MPGIF - High Efficiency Motion Picture Format

MPGIF is a modern, lightweight animation format designed to bridge the gap between heavy video files and inefficient GIFs. It combines WebP image compression with Opus/MP3 audio encoding to deliver high-quality, sound-enabled animations at a fraction of the size.

🚀 Key Features

• Optimized Compression: Uses WebP for frames and MP3 for audio, offering superior quality-to-size ratio compared to GIF.
• Audio Support: Unlike standard GIFs, MPGIF supports synchronized audio tracks.
• Portable Player: Includes a standalone, lightweight player that requires no installation.
• Web Ready: Comes with a JavaScript decoder (mpgif_reader.js) for seamless integration into websites.
• Zero-Dependency Mode: Can automatically download necessary engines (FFmpeg) if missing, or run in a fully portable "frozen" mode.

📦 Installation

Prerequisites

• Python 3.10+ (for source execution)
• FFmpeg (optional, auto-downloaded if missing)

Setup

git clone https://github.com/Gautier-Jourdon/MPGIF.git
cd MPGIF
pip install -r requirements.txt

(Note: requirements.txt should include opencv-python, numpy, pygame, pillow, imageio, imageio-ffmpeg)

🛠 Usage

You can run the application via the command line or use the built-in GUI.

Graphical Interface (Recommended)

Simply double-click MPGIF Reader.exe (if built) or run:

python main.py

This launches a user-friendly hub to Play, Convert, or Decode files.

Command Line Interface

1. Encode a Video to MPGIF

python main.py encode "input.mp4" "output.mpgif" --fps 15 --width 480 --quality 75

2. Play an MPGIF

python main.py play "animation.mpgif"

3. Decode MPGIF back to MP4

python main.py decode "animation.mpgif" "output.mp4"

🏗 Building from Source

To create a standalone .exe for Windows distribution:

1. Generate Icons:

   python deployment/create_icons.py

2. Build Executable:

   python deployment/build.py

The resulting MPGIF Reader.exe will be found in the dist/ folder.

🌐 Web Integration

To embed an MPGIF on your website:

<canvas id="myCanvas"></canvas>
<script src="web/mpgif_reader.js"></script>
<script>
    const player = new MPGIFReader('animation.mpgif');
    player.load().then(() => {
        player.play(document.getElementById('myCanvas'));
    });
</script>

📄 Format Specification

MPGIF files follow a custom binary structure:

• Header: Magic string MPGIF + Version.
• Metadata: JSON block containing FPS, frame count, width, height, and audio codec info.
• Audio Block: Compressed audio data size + payload.
• Frame Index: Offset table for quick seeking.
• Frame Data: Sequential WebP chunks.

📝 License

This project is open-source and available under the Apache 2.0 License.