElement1  VerticalAlignment  Top  Width  198  Source  C  Users abc gif  LoadedBehavior  Play  Stretch  Fill  SpeedRatio  1  IsMuted  False    gt

User · Answer

Small improvement of GifImage Initialize   method  which reads proper frame timing from GIF metadata       private void Initialize                  gifDecoder   new GifBitmapDecoder new Uri  pack   application        this GifSource   BitmapCreateOptions PreservePixelFormat  BitmapCacheOption Default            int duration 0           animation   new Int32AnimationUsingKeyFrames             animation KeyFrames Add new DiscreteInt32KeyFrame 0  KeyTime FromTimeSpan new TimeSpan 0              foreach  BitmapFrame frame in  gifDecoder Frames                        BitmapMetadata btmd    BitmapMetadata frame Metadata              duration     ushort btmd GetQuery   grctlext Delay                 animation KeyFrames Add new DiscreteInt32KeyFrame  gifDecoder Frames IndexOf frame  1  KeyTime FromTimeSpan new TimeSpan duration 100000                                      animation RepeatBehavior   RepeatBehavior Forever          this Source    gifDecoder Frames 0                        isInitialized   true

User · Answer

I  too  did a search and found several different solution in just a thread on the old MSDN forums   link no longer worked so I removed it   The simplest to execute seems to be to use a WinForms PictureBox control  and went like this  changed a few things from the thread  most of it the same    Add a reference to System Windows Forms  WindowsFormsIntegration  and System Drawing to your project first    lt Window x Class  GifExample Window1      xmlns  http   schemas microsoft com winfx 2006 xaml presentation      xmlns x  http   schemas microsoft com winfx 2006 xaml      xmlns wfi  clr-namespace System Windows Forms Integration assembly WindowsFormsIntegration      xmlns winForms  clr-namespace System Windows Forms assembly System Windows Forms      Loaded  Window Loaded   gt       lt Grid gt           lt wfi WindowsFormsHost gt               lt winForms PictureBox x Name  pictureBoxLoading  gt               lt  winForms PictureBox gt           lt  wfi WindowsFormsHost gt       lt  Grid gt   lt  Window  gt    Then in the Window Loaded handler  you would set the pictureBoxLoading ImageLocation property to the image file path that you want to show   private void Window Loaded object sender  RoutedEventArgs e        pictureBoxLoading ImageLocation       Images mygif gif       The MediaElement control was mentioned in that thread  but it is also mentioned that it is a rather heavy control  so there were a number of alternatives  including at least 2 homebrewed controls based on the Image control  so this is the simplest

User · Answer

Thanks for your post Joel  it helped me solve WPF s absence of support for animated GIFs   Just adding a little code since I had a heck of a time with setting the pictureBoxLoading Image property due to the Winforms api    I had to set my animated gif image s Build Action as  Content  and the Copy to output directory to  Copy if newer  or  always   Then in the MainWindow   I called this method   Only issue is that when I tried to dispose of the stream  it gave me a red envelope graphic instead of my image  I ll have to solve that problem   This removed the pain of loading a BitmapImage and changing it into a Bitmap  which obviously killed my animation because it is no longer a gif    private void SetupProgressIcon        Uri uri   new Uri  pack   application     WPFTest component Images animated progress apple gif       if  uri    null             Stream stream   Application GetContentStream uri  Stream           imgProgressBox Image   new System Drawing Bitmap stream

User · Answer

I use this library  https   github com XamlAnimatedGif WpfAnimatedGif  First  install library into your project  using Package Manager Console        PM  gt  Install-Package WpfAnimatedGif   Then  use this snippet into XAML file        lt Window x Class  WpfAnimatedGif Demo MainWindow          xmlns  http   schemas microsoft com winfx 2006 xaml presentation          xmlns x  http   schemas microsoft com winfx 2006 xaml          xmlns gif  http   wpfanimatedgif codeplex com          Title  MainWindow  Height  350  Width  525  gt           lt Grid gt               lt Image gif ImageBehavior AnimatedSource  Images animated gif    gt                I hope helps   Source  https   github com XamlAnimatedGif WpfAnimatedGif

User · Answer

Small improvement of GifImage Initialize   method  which reads proper frame timing from GIF metadata       private void Initialize                  gifDecoder   new GifBitmapDecoder new Uri  pack   application        this GifSource   BitmapCreateOptions PreservePixelFormat  BitmapCacheOption Default            int duration 0           animation   new Int32AnimationUsingKeyFrames             animation KeyFrames Add new DiscreteInt32KeyFrame 0  KeyTime FromTimeSpan new TimeSpan 0              foreach  BitmapFrame frame in  gifDecoder Frames                        BitmapMetadata btmd    BitmapMetadata frame Metadata              duration     ushort btmd GetQuery   grctlext Delay                 animation KeyFrames Add new DiscreteInt32KeyFrame  gifDecoder Frames IndexOf frame  1  KeyTime FromTimeSpan new TimeSpan duration 100000                                      animation RepeatBehavior   RepeatBehavior Forever          this Source    gifDecoder Frames 0                        isInitialized   true

User · Answer

I  too  did a search and found several different solution in just a thread on the old MSDN forums   link no longer worked so I removed it   The simplest to execute seems to be to use a WinForms PictureBox control  and went like this  changed a few things from the thread  most of it the same    Add a reference to System Windows Forms  WindowsFormsIntegration  and System Drawing to your project first    lt Window x Class  GifExample Window1      xmlns  http   schemas microsoft com winfx 2006 xaml presentation      xmlns x  http   schemas microsoft com winfx 2006 xaml      xmlns wfi  clr-namespace System Windows Forms Integration assembly WindowsFormsIntegration      xmlns winForms  clr-namespace System Windows Forms assembly System Windows Forms      Loaded  Window Loaded   gt       lt Grid gt           lt wfi WindowsFormsHost gt               lt winForms PictureBox x Name  pictureBoxLoading  gt               lt  winForms PictureBox gt           lt  wfi WindowsFormsHost gt       lt  Grid gt   lt  Window  gt    Then in the Window Loaded handler  you would set the pictureBoxLoading ImageLocation property to the image file path that you want to show   private void Window Loaded object sender  RoutedEventArgs e        pictureBoxLoading ImageLocation       Images mygif gif       The MediaElement control was mentioned in that thread  but it is also mentioned that it is a rather heavy control  so there were a number of alternatives  including at least 2 homebrewed controls based on the Image control  so this is the simplest

User · Answer

I post a solution extending the image control and using the Gif Decoder  The gif decoder has a frames property  I animate the FrameIndex property  The event ChangingFrameIndex changes the source property to the frame corresponding to the FrameIndex  that is in the decoder   I guess that the gif has 10 frames per second   class GifImage   Image       private bool  isInitialized      private GifBitmapDecoder  gifDecoder      private Int32Animation  animation       public int FrameIndex               get   return  int GetValue FrameIndexProperty             set   SetValue FrameIndexProperty  value                private void Initialize                  gifDecoder   new GifBitmapDecoder new Uri  pack   application        this GifSource   BitmapCreateOptions PreservePixelFormat  BitmapCacheOption Default            animation   new Int32Animation 0   gifDecoder Frames Count - 1  new Duration new TimeSpan 0  0  0   gifDecoder Frames Count   10   int    gifDecoder Frames Count   10 0 -  gifDecoder Frames Count   10    1000               animation RepeatBehavior   RepeatBehavior Forever          this Source    gifDecoder Frames 0             isInitialized   true             static GifImage                 VisibilityProperty OverrideMetadata typeof  GifImage               new FrameworkPropertyMetadata VisibilityPropertyChanged               private static void VisibilityPropertyChanged DependencyObject sender  DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs e                if   Visibility e NewValue    Visibility Visible                          GifImage sender  StartAnimation                      else                         GifImage sender  StopAnimation                         public static readonly DependencyProperty FrameIndexProperty           DependencyProperty Register  FrameIndex   typeof int   typeof GifImage   new UIPropertyMetadata 0  new PropertyChangedCallback ChangingFrameIndex          static void ChangingFrameIndex DependencyObject obj  DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs ev                var gifImage   obj as GifImage          gifImage Source   gifImage  gifDecoder Frames  int ev NewValue                   lt summary gt          Defines whether the animation starts on it s own          lt  summary gt      public bool AutoStart               get   return  bool GetValue AutoStartProperty             set   SetValue AutoStartProperty  value                public static readonly DependencyProperty AutoStartProperty           DependencyProperty Register  AutoStart   typeof bool   typeof GifImage   new UIPropertyMetadata false  AutoStartPropertyChanged         private static void AutoStartPropertyChanged DependencyObject sender  DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs e                if   bool e NewValue               sender as GifImage  StartAnimation               public string GifSource               get   return  string GetValue GifSourceProperty             set   SetValue GifSourceProperty  value                public static readonly DependencyProperty GifSourceProperty           DependencyProperty Register  GifSource   typeof string   typeof GifImage   new UIPropertyMetadata string Empty  GifSourcePropertyChanged         private static void GifSourcePropertyChanged DependencyObject sender  DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs e                 sender as GifImage  Initialize                    lt summary gt          Starts the animation          lt  summary gt      public void StartAnimation                 if    isInitialized              this Initialize             BeginAnimation FrameIndexProperty   animation                   lt summary gt          Stops the animation          lt  summary gt      public void StopAnimation                 BeginAnimation FrameIndexProperty  null             Usage example  XAML     lt controls GifImage x Name  gifImage  Stretch  None  GifSource   SomeImage gif  AutoStart  True    gt

User · Answer

I have try all the way above  but each one has their shortness  and thanks to all you  I work out my own GifImage       using System      using System Collections Generic      using System Linq      using System Text      using System Windows Controls      using System Windows      using System Windows Media Imaging      using System IO      using System Windows Threading       namespace IEXM Components           public class GifImage   Image                    region gif Source  such as   IEXM component Images Expression f020 gif              public string GifSource                                   get   return  string GetValue GifSourceProperty                         set   SetValue GifSourceProperty  value                                public static readonly DependencyProperty GifSourceProperty                       DependencyProperty Register  GifSource   typeof string                       typeof GifImage   new UIPropertyMetadata null  GifSourcePropertyChanged                 private static void GifSourcePropertyChanged DependencyObject sender                      DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs e                                     sender as GifImage  Initialize                               endregion               region control the animate                  lt summary gt                  Defines whether the animation starts on it s own                  lt  summary gt              public bool IsAutoStart                                   get   return  bool GetValue AutoStartProperty                         set   SetValue AutoStartProperty  value                                public static readonly DependencyProperty AutoStartProperty                       DependencyProperty Register  IsAutoStart   typeof bool                       typeof GifImage   new UIPropertyMetadata false  AutoStartPropertyChanged                 private static void AutoStartPropertyChanged DependencyObject sender                      DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs e                                    if   bool e NewValue                               sender as GifImage  StartAnimation                        else                              sender as GifImage  StopAnimation                               endregion              private bool  isInitialized   false              private System Drawing Bitmap  bitmap              private BitmapSource  source                System Runtime InteropServices DllImport  gdi32 dll                public static extern bool DeleteObject IntPtr hObject                private BitmapSource GetSource                                     if   bitmap    null                                                     bitmap   new System Drawing Bitmap Application GetResourceStream                                       new Uri GifSource  UriKind RelativeOrAbsolute   Stream                                              IntPtr handle   IntPtr Zero                      handle    bitmap GetHbitmap                         BitmapSource bs   System Windows Interop Imaging CreateBitmapSourceFromHBitmap                              handle  IntPtr Zero  Int32Rect Empty  BitmapSizeOptions FromEmptyOptions                         DeleteObject handle                       return bs                             private void Initialize                                       Console WriteLine  Init      GifSource                       if  GifSource    null                              Source   GetSource                         isInitialized   true                             private void FrameUpdatedCallback                                     System Drawing ImageAnimator UpdateFrames                         if   source    null                                                     source Freeze                                           source   GetSource                       Console WriteLine  Working      GifSource                        Source    source                      InvalidateVisual                               private void OnFrameChanged object sender  EventArgs e                                    Dispatcher BeginInvoke DispatcherPriority Normal  new Action FrameUpdatedCallback                                    lt summary gt                  Starts the animation                  lt  summary gt              public void StartAnimation                                     if    isInitialized                              this Initialize                        Console WriteLine  Start      GifSource                        System Drawing ImageAnimator Animate  bitmap  OnFrameChanged                                   lt summary gt                  Stops the animation                  lt  summary gt              public void StopAnimation                                      isInitialized   false                      if   bitmap    null                                                    System Drawing ImageAnimator StopAnimate  bitmap  OnFrameChanged                                bitmap Dispose                                 bitmap   null                                             source   null                      Initialize                        GC Collect                        GC WaitForFullGCComplete                       Console WriteLine  Stop      GifSource                              public void Dispose                                      isInitialized   false                      if   bitmap    null                                                    System Drawing ImageAnimator StopAnimate  bitmap  OnFrameChanged                                bitmap Dispose                                 bitmap   null                                             source   null                      GC Collect                        GC WaitForFullGCComplete                      Console WriteLine  Dispose      GifSource                           Usage    lt localComponents GifImage x Name  gifImage  IsAutoStart  True  GifSource   Binding Path value     gt    As it would not cause memory leak and it animated the gif image own time line  you can try it

User · Answer

Adding on to the main response that recommends the usage of WpfAnimatedGif  you must add the following lines in the end if you are swapping an image with a Gif to ensure the animation actually executes   ImageBehavior SetRepeatBehavior img  new RepeatBehavior 0    ImageBehavior SetRepeatBehavior img  RepeatBehavior Forever     So your code will look like   var image   new BitmapImage    image BeginInit    image UriSource   new Uri fileName   image EndInit    ImageBehavior SetAnimatedSource img  image   ImageBehavior SetRepeatBehavior img  new RepeatBehavior 0    ImageBehavior SetRepeatBehavior img  RepeatBehavior Forever

User · Answer

Check my code  I hope this helped you              public async Task GIF Animation Pro string FileName int speed bool  Repeat                            int ab 0                          var gif   GifBitmapDecoder Create new Uri FileName   BitmapCreateOptions PreservePixelFormat  BitmapCacheOption Default                           var getFrames   gif Frames                          BitmapFrame   frames   getFrames ToArray                            await Task Run      gt                                                          while  ab  lt  getFrames Count                                                                  Thread Sleep speed   try                                   Dispatcher Invoke      gt                                                                        gifImage Source   frames ab                                                                       if  ab    getFrames Count - 1 amp  amp  Repeat                                                                        ab   0                                                                     ab                   catch                                                                                        or       public async Task GIF Animation Pro Stream stream  int speed bool  Repeat                 int ab   0                     var gif   GifBitmapDecoder Create stream   BitmapCreateOptions PreservePixelFormat  BitmapCacheOption Default                   var getFrames   gif Frames                  BitmapFrame   frames   getFrames ToArray                    await Task Run      gt                                          while  ab  lt  getFrames Count                                                  Thread Sleep speed       try                              Dispatcher Invoke      gt                                                        gifImage Source   frames ab                                                       if  ab    getFrames Count - 1 amp  amp  Repeat                                                        ab   0                                                     ab               catch

User · Answer

I  too  did a search and found several different solution in just a thread on the old MSDN forums   link no longer worked so I removed it   The simplest to execute seems to be to use a WinForms PictureBox control  and went like this  changed a few things from the thread  most of it the same    Add a reference to System Windows Forms  WindowsFormsIntegration  and System Drawing to your project first    lt Window x Class  GifExample Window1      xmlns  http   schemas microsoft com winfx 2006 xaml presentation      xmlns x  http   schemas microsoft com winfx 2006 xaml      xmlns wfi  clr-namespace System Windows Forms Integration assembly WindowsFormsIntegration      xmlns winForms  clr-namespace System Windows Forms assembly System Windows Forms      Loaded  Window Loaded   gt       lt Grid gt           lt wfi WindowsFormsHost gt               lt winForms PictureBox x Name  pictureBoxLoading  gt               lt  winForms PictureBox gt           lt  wfi WindowsFormsHost gt       lt  Grid gt   lt  Window  gt    Then in the Window Loaded handler  you would set the pictureBoxLoading ImageLocation property to the image file path that you want to show   private void Window Loaded object sender  RoutedEventArgs e        pictureBoxLoading ImageLocation       Images mygif gif       The MediaElement control was mentioned in that thread  but it is also mentioned that it is a rather heavy control  so there were a number of alternatives  including at least 2 homebrewed controls based on the Image control  so this is the simplest

User · Answer

Thanks for your post Joel  it helped me solve WPF s absence of support for animated GIFs   Just adding a little code since I had a heck of a time with setting the pictureBoxLoading Image property due to the Winforms api    I had to set my animated gif image s Build Action as  Content  and the Copy to output directory to  Copy if newer  or  always   Then in the MainWindow   I called this method   Only issue is that when I tried to dispose of the stream  it gave me a red envelope graphic instead of my image  I ll have to solve that problem   This removed the pain of loading a BitmapImage and changing it into a Bitmap  which obviously killed my animation because it is no longer a gif    private void SetupProgressIcon        Uri uri   new Uri  pack   application     WPFTest component Images animated progress apple gif       if  uri    null             Stream stream   Application GetContentStream uri  Stream           imgProgressBox Image   new System Drawing Bitmap stream

User · Answer

I had this issue  until I discovered that in WPF4  you can simulate your own keyframe image animations  First  split your animation into a series of images  title them something like  Image1 gif    Image2 gif   and so on  Import those images into your solution resources  I m assuming you put them in the default resource location for images   You are going to use the Image control  Use the following XAML code  I ve removed the non-essentials    lt Image Name  Image1  gt      lt Image Triggers gt         lt EventTrigger RoutedEvent  Image Loaded            lt EventTrigger Actions gt               lt BeginStoryboard gt                  lt Storyboard gt                      lt ObjectAnimationUsingKeyFrames Duration  0 0 1  Storyboard TargetProperty  Source  RepeatBehavior  Forever  gt                         lt DiscreteObjectKeyFrames KeyTime  0 0 0  gt                            lt DiscreteObjectKeyFrame Value gt                               lt BitmapImage UriSource  Images Image1 gif   gt                            lt  DiscreteObjectKeyFrame Value gt                         lt  DiscreteObjectKeyFrames gt                        lt DiscreteObjectKeyFrames KeyTime  0 0 0 25  gt                           lt DiscreteObjectKeyFrame Value gt                              lt BitmapImage UriSource  Images Image2 gif   gt                           lt  DiscreteObjectKeyFrame Value gt                        lt  DiscreteObjectKeyFrames gt                        lt DiscreteObjectKeyFrames KeyTime  0 0 0 5  gt                           lt DiscreteObjectKeyFrame Value gt                              lt BitmapImage UriSource  Images Image3 gif   gt                           lt  DiscreteObjectKeyFrame Value gt                        lt  DiscreteObjectKeyFrames gt                        lt DiscreteObjectKeyFrames KeyTime  0 0 0 75  gt                           lt DiscreteObjectKeyFrame Value gt                              lt BitmapImage UriSource  Images Image4 gif   gt                           lt  DiscreteObjectKeyFrame Value gt                        lt  DiscreteObjectKeyFrames gt                        lt DiscreteObjectKeyFrames KeyTime  0 0 1  gt                           lt DiscreteObjectKeyFrame Value gt                              lt BitmapImage UriSource  Images Image5 gif   gt                           lt  DiscreteObjectKeyFrame Value gt                        lt  DiscreteObjectKeyFrames gt                     lt  ObjectAnimationUsingKeyFrames gt                  lt  Storyboard gt               lt  BeginStoryboard gt            lt  EventTrigger Actions gt         lt  EventTrigger gt      lt  Image Triggers gt   lt  Image gt

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I post a solution extending the image control and using the Gif Decoder  The gif decoder has a frames property  I animate the FrameIndex property  The event ChangingFrameIndex changes the source property to the frame corresponding to the FrameIndex  that is in the decoder   I guess that the gif has 10 frames per second   class GifImage   Image       private bool  isInitialized      private GifBitmapDecoder  gifDecoder      private Int32Animation  animation       public int FrameIndex               get   return  int GetValue FrameIndexProperty             set   SetValue FrameIndexProperty  value                private void Initialize                  gifDecoder   new GifBitmapDecoder new Uri  pack   application        this GifSource   BitmapCreateOptions PreservePixelFormat  BitmapCacheOption Default            animation   new Int32Animation 0   gifDecoder Frames Count - 1  new Duration new TimeSpan 0  0  0   gifDecoder Frames Count   10   int    gifDecoder Frames Count   10 0 -  gifDecoder Frames Count   10    1000               animation RepeatBehavior   RepeatBehavior Forever          this Source    gifDecoder Frames 0             isInitialized   true             static GifImage                 VisibilityProperty OverrideMetadata typeof  GifImage               new FrameworkPropertyMetadata VisibilityPropertyChanged               private static void VisibilityPropertyChanged DependencyObject sender  DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs e                if   Visibility e NewValue    Visibility Visible                          GifImage sender  StartAnimation                      else                         GifImage sender  StopAnimation                         public static readonly DependencyProperty FrameIndexProperty           DependencyProperty Register  FrameIndex   typeof int   typeof GifImage   new UIPropertyMetadata 0  new PropertyChangedCallback ChangingFrameIndex          static void ChangingFrameIndex DependencyObject obj  DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs ev                var gifImage   obj as GifImage          gifImage Source   gifImage  gifDecoder Frames  int ev NewValue                   lt summary gt          Defines whether the animation starts on it s own          lt  summary gt      public bool AutoStart               get   return  bool GetValue AutoStartProperty             set   SetValue AutoStartProperty  value                public static readonly DependencyProperty AutoStartProperty           DependencyProperty Register  AutoStart   typeof bool   typeof GifImage   new UIPropertyMetadata false  AutoStartPropertyChanged         private static void AutoStartPropertyChanged DependencyObject sender  DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs e                if   bool e NewValue               sender as GifImage  StartAnimation               public string GifSource               get   return  string GetValue GifSourceProperty             set   SetValue GifSourceProperty  value                public static readonly DependencyProperty GifSourceProperty           DependencyProperty Register  GifSource   typeof string   typeof GifImage   new UIPropertyMetadata string Empty  GifSourcePropertyChanged         private static void GifSourcePropertyChanged DependencyObject sender  DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs e                 sender as GifImage  Initialize                    lt summary gt          Starts the animation          lt  summary gt      public void StartAnimation                 if    isInitialized              this Initialize             BeginAnimation FrameIndexProperty   animation                   lt summary gt          Stops the animation          lt  summary gt      public void StopAnimation                 BeginAnimation FrameIndexProperty  null             Usage example  XAML     lt controls GifImage x Name  gifImage  Stretch  None  GifSource   SomeImage gif  AutoStart  True    gt

User · Answer

I couldn t get the most popular answer to this question  above by Dario  to work properly  The result was weird  choppy animation with weird artifacts  Best solution I have found so far  https   github com XamlAnimatedGif WpfAnimatedGif  You can install it with NuGet  PM gt  Install-Package WpfAnimatedGif  and to use it  at a new namespace to the Window where you want to add the gif image and use it as below   lt Window x Class  MainWindow      xmlns  http   schemas microsoft com winfx 2006 xaml presentation      xmlns x  http   schemas microsoft com winfx 2006 xaml      xmlns gif  http   wpfanimatedgif codeplex com   lt  -- THIS NAMESPACE -- gt      Title  MainWindow  Height  350  Width  525  gt    lt Grid gt       lt  -- EXAMPLE USAGE BELOW -- gt       lt Image gif ImageBehavior AnimatedSource  Images animated gif    gt    The package is really neat  you can set some attributes like below    lt Image gif ImageBehavior RepeatBehavior  3x         gif ImageBehavior AnimatedSource  Images animated gif    gt    and you can use it in your code as well   var image   new BitmapImage    image BeginInit    image UriSource   new Uri fileName   image EndInit    ImageBehavior SetAnimatedSource img  image     EDIT  Silverlight support  As per josh2112 s comment if you want to add animated GIF support to your Silverlight project then use github com XamlAnimatedGif XamlAnimatedGif

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Its very simple if you use  lt MediaElement gt     lt MediaElement  Height  113  HorizontalAlignment  Left  Margin  12 12 0 0   Name  mediaElement1  VerticalAlignment  Top  Width  198  Source  C  Users abc gif  LoadedBehavior  Play  Stretch  Fill  SpeedRatio  1  IsMuted  False    gt

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How about this tiny app  Code behind   public MainWindow       InitializeComponent      Files   Directory GetFiles   I  images      this DataContext  this    public string   Files  get set     XAML    lt Window x Class  PicViewer MainWindow          xmlns  http   schemas microsoft com winfx 2006 xaml presentation          xmlns x  http   schemas microsoft com winfx 2006 xaml          Title  MainWindow  Height  350  Width  525  gt       lt Grid gt           lt Grid ColumnDefinitions gt               lt ColumnDefinition Width  175    gt               lt ColumnDefinition Width       gt           lt  Grid ColumnDefinitions gt           lt ListBox x Name  lst  ItemsSource   Binding Path Files    gt           lt MediaElement Grid Column  1  LoadedBehavior  Play  Source   Binding ElementName lst  Path SelectedItem   Stretch  None   gt       lt  Grid gt   lt  Window gt

User · Answer

An alternative to waiting animation in WPF is     lt ProgressBar Height  20  Width  100  IsIndeterminate  True   gt    It will show an animated progress bar

User · Answer

I am not sure if this has been solved but the best way is to use the WpfAnimatedGid library  It is very easy  simple and straight forward to use  It only requires 2lines of XAML code and about 5 lines of C  Code in the code behind    You will see all the necessary details of how this can be used there  This is what I also used instead of re-inventing the wheel

User · Answer

Check my code  I hope this helped you              public async Task GIF Animation Pro string FileName int speed bool  Repeat                            int ab 0                          var gif   GifBitmapDecoder Create new Uri FileName   BitmapCreateOptions PreservePixelFormat  BitmapCacheOption Default                           var getFrames   gif Frames                          BitmapFrame   frames   getFrames ToArray                            await Task Run      gt                                                          while  ab  lt  getFrames Count                                                                  Thread Sleep speed   try                                   Dispatcher Invoke      gt                                                                        gifImage Source   frames ab                                                                       if  ab    getFrames Count - 1 amp  amp  Repeat                                                                        ab   0                                                                     ab                   catch                                                                                        or       public async Task GIF Animation Pro Stream stream  int speed bool  Repeat                 int ab   0                     var gif   GifBitmapDecoder Create stream   BitmapCreateOptions PreservePixelFormat  BitmapCacheOption Default                   var getFrames   gif Frames                  BitmapFrame   frames   getFrames ToArray                    await Task Run      gt                                          while  ab  lt  getFrames Count                                                  Thread Sleep speed       try                              Dispatcher Invoke      gt                                                        gifImage Source   frames ab                                                       if  ab    getFrames Count - 1 amp  amp  Repeat                                                        ab   0                                                     ab               catch

User · Answer

I use this library  https   github com XamlAnimatedGif WpfAnimatedGif  First  install library into your project  using Package Manager Console        PM  gt  Install-Package WpfAnimatedGif   Then  use this snippet into XAML file        lt Window x Class  WpfAnimatedGif Demo MainWindow          xmlns  http   schemas microsoft com winfx 2006 xaml presentation          xmlns x  http   schemas microsoft com winfx 2006 xaml          xmlns gif  http   wpfanimatedgif codeplex com          Title  MainWindow  Height  350  Width  525  gt           lt Grid gt               lt Image gif ImageBehavior AnimatedSource  Images animated gif    gt                I hope helps   Source  https   github com XamlAnimatedGif WpfAnimatedGif

User · Answer

Previously  I faced a similar problem  I needed to play  gif file in your project  I had two choices    using PictureBox from WinForms using a third-party library  such as WPFAnimatedGif from codeplex com    Version with PictureBox did not work for me  and the project could not use external libraries for it  So I made it for myself through Bitmap with help ImageAnimator  Because  standard BitmapImage does not support playback of  gif files   Full example   XAML   lt Window x Class  PlayGifHelp MainWindow          xmlns  http   schemas microsoft com winfx 2006 xaml presentation          xmlns x  http   schemas microsoft com winfx 2006 xaml          Title  MainWindow  Height  350  Width  525  Loaded  MainWindow Loaded  gt        lt Grid gt           lt Image x Name  SampleImage    gt       lt  Grid gt   lt  Window gt    Code behind  public partial class MainWindow   Window       public MainWindow                 InitializeComponent               Bitmap  bitmap      BitmapSource  source       private BitmapSource GetSource                 if   bitmap    null                        string path   Directory GetCurrentDirectory                    Check the path to the  gif file              bitmap   new Bitmap path      anim gif                       IntPtr handle   IntPtr Zero          handle    bitmap GetHbitmap             return Imaging CreateBitmapSourceFromHBitmap handle  IntPtr Zero  Int32Rect Empty  BitmapSizeOptions FromEmptyOptions                private void MainWindow Loaded object sender  RoutedEventArgs e                 source   GetSource            SampleImage Source    source          ImageAnimator Animate  bitmap  OnFrameChanged              private void FrameUpdatedCallback                 ImageAnimator UpdateFrames             if   source    null                         source Freeze                        source   GetSource             SampleImage Source    source          InvalidateVisual               private void OnFrameChanged object sender  EventArgs e                Dispatcher BeginInvoke DispatcherPriority Normal  new Action FrameUpdatedCallback              Bitmap does not support URI directive  so I load  gif file from the current directory

User · Answer

Basically the same PictureBox solution above, but this time with the code-behind to use an Embedded Resource in your project:

In XAML:

<WindowsFormsHost x:Name="_loadingHost">
  <Forms:PictureBox x:Name="_loadingPictureBox"/>
</WindowsFormsHost>

In Code-Behind:

public partial class ProgressIcon
{
    public ProgressIcon()
    {
        InitializeComponent();
        var stream = Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly().GetManifestResourceStream("My.Namespace.ProgressIcon.gif");
        var image = System.Drawing.Image.FromStream(stream);
        Loaded += (s, e) => _loadingPictureBox.Image = image;
    }
}

User · Answer

I have try all the way above  but each one has their shortness  and thanks to all you  I work out my own GifImage       using System      using System Collections Generic      using System Linq      using System Text      using System Windows Controls      using System Windows      using System Windows Media Imaging      using System IO      using System Windows Threading       namespace IEXM Components           public class GifImage   Image                    region gif Source  such as   IEXM component Images Expression f020 gif              public string GifSource                                   get   return  string GetValue GifSourceProperty                         set   SetValue GifSourceProperty  value                                public static readonly DependencyProperty GifSourceProperty                       DependencyProperty Register  GifSource   typeof string                       typeof GifImage   new UIPropertyMetadata null  GifSourcePropertyChanged                 private static void GifSourcePropertyChanged DependencyObject sender                      DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs e                                     sender as GifImage  Initialize                               endregion               region control the animate                  lt summary gt                  Defines whether the animation starts on it s own                  lt  summary gt              public bool IsAutoStart                                   get   return  bool GetValue AutoStartProperty                         set   SetValue AutoStartProperty  value                                public static readonly DependencyProperty AutoStartProperty                       DependencyProperty Register  IsAutoStart   typeof bool                       typeof GifImage   new UIPropertyMetadata false  AutoStartPropertyChanged                 private static void AutoStartPropertyChanged DependencyObject sender                      DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs e                                    if   bool e NewValue                               sender as GifImage  StartAnimation                        else                              sender as GifImage  StopAnimation                               endregion              private bool  isInitialized   false              private System Drawing Bitmap  bitmap              private BitmapSource  source                System Runtime InteropServices DllImport  gdi32 dll                public static extern bool DeleteObject IntPtr hObject                private BitmapSource GetSource                                     if   bitmap    null                                                     bitmap   new System Drawing Bitmap Application GetResourceStream                                       new Uri GifSource  UriKind RelativeOrAbsolute   Stream                                              IntPtr handle   IntPtr Zero                      handle    bitmap GetHbitmap                         BitmapSource bs   System Windows Interop Imaging CreateBitmapSourceFromHBitmap                              handle  IntPtr Zero  Int32Rect Empty  BitmapSizeOptions FromEmptyOptions                         DeleteObject handle                       return bs                             private void Initialize                                       Console WriteLine  Init      GifSource                       if  GifSource    null                              Source   GetSource                         isInitialized   true                             private void FrameUpdatedCallback                                     System Drawing ImageAnimator UpdateFrames                         if   source    null                                                     source Freeze                                           source   GetSource                       Console WriteLine  Working      GifSource                        Source    source                      InvalidateVisual                               private void OnFrameChanged object sender  EventArgs e                                    Dispatcher BeginInvoke DispatcherPriority Normal  new Action FrameUpdatedCallback                                    lt summary gt                  Starts the animation                  lt  summary gt              public void StartAnimation                                     if    isInitialized                              this Initialize                        Console WriteLine  Start      GifSource                        System Drawing ImageAnimator Animate  bitmap  OnFrameChanged                                   lt summary gt                  Stops the animation                  lt  summary gt              public void StopAnimation                                      isInitialized   false                      if   bitmap    null                                                    System Drawing ImageAnimator StopAnimate  bitmap  OnFrameChanged                                bitmap Dispose                                 bitmap   null                                             source   null                      Initialize                        GC Collect                        GC WaitForFullGCComplete                       Console WriteLine  Stop      GifSource                              public void Dispose                                      isInitialized   false                      if   bitmap    null                                                    System Drawing ImageAnimator StopAnimate  bitmap  OnFrameChanged                                bitmap Dispose                                 bitmap   null                                             source   null                      GC Collect                        GC WaitForFullGCComplete                      Console WriteLine  Dispose      GifSource                           Usage    lt localComponents GifImage x Name  gifImage  IsAutoStart  True  GifSource   Binding Path value     gt    As it would not cause memory leak and it animated the gif image own time line  you can try it

User · Answer

I am not sure if this has been solved but the best way is to use the WpfAnimatedGid library  It is very easy  simple and straight forward to use  It only requires 2lines of XAML code and about 5 lines of C  Code in the code behind    You will see all the necessary details of how this can be used there  This is what I also used instead of re-inventing the wheel

User · Answer

Here is my version of animated image control  You can use standard property Source for specifying image source  I further improved it  I am a russian  project is russian so comments are also in Russian  But anyway you should be able understand everything without comments           lt summary gt      Control the  Images   which supports animated GIF       lt  summary gt  public class AnimatedImage   Image        region Public properties           lt summary gt          Gets   sets the number of the current frame           lt  summary gt      public int FrameIndex               get   return  int  GetValue FrameIndexProperty             set   SetValue FrameIndexProperty  value                     lt summary gt          Gets   sets the image that will be drawn           lt  summary gt      public new ImageSource Source               get   return  ImageSource  GetValue SourceProperty             set   SetValue SourceProperty  value                 endregion       region Protected interface           lt summary gt          Provides derived classes an opportunity to handle changes to the Source property           lt  summary gt      protected virtual void OnSourceChanged DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs aEventArgs                ClearAnimation             BitmapImage lBitmapImage   aEventArgs NewValue as BitmapImage           if  lBitmapImage    null                        ImageSource lImageSource   aEventArgs NewValue as ImageSource              base Source   lImageSource              return                     if   IsAnimatedGifImage lBitmapImage                         base Source   lBitmapImage              return                     PrepareAnimation lBitmapImage               endregion       region Private properties      private Int32Animation Animation   get  set        private GifBitmapDecoder Decoder   get  set        private bool IsAnimationWorking   get  set          endregion       region Private methods      private void ClearAnimation                 if  Animation    null                        BeginAnimation FrameIndexProperty  null                      IsAnimationWorking   false          Animation   null          Decoder   null             private void PrepareAnimation BitmapImage aBitmapImage                Debug Assert aBitmapImage    null            if  aBitmapImage UriSource    null                        Decoder   new GifBitmapDecoder                  aBitmapImage UriSource                  BitmapCreateOptions PreservePixelFormat                  BitmapCacheOption Default                     else                       aBitmapImage StreamSource Position   0              Decoder   new GifBitmapDecoder                  aBitmapImage StreamSource                  BitmapCreateOptions PreservePixelFormat                  BitmapCacheOption Default                      Animation               new Int32Animation                  0                  Decoder Frames Count - 1                  new Duration                      new TimeSpan                          0                          0                          0                          Decoder Frames Count   10                           int    Decoder Frames Count   10 0 - Decoder Frames Count   10    1000                                           RepeatBehavior   RepeatBehavior Forever                             base Source   Decoder Frames 0           BeginAnimation FrameIndexProperty  Animation           IsAnimationWorking   true             private bool IsAnimatedGifImage BitmapImage aBitmapImage                Debug Assert aBitmapImage    null            bool lResult   false          if  aBitmapImage UriSource    null                        BitmapDecoder lBitmapDecoder   BitmapDecoder Create                  aBitmapImage UriSource                  BitmapCreateOptions PreservePixelFormat                  BitmapCacheOption Default               lResult   lBitmapDecoder is GifBitmapDecoder                    else if  aBitmapImage StreamSource    null                        try                               long lStreamPosition   aBitmapImage StreamSource Position                  aBitmapImage StreamSource Position   0                  GifBitmapDecoder lBitmapDecoder                       new GifBitmapDecoder                          aBitmapImage StreamSource                          BitmapCreateOptions PreservePixelFormat                          BitmapCacheOption Default                   lResult   lBitmapDecoder Frames Count  gt  1                   aBitmapImage StreamSource Position   lStreamPosition                            catch                               lResult   false                                   return lResult             private static void ChangingFrameIndex          DependencyObject aObject  DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs aEventArgs                AnimatedImage lAnimatedImage   aObject as AnimatedImage           if  lAnimatedImage    null     lAnimatedImage IsAnimationWorking                        return                     int lFrameIndex    int  aEventArgs NewValue            Image  lAnimatedImage  Source   lAnimatedImage Decoder Frames lFrameIndex           lAnimatedImage InvalidateVisual                    lt summary gt          Handles changes to the Source property           lt  summary gt      private static void OnSourceChanged          DependencyObject aObject  DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs aEventArgs                  AnimatedImage  aObject  OnSourceChanged aEventArgs               endregion       region Dependency Properties           lt summary gt          FrameIndex Dependency Property          lt  summary gt      public static readonly DependencyProperty FrameIndexProperty           DependencyProperty Register               FrameIndex               typeof  int               typeof  AnimatedImage               new UIPropertyMetadata 0  ChangingFrameIndex              lt summary gt          Source Dependency Property          lt  summary gt      public new static readonly DependencyProperty SourceProperty           DependencyProperty Register               Source               typeof  ImageSource               typeof  AnimatedImage               new FrameworkPropertyMetadata                  null                  FrameworkPropertyMetadataOptions AffectsRender                   FrameworkPropertyMetadataOptions AffectsMeasure                  OnSourceChanged          endregion

User · Answer

I had this issue  until I discovered that in WPF4  you can simulate your own keyframe image animations  First  split your animation into a series of images  title them something like  Image1 gif    Image2 gif   and so on  Import those images into your solution resources  I m assuming you put them in the default resource location for images   You are going to use the Image control  Use the following XAML code  I ve removed the non-essentials    lt Image Name  Image1  gt      lt Image Triggers gt         lt EventTrigger RoutedEvent  Image Loaded            lt EventTrigger Actions gt               lt BeginStoryboard gt                  lt Storyboard gt                      lt ObjectAnimationUsingKeyFrames Duration  0 0 1  Storyboard TargetProperty  Source  RepeatBehavior  Forever  gt                         lt DiscreteObjectKeyFrames KeyTime  0 0 0  gt                            lt DiscreteObjectKeyFrame Value gt                               lt BitmapImage UriSource  Images Image1 gif   gt                            lt  DiscreteObjectKeyFrame Value gt                         lt  DiscreteObjectKeyFrames gt                        lt DiscreteObjectKeyFrames KeyTime  0 0 0 25  gt                           lt DiscreteObjectKeyFrame Value gt                              lt BitmapImage UriSource  Images Image2 gif   gt                           lt  DiscreteObjectKeyFrame Value gt                        lt  DiscreteObjectKeyFrames gt                        lt DiscreteObjectKeyFrames KeyTime  0 0 0 5  gt                           lt DiscreteObjectKeyFrame Value gt                              lt BitmapImage UriSource  Images Image3 gif   gt                           lt  DiscreteObjectKeyFrame Value gt                        lt  DiscreteObjectKeyFrames gt                        lt DiscreteObjectKeyFrames KeyTime  0 0 0 75  gt                           lt DiscreteObjectKeyFrame Value gt                              lt BitmapImage UriSource  Images Image4 gif   gt                           lt  DiscreteObjectKeyFrame Value gt                        lt  DiscreteObjectKeyFrames gt                        lt DiscreteObjectKeyFrames KeyTime  0 0 1  gt                           lt DiscreteObjectKeyFrame Value gt                              lt BitmapImage UriSource  Images Image5 gif   gt                           lt  DiscreteObjectKeyFrame Value gt                        lt  DiscreteObjectKeyFrames gt                     lt  ObjectAnimationUsingKeyFrames gt                  lt  Storyboard gt               lt  BeginStoryboard gt            lt  EventTrigger Actions gt         lt  EventTrigger gt      lt  Image Triggers gt   lt  Image gt

User · Answer

I modified Mike Eshva s code And I made it work better You can use it with either 1frame jpg png bmp or mutil-frame gif If you want bind a uri to the control bind the UriSource properties or you want bind any in-memory stream that you bind the Source propertie which is a BitmapImage            lt summary gt                                                                      GIF        lt  summary gt   public class AnimatedImage   Image       static AnimatedImage                 DefaultStyleKeyProperty OverrideMetadata typeof AnimatedImage   new FrameworkPropertyMetadata typeof AnimatedImage                 region Public properties           lt summary gt                                                                  lt  summary gt       public int FrameIndex               get   return  int GetValue FrameIndexProperty             set   SetValue FrameIndexProperty  value                     lt summary gt          Get the BitmapFrame List           lt  summary gt      public List lt BitmapFrame gt  Frames   get  private set              lt summary gt          Get or set the repeatBehavior of the animation when source is gif formart This is a dependency object           lt  summary gt      public RepeatBehavior AnimationRepeatBehavior               get   return  RepeatBehavior GetValue AnimationRepeatBehaviorProperty             set   SetValue AnimationRepeatBehaviorProperty  value                public new BitmapImage Source               get   return  BitmapImage GetValue SourceProperty             set   SetValue SourceProperty  value                public Uri UriSource               get   return  Uri GetValue UriSourceProperty             set   SetValue UriSourceProperty  value                 endregion       region Protected interface           lt summary gt           Provides derived classes an opportunity to handle changes to the Source property            lt  summary gt       protected virtual void OnSourceChanged DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs e                ClearAnimation            BitmapImage source          if  e NewValue is Uri                        source   new BitmapImage                source BeginInit                source UriSource   e NewValue as Uri              source CacheOption   BitmapCacheOption OnLoad              source EndInit                      else if  e NewValue is BitmapImage                        source   e NewValue as BitmapImage                    else                       return                    BitmapDecoder decoder          if  source StreamSource    null                        decoder   BitmapDecoder Create source StreamSource  BitmapCreateOptions DelayCreation  BitmapCacheOption OnLoad                     else if  source UriSource    null                        decoder   BitmapDecoder Create source UriSource  BitmapCreateOptions DelayCreation  BitmapCacheOption OnLoad                     else                       return                    if  decoder Frames Count    1                        base Source   decoder Frames 0               return                     this Frames   decoder Frames ToList             PrepareAnimation                endregion       region Private properties      private Int32Animation Animation   get  set        private bool IsAnimationWorking   get  set          endregion       region Private methods      private void ClearAnimation                 if  Animation    null                        BeginAnimation FrameIndexProperty  null                      IsAnimationWorking   false          Animation   null          this Frames   null             private void PrepareAnimation                 Animation               new Int32Animation                  0                  this Frames Count - 1                  new Duration                      new TimeSpan                          0                          0                          0                          this Frames Count   10                           int   this Frames Count   10 0 - this Frames Count   10    1000                                   RepeatBehavior   RepeatBehavior Forever                         base Source   this Frames 0           BeginAnimation FrameIndexProperty  Animation           IsAnimationWorking   true             private static void ChangingFrameIndex          DependencyObject dp  DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs e                AnimatedImage animatedImage   dp as AnimatedImage           if  animatedImage    null     animatedImage IsAnimationWorking                        return                     int frameIndex    int e NewValue            Image animatedImage  Source   animatedImage Frames frameIndex           animatedImage InvalidateVisual                    lt summary gt           Handles changes to the Source property            lt  summary gt       private static void OnSourceChanged          DependencyObject dp  DependencyPropertyChangedEventArgs e                  AnimatedImage dp  OnSourceChanged e               endregion       region Dependency Properties           lt summary gt           FrameIndex Dependency Property           lt  summary gt       public static readonly DependencyProperty FrameIndexProperty           DependencyProperty Register               FrameIndex               typeof int               typeof AnimatedImage               new UIPropertyMetadata 0  ChangingFrameIndex              lt summary gt           Source Dependency Property           lt  summary gt       public new static readonly DependencyProperty SourceProperty           DependencyProperty Register               Source               typeof BitmapImage               typeof AnimatedImage               new FrameworkPropertyMetadata                  null                  FrameworkPropertyMetadataOptions AffectsRender                   FrameworkPropertyMetadataOptions AffectsMeasure                  OnSourceChanged              lt summary gt          AnimationRepeatBehavior Dependency Property          lt  summary gt      public static readonly DependencyProperty AnimationRepeatBehaviorProperty           DependencyProperty Register           AnimationRepeatBehavior           typeof RepeatBehavior           typeof AnimatedImage           new PropertyMetadata null         public static readonly DependencyProperty UriSourceProperty           DependencyProperty Register           UriSource           typeof Uri           typeof AnimatedImage                   new FrameworkPropertyMetadata                  null                  FrameworkPropertyMetadataOptions AffectsRender                   FrameworkPropertyMetadataOptions AffectsMeasure                  OnSourceChanged          endregion     This is a custom control  You need to create it in WPF App Project and delete the Template override in style

[.net] How do I get an animated gif to work in WPF?

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