Power Automate: Use GIFs in Your Flows

Key insights

• Power Automate GIFs
  Short tutorial overview: shows how to add animated GIFs to email alerts, Teams messages, approvals, and chatbots to make automated messages more visual and engaging.
• Core steps
  Source the GIF (URL or SharePoint), create an array variable of URLs, use a random or selection expression, then send or embed the chosen GIF in the target action.
• Microsoft Graph API
  For reliable inline images in emails—especially larger files—attach GIFs using the Graph API so they display inside the email body instead of as separate attachments.
• Adaptive Cards & Teams messages
  Send GIFs in Teams by including the GIF URL or image element in Adaptive Cards or message actions; set proper content types and formatting so the animation renders correctly.
• Benefits
  Using GIFs increases engagement, gives automated messages more personality, speeds routine communications, and improves user experience in chatbots and notifications.
• 2025 platform updates
  Key changes: native animated GIF support in Power Apps/Automate, Copilot Studio integration for smarter GIF selection, bring-your-own-model and fine-tuning options for AI-driven choices, and Generative Pages that accept GIFs in design workflows.

Pragmatic Works published a practical YouTube tutorial that shows how to add GIFs to automated messages using Power Automate. In the video, the instructor walks through adding animated images to emails and Teams notifications, demonstrating concrete steps such as sourcing GIF URLs, initializing variables, and embedding images so the animation appears inline. Furthermore, the presenter highlights common scenarios like reminders, approvals, and celebratory messages where GIFs can make automated communication feel more human and memorable. As a result, viewers gain a hands-on look at how to upgrade routine flows with dynamic visuals while keeping implementation relatively simple.

What the Video Demonstrates

The tutorial begins by showing how to collect and store GIF assets, and then explains how to reference those assets inside a flow so they appear in outgoing messages. For example, the presenter uses an array variable to hold GIF URLs and applies a random selection method so each notification can display a different animated image, which adds variety without extra manual effort. He also shows how to embed GIFs in Teams messages and how to use HTML to display GIFs inline in emails, explaining when you need to call the Microsoft Graph API to attach larger or inline files. Overall, the demonstration balances clarity with practical tips so viewers can recreate the steps in their own environments.

How to Add GIFs in Flows

First, source your GIFs from a reliable location such as a SharePoint library or a stable public URL, and then initialize an array variable inside your flow to hold those links. Next, use a random function or conditional logic to pick a GIF dynamically, and finally use the appropriate action — for Teams a message card or chat action, and for email an HTML body or a Graph API attachment — to send the image. Additionally, the video covers content-type headers and formatting details so images render as intended, and it emphasizes testing the output across different clients to confirm the animation plays. Consequently, following these steps makes it straightforward to add personality to automated communications while maintaining control over content sources.

New Platform Features in 2025

The tutorial also references recent platform updates that simplify this work, including native animated image support in Power Apps and Power Automate, plus deeper integration with Copilot Studio agents for AI-driven selection of visuals. In addition, bring-your-own-model capabilities and model fine-tuning let organizations craft context-aware rules that can automatically pick or suggest GIFs based on sentiment or intent. Moreover, early previews of Generative Pages and improved debugging tools streamline both design and troubleshooting, making it easier to prototype and refine flows that include media. Therefore, these platform advances reduce the need for complex custom code and speed up production workflows.

Challenges and Tradeoffs

However, adding animated images introduces tradeoffs that teams should consider, such as file size, bandwidth, and email deliverability, because large inline images can trigger spam filters or slow down client rendering. In addition, relying on external URLs can create a brittle dependency: if the hosting site removes or blocks an image, your flow will display a broken link, whereas hosting in SharePoint adds control but requires storage and permission management. Accessibility also matters, since animations can distract or be unusable for screen reader users unless you provide descriptive alt text and a static fallback. Finally, automated or AI-based GIF selection can increase engagement but raises content moderation risks, so teams should balance dynamism with safeguards and review processes.

Best Practices and Recommendations

For reliable results, the video recommends hosting GIFs in a managed location and testing across Teams, Outlook, and other clients to confirm compatibility and animation support. Furthermore, include descriptive alt text and a plain-text or static-image fallback to support accessibility and avoid confusing recipients who cannot view GIFs, and limit file size to maintain deliverability. Also, when using AI to select GIFs, add filters and a review step to prevent inappropriate content from being sent automatically, and document the flow design to make maintenance easier for others. By following these practices, teams can enjoy the benefits of richer automated messages while reducing operational and governance risks.

In closing, the Pragmatic Works tutorial offers a clear, actionable path for including GIFs in automated workflows, and it aligns practical steps with the latest 2025 platform features that simplify media handling. While the approach adds personality and engagement to notifications, teams must weigh tradeoffs around reliability, size, accessibility, and governance before rolling out broadly. Consequently, testing, sensible hosting choices, and moderation safeguards help balance creativity with professional standards. Ultimately, the video equips viewers with enough detail to try these techniques safely and to adapt them to their own communication strategies.

Keywords

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