diff --git a/src/animation.rs b/src/animation.rs
index a4629b1d1e..a10c0f611f 100644
--- a/src/animation.rs
+++ b/src/animation.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 use std::iter::Iterator;
+use std::time::Duration;
 
 use num_rational::Ratio;
 
@@ -37,7 +38,7 @@ impl<'a> Iterator for Frames<'a> {
 #[derive(Clone)]
 pub struct Frame {
     /// Delay between the frames in milliseconds
-    delay_ms: Ratio<u32>,
+    delay: Delay,
     /// x offset
     left: u32,
     /// y offset
@@ -45,11 +46,17 @@ pub struct Frame {
     buffer: RgbaImage,
 }
 
+/// The delay of a frame relative to the previous one.
+#[derive(Clone, Copy, Debug, PartialEq, Eq, PartialOrd)]
+pub struct Delay {
+    ratio: Ratio<u32>,
+}
+
 impl Frame {
-    /// Contructs a new frame
+    /// Contructs a new frame without any delay.
     pub fn new(buffer: RgbaImage) -> Frame {
         Frame {
-            delay_ms: Ratio::from_integer(0),
+            delay: Delay::from_ratio(Ratio::from_integer(0)),
             left: 0,
             top: 0,
             buffer,
@@ -57,9 +64,9 @@ impl Frame {
     }
 
     /// Contructs a new frame
-    pub fn from_parts(buffer: RgbaImage, left: u32, top: u32, delay_ms: Ratio<u32>) -> Frame {
+    pub fn from_parts(buffer: RgbaImage, left: u32, top: u32, delay: Delay) -> Frame {
         Frame {
-            delay_ms,
+            delay,
             left,
             top,
             buffer,
@@ -67,8 +74,8 @@ impl Frame {
     }
 
     /// Delay of this frame
-    pub fn delay_ms(&self) -> Ratio<u32> {
-        self.delay_ms
+    pub fn delay(&self) -> Delay {
+        self.delay
     }
 
     /// Returns the image buffer
@@ -91,3 +98,233 @@ impl Frame {
         self.top
     }
 }
+
+impl Delay {
+    /// Create a delay from a ratio of milliseconds.
+    ///
+    /// # Examples
+    ///
+    /// ```
+    /// use image::Delay;
+    /// let delay_10ms = Delay::from_numer_denom_ms(10, 1);
+    /// ```
+    pub fn from_numer_denom_ms(numerator: u32, denominator: u32) -> Self {
+        Delay { ratio: Ratio::new_raw(numerator, denominator) }
+    }
+
+    /// Convert from a duration, clamped between 0 and an implemented defined maximum.
+    ///
+    /// The maximum is *at least* `i32::MAX` milliseconds. It should be noted that the accuracy of
+    /// the result may be relative and very large delays have a coarse resolution.
+    ///
+    /// # Examples
+    ///
+    /// ```
+    /// use std::time::Duration;
+    /// use image::Delay;
+    ///
+    /// let duration = Duration::from_millis(20);
+    /// let delay = Delay::from_saturating_duration(duration);
+    /// ```
+    pub fn from_saturating_duration(duration: Duration) -> Self {
+        // A few notes: The largest number we can represent as a ratio is u32::MAX but we can
+        // sometimes represent much smaller numbers.
+        //
+        // We can represent duration as `millis+a/b` (where a < b, b > 0).
+        // We must thus bound b with `b·millis + (b-1) <= u32::MAX` or
+        // > `0 < b <= (u32::MAX + 1)/(millis + 1)`
+        // Corollary: millis <= u32::MAX
+
+        const MILLIS_BOUND: u128 = u32::max_value() as u128;
+
+        let millis = duration.as_millis().min(MILLIS_BOUND);
+        let submillis = (duration.as_nanos() % 1_000_000) as u32;
+
+        let max_b = if millis > 0 {
+            ((MILLIS_BOUND + 1)/(millis + 1)) as u32
+        } else {
+            MILLIS_BOUND as u32
+        };
+        let millis = millis as u32;
+
+        let (a, b) = Self::closest_bounded_fraction(max_b, submillis, 1_000_000);
+        Self::from_numer_denom_ms(a + b*millis, b)
+    }
+
+    /// The numerator and denominator of the delay in milliseconds.
+    ///
+    /// This is guaranteed to be an exact conversion if the `Delay` was previously created with the
+    /// `from_numer_denom_ms` constructor.
+    pub fn numer_denom_ms(self) -> (u32, u32) {
+        (*self.ratio.numer(), *self.ratio.denom())
+    }
+
+    pub(crate) fn from_ratio(ratio: Ratio<u32>) -> Self {
+        Delay { ratio }
+    }
+
+    pub(crate) fn into_ratio(self) -> Ratio<u32> {
+        self.ratio
+    }
+
+    /// Given some fraction, compute an approximation with denominator bounded.
+    ///
+    /// Note that `denom_bound` bounds nominator and denominator of all intermediate
+    /// approximations and the end result.
+    fn closest_bounded_fraction(denom_bound: u32, nom: u32, denom: u32) -> (u32, u32) {
+        use std::cmp::Ordering::{self, *};
+        assert!(0 < denom);
+        assert!(0 < denom_bound);
+        assert!(nom < denom);
+
+        // Avoid a few type troubles. All intermediate results are bounded by `denom_bound` which
+        // is in turn bounded by u32::MAX. Representing with u64 allows multiplication of any two
+        // values without fears of overflow.
+
+        // Compare two fractions whose parts fit into a u32.
+        fn compare_fraction((an, ad): (u64, u64), (bn, bd): (u64, u64)) -> Ordering {
+            (an*bd).cmp(&(bn*ad))
+        }
+
+        // Computes the nominator of the absolute difference between two such fractions.
+        fn abs_diff_nom((an, ad): (u64, u64), (bn, bd): (u64, u64)) -> u64 {
+            let c0 = an*bd;
+            let c1 = ad*bn;
+
+            let d0 = c0.max(c1);
+            let d1 = c0.min(c1);
+            d0 - d1
+        }
+
+        let exact = (u64::from(nom), u64::from(denom));
+        // The lower bound fraction, numerator and denominator.
+        let mut lower = (0u64, 1u64);
+        // The upper bound fraction, numerator and denominator.
+        let mut upper = (1u64, 1u64);
+        // The closest approximation for now.
+        let mut guess = (u64::from(nom*2 > denom), 1u64);
+
+        // loop invariant: ad, bd <= denom_bound
+        // iterates the Farey sequence.
+        loop {
+            // Break if we are done.
+            if compare_fraction(guess, exact) == Equal {
+                break;
+            }
+
+            // Break if next Farey number is out-of-range.
+            if u64::from(denom_bound) - lower.1 < upper.1 {
+                break;
+            }
+
+            // Next Farey approximation n between a and b
+            let next = (lower.0 + upper.0, lower.1 + upper.1);
+            // if F < n then replace the upper bound, else replace lower.
+            if compare_fraction(exact, next) == Less {
+                upper = next;
+            } else {
+                lower = next;
+            }
+
+            // Now correct the closest guess.
+            // In other words, if |c - f| > |n - f| then replace it with the new guess.
+            // This favors the guess with smaller denominator on equality.
+
+            // |g - f| = |g_diff_nom|/(gd*fd);
+            let g_diff_nom = abs_diff_nom(guess, exact);
+            // |n - f| = |n_diff_nom|/(nd*fd);
+            let n_diff_nom = abs_diff_nom(next, exact);
+
+            // The difference |n - f| is smaller than |g - f| if either the integral part of the
+            // fraction |n_diff_nom|/nd is smaller than the one of |g_diff_nom|/gd or if they are
+            // the same but the fractional part is larger.
+            if match (n_diff_nom/next.1).cmp(&(g_diff_nom/guess.1)) {
+                Less => true,
+                Greater => false,
+                // Note that the nominator for the fractional part is smaller than its denominator
+                // which is smaller than u32 and can't overflow the multiplication with the other
+                // denominator, that is we can compare these fractions by multiplication with the
+                // respective other denominator.
+                Equal => compare_fraction((n_diff_nom%next.1, next.1), (g_diff_nom%guess.1, guess.1)) == Less,
+            } {
+                guess = next;
+            }
+        }
+
+        (guess.0 as u32, guess.1 as u32)
+    }
+}
+
+impl From<Delay> for Duration {
+    fn from(delay: Delay) -> Self {
+        let ratio = delay.into_ratio();
+        let ms = ratio.to_integer();
+        let rest = ratio.numer() % ratio.denom();
+        let nanos = (u64::from(rest) * 1_000_000) / u64::from(*ratio.denom());
+        Duration::from_millis(ms.into()) + Duration::from_nanos(nanos)
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::{Delay, Duration, Ratio};
+
+    #[test]
+    fn simple() {
+        let second = Delay::from_numer_denom_ms(1000, 1);
+        assert_eq!(Duration::from(second), Duration::from_secs(1));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn fps_30() {
+        let thirtieth = Delay::from_numer_denom_ms(1000, 30);
+        let duration = Duration::from(thirtieth);
+        assert_eq!(duration.as_secs(), 0);
+        assert_eq!(duration.subsec_millis(), 33);
+        assert_eq!(duration.subsec_nanos(), 33_333_333);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn duration_outlier() {
+        let oob = Duration::from_secs(0xFFFF_FFFF);
+        let delay = Delay::from_saturating_duration(oob);
+        assert_eq!(delay.numer_denom_ms(), (0xFFFF_FFFF, 1));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn duration_approx() {
+        let oob = Duration::from_millis(0xFFFF_FFFF) + Duration::from_micros(1);
+        let delay = Delay::from_saturating_duration(oob);
+        assert_eq!(delay.numer_denom_ms(), (0xFFFF_FFFF, 1));
+
+        let inbounds = Duration::from_millis(0xFFFF_FFFF) - Duration::from_micros(1);
+        let delay = Delay::from_saturating_duration(inbounds);
+        assert_eq!(delay.numer_denom_ms(), (0xFFFF_FFFF, 1));
+
+        let fine = Duration::from_millis(0xFFFF_FFFF/1000) + Duration::from_micros(0xFFFF_FFFF%1000);
+        let delay = Delay::from_saturating_duration(fine);
+        // Funnily, 0xFFFF_FFFF is divisble by 5, thus we compare with a `Ratio`.
+        assert_eq!(delay.into_ratio(), Ratio::new(0xFFFF_FFFF, 1000));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn precise() {
+        // The ratio has only 32 bits in the numerator, too imprecise to get more than 11 digits
+        // correct. But it may be expressed as 1_000_000/3 instead.
+        let exceed = Duration::from_secs(333) + Duration::from_nanos(333_333_333);
+        let delay = Delay::from_saturating_duration(exceed);
+        assert_eq!(Duration::from(delay), exceed);
+    }
+
+
+    #[test]
+    fn small() {
+        // Not quite a delay of `1 ms`.
+        let delay = Delay::from_numer_denom_ms(1 << 16, (1 << 16) + 1);
+        let duration = Duration::from(delay);
+        assert_eq!(duration.as_millis(), 0);
+        // Not precisely the original but should be smaller than 0.
+        let delay = Delay::from_saturating_duration(duration);
+        assert_eq!(delay.into_ratio().to_integer(), 0);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/gif.rs b/src/gif.rs
index b650a81b84..5b4f21704b 100644
--- a/src/gif.rs
+++ b/src/gif.rs
@@ -244,7 +244,7 @@ impl<R: Read> Iterator for GifFrameIterator<R> {
         }
 
         let frame = animation::Frame::from_parts(
-            image_buffer.clone(), 0, 0, delay
+            image_buffer.clone(), 0, 0, animation::Delay::from_ratio(delay),
         );
 
         match dispose {
@@ -375,7 +375,7 @@ impl<W: Write> Encoder<W> {
         -> ImageResult<Frame<'static>>
     {
         // get the delay before converting img_frame
-        let frame_delay = img_frame.delay_ms().to_integer();
+        let frame_delay = img_frame.delay().into_ratio().to_integer();
         // convert img_frame into RgbaImage
         let mut rbga_frame = img_frame.into_buffer();
         let (width, height) = self.gif_dimensions(
diff --git a/src/lib.rs b/src/lib.rs
index 9b11d8c5a7..4f232227ab 100644
--- a/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/lib.rs
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ pub use crate::dynimage::{load_from_memory, load_from_memory_with_format, open,
 
 pub use crate::dynimage::DynamicImage;
 
-pub use crate::animation::{Frame, Frames};
+pub use crate::animation::{Delay, Frame, Frames};
 
 // More detailed error type
 pub mod error;