diff --git a/src/animation.jl b/src/animation.jl
index 8d3c0341..3b271c28 100644
--- a/src/animation.jl
+++ b/src/animation.jl
@@ -72,9 +72,11 @@ function buildanimation(animdir::AbstractString, fn::AbstractString,
 
     if is_animated_gif
         # generate a colorpalette first so ffmpeg does not have to guess it
-        run(`ffmpeg -v 0 -i $(animdir)/%06d.png -vf palettegen -y palette.png`)
+        # use stats_mode=diff to emphasize changes and avoid bias for static white background
+        run(`ffmpeg -v 0 -i $(animdir)/%06d.png -vf palettegen=stats_mode=diff -y palette.png`)
         # then apply the palette to get better results
-        run(`ffmpeg -v 0 -framerate $fps -loop $loop -i $(animdir)/%06d.png -i palette.png -lavfi paletteuse -y $fn`)
+        # use diff_mode=rectangle to improve rendering quality and reduce file-size
+        run(`ffmpeg -v 0 -framerate $fps -loop $loop -i $(animdir)/%06d.png -i palette.png -lavfi paletteuse=diff_mode=rectangle -y $fn`)
     else
         run(`ffmpeg -v 0 -framerate $fps -loop $loop -i $(animdir)/%06d.png -pix_fmt yuv420p -y $fn`)
     end