SkyDrive updated with animated GIF, high DPI, and new sharing support

Microsoft is rolling out a number of changes to its SkyDrive cloud-based storage service this week. While the service has long supported high resolution imagery, including RAW files, SkyDrive will now measure the DPI scale of a device and display a higher resolution photo and thumbnail. Not all browsers support high DPI yet, but the subtle change should improve the viewing experience over time.

Alongside the DPI improvements, Microsoft is finally supporting animated GIFs in SkyDrive. While you've been able to store the GIF format on SkyDrive, it was never animated when shared via the service. That's now been rectified, and Microsoft is also improving the way users share documents and folders from the service. You can now select multiple photos or files and share them in batches, rather than having to share them individually or through an entire folder. An updated shared view also makes it easier to see what files you've previously shared and to whom.

Developers get code file support

Other improvements include the ability to rotate photos in the viewer, and the ability to filter folders from the all photos view. SkyDrive users will also be able to share documents or photos without recipients having to sign in to edit them. It's a similar change to Microsoft's recent Office Web Apps update. Finally, for developers and power users SkyDrive now supports JavaScript, CSS, HTML, and other code files to edit them online. Syntax highlighting, find, and word competition is all supported too.