diff --git a/src/app.css b/src/app.css
index af6e075..98f41a0 100644
--- a/src/app.css
+++ b/src/app.css
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ body {
   background-color: #1e293b;
 }
 
-/* Anon aesthetic: Pure gray to slightly bluish tints for profile pics */
+/* Profile pictures - display in full color */
 /* Profile pictures - all instances */
 img.profile-picture,
 .profile-badge img,
@@ -101,18 +101,7 @@ img[alt*="profile" i],
 img[alt*="avatar" i],
 img[src*="avatar" i],
 img[src*="profile" i] {
-  filter: grayscale(100%) sepia(10%) hue-rotate(200deg) saturate(30%) !important;
-  transition: filter 0.3s ease;
-}
-
-.dark img.profile-picture,
-.dark .profile-badge img,
-.dark .profile-picture,
-.dark img[alt*="profile" i],
-.dark img[alt*="avatar" i],
-.dark img[src*="avatar" i],
-.dark img[src*="profile" i] {
-  filter: grayscale(100%) sepia(12%) hue-rotate(200deg) saturate(35%) !important;
+  /* No grayscale filter - profile pictures should be in full color */
 }
 
 /* Emoji images - no grayscale filter, display in full color */
diff --git a/src/lib/components/content/EmojiPicker.svelte b/src/lib/components/content/EmojiPicker.svelte
index c3fdb46..4d2d653 100644
--- a/src/lib/components/content/EmojiPicker.svelte
+++ b/src/lib/components/content/EmojiPicker.svelte
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@
     try {
       await loadAllEmojiPacks();
       const allEmojis = getAllCustomEmojis();
-      console.log(`[EmojiPicker] Loaded ${allEmojis.length} custom emojis`);
+      console.debug(`[EmojiPicker] Loaded ${allEmojis.length} custom emojis`);
       customEmojis = allEmojis;
     } catch (error) {
       console.error('Error loading custom emojis:', error);
diff --git a/src/lib/components/content/GifPicker.svelte b/src/lib/components/content/GifPicker.svelte
index d7d50ec..a6dc64f 100644
--- a/src/lib/components/content/GifPicker.svelte
+++ b/src/lib/components/content/GifPicker.svelte
@@ -15,21 +15,32 @@
   let searchQuery = $state('');
   let searchInput: HTMLInputElement | null = $state(null);
   let selectedGif: GifMetadata | null = $state(null);
+  let error: string | null = $state(null);
 
   // Debounce search
   let searchTimeout: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | null = null;
 
   async function loadGifs(query?: string) {
     loading = true;
+    error = null;
     try {
+      console.log('[GifPicker] Loading GIFs, query:', query || 'none');
+      let results: GifMetadata[];
       if (query && query.trim()) {
-        gifs = await searchGifs(query.trim(), 50);
+        results = await searchGifs(query.trim(), 50);
       } else {
-        gifs = await fetchGifs(undefined, 50);
+        results = await fetchGifs(undefined, 50);
+      }
+      console.log('[GifPicker] Loaded', results.length, 'GIFs');
+      gifs = results;
+      if (results.length === 0 && !query) {
+        error = 'No GIFs found. Try searching for a specific term, or there may be no GIF events on the relays.';
       }
     } catch (error) {
       console.error('[GifPicker] Error loading GIFs:', error);
+      const errorMessage = error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error);
       gifs = [];
+      error = `Failed to load GIFs: ${errorMessage}`;
     } finally {
       loading = false;
     }
@@ -118,12 +129,22 @@
     <div class="gif-picker-content">
       {#if loading}
         <div class="gif-loading">Loading GIFs...</div>
+      {:else if error}
+        <div class="gif-error">
+          <p>{error}</p>
+          <button onclick={() => loadGifs(searchQuery)} class="retry-button">
+            Retry
+          </button>
+        </div>
       {:else if gifs.length === 0}
         <div class="gif-empty">
           {#if searchQuery}
-            No GIFs found for "{searchQuery}"
+            <p>No GIFs found for "{searchQuery}"</p>
+            <p class="gif-hint">Try a different search term. The relays were queried but returned no matching kind 94 (NIP94) GIF events.</p>
           {:else}
-            No GIFs available
+            <p>No GIFs available</p>
+            <p class="gif-hint">The relays were queried successfully, but no kind 94 (NIP94) GIF events were found. This means there are currently no GIFs published as NIP94 file attachments on the connected relays.</p>
+            <p class="gif-hint">You can try searching for a specific term, or the relays may not have any GIF events available at this time.</p>
           {/if}
         </div>
       {:else}
@@ -139,6 +160,11 @@
                 alt="GIF" 
                 loading="lazy"
                 class="gif-thumbnail"
+                onerror={(e) => {
+                  console.warn('[GifPicker] Failed to load image:', gif.url);
+                  const target = e.target as HTMLImageElement;
+                  target.style.display = 'none';
+                }}
               />
             </button>
           {/each}
@@ -297,7 +323,8 @@
   }
   
   .gif-loading,
-  .gif-empty {
+  .gif-empty,
+  .gif-error {
     text-align: center;
     padding: 2rem;
     color: var(--fog-text-light, #9ca3af);
@@ -305,9 +332,40 @@
   }
   
   :global(.dark) .gif-loading,
-  :global(.dark) .gif-empty {
+  :global(.dark) .gif-empty,
+  :global(.dark) .gif-error {
     color: var(--fog-dark-text-light, #6b7280);
   }
+
+  .gif-hint {
+    margin-top: 0.5rem;
+    font-size: 0.75rem;
+    opacity: 0.8;
+  }
+
+  .gif-error {
+    color: var(--fog-error, #dc2626);
+  }
+
+  :global(.dark) .gif-error {
+    color: var(--fog-dark-error, #ef4444);
+  }
+
+  .retry-button {
+    margin-top: 1rem;
+    padding: 0.5rem 1rem;
+    background: var(--fog-accent, #64748b);
+    color: white;
+    border: none;
+    border-radius: 0.375rem;
+    cursor: pointer;
+    font-size: 0.875rem;
+    transition: opacity 0.2s;
+  }
+
+  .retry-button:hover {
+    opacity: 0.9;
+  }
   
   .gif-grid {
     display: grid;
diff --git a/src/lib/components/layout/ProfileBadge.svelte b/src/lib/components/layout/ProfileBadge.svelte
index d5783b0..7711288 100644
--- a/src/lib/components/layout/ProfileBadge.svelte
+++ b/src/lib/components/layout/ProfileBadge.svelte
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@
     {:else}
       <div 
         class="profile-placeholder w-6 h-6 rounded flex-shrink-0 flex items-center justify-center text-xs font-semibold"
-        style="background: {avatarColor}; color: white; filter: grayscale(100%) sepia(10%) hue-rotate(200deg) saturate(30%);"
+        style="background: {avatarColor}; color: white;"
         title={pubkey}
       >
         {avatarInitials}
@@ -122,13 +122,12 @@
     text-decoration: none;
     color: inherit;
     max-width: 100%;
-    filter: grayscale(100%) opacity(0.7);
-    transition: filter 0.2s;
+    transition: opacity 0.2s;
   }
 
   .profile-badge:hover {
     text-decoration: underline;
-    filter: grayscale(100%) opacity(0.9);
+    opacity: 0.9;
   }
 
   .profile-picture {
diff --git a/src/lib/modules/comments/CommentForm.svelte b/src/lib/modules/comments/CommentForm.svelte
index 292e51b..3ffcd34 100644
--- a/src/lib/modules/comments/CommentForm.svelte
+++ b/src/lib/modules/comments/CommentForm.svelte
@@ -191,7 +191,10 @@
       <div class="textarea-buttons">
         <button
           type="button"
-          onclick={() => { showGifPicker = !showGifPicker; showEmojiPicker = false; }}
+          onclick={() => { 
+            showGifPicker = !showGifPicker; 
+            showEmojiPicker = false; 
+          }}
           class="toolbar-button"
           title="Insert GIF"
           aria-label="Insert GIF"
diff --git a/src/lib/modules/reactions/FeedReactionButtons.svelte b/src/lib/modules/reactions/FeedReactionButtons.svelte
index 4ea44d7..70c8e68 100644
--- a/src/lib/modules/reactions/FeedReactionButtons.svelte
+++ b/src/lib/modules/reactions/FeedReactionButtons.svelte
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@
 
   // Handle real-time updates - process reactions when new ones arrive
   async function handleReactionUpdate(updated: NostrEvent[]) {
-    console.log(`[FeedReactionButtons] Received reaction update for event ${event.id.substring(0, 16)}...:`, {
+    console.debug(`[FeedReactionButtons] Received reaction update for event ${event.id.substring(0, 16)}...:`, {
       count: updated.length,
       events: updated.map(r => ({
         id: r.id.substring(0, 16) + '...',
@@ -103,8 +103,8 @@
       // Use getProfileReadRelays() to include defaultRelays + profileRelays + user inbox + localRelays
       // This ensures we get all reactions from the complete relay set, matching ThreadList behavior
       const reactionRelays = relayManager.getProfileReadRelays();
-      console.log(`[FeedReactionButtons] Loading reactions for event ${event.id.substring(0, 16)}... (kind ${event.kind})`);
-      console.log(`[FeedReactionButtons] Using relays:`, reactionRelays);
+      console.debug(`[FeedReactionButtons] Loading reactions for event ${event.id.substring(0, 16)}... (kind ${event.kind})`);
+      console.debug(`[FeedReactionButtons] Using relays:`, reactionRelays);
       
       // Clear and rebuild reactions map for this event
       allReactionsMap.clear();
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@
         { useCache: true, cacheResults: true, onUpdate: handleReactionUpdate }
       );
       
-      console.log(`[FeedReactionButtons] Reactions fetched:`, {
+      console.debug(`[FeedReactionButtons] Reactions fetched:`, {
         eventId: event.id.substring(0, 16) + '...',
         kind: event.kind,
         withLowerE: reactionsWithLowerE.length,
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@
       }
       const reactionEvents = Array.from(allReactionsMap.values());
       
-      console.log(`[FeedReactionButtons] All reactions (deduplicated):`, {
+      console.debug(`[FeedReactionButtons] All reactions (deduplicated):`, {
         total: reactionEvents.length,
         events: reactionEvents.map(r => ({
           id: r.id.substring(0, 16) + '...',
@@ -164,7 +164,7 @@
       
       // Filter out deleted reactions (kind 5)
       const filteredReactions = await filterDeletedReactions(reactionEvents);
-      console.log(`[FeedReactionButtons] After filtering deleted reactions:`, {
+      console.debug(`[FeedReactionButtons] After filtering deleted reactions:`, {
         before: reactionEvents.length,
         after: filteredReactions.length,
         filtered: reactionEvents.length - filteredReactions.length,
@@ -196,7 +196,7 @@
       { useCache: true }
     );
     
-    console.log(`[FeedReactionButtons] Deletion events fetched:`, {
+    console.debug(`[FeedReactionButtons] Deletion events fetched:`, {
       count: deletionEvents.length,
       events: deletionEvents.map(d => ({
         id: d.id.substring(0, 16) + '...',
@@ -221,7 +221,7 @@
       }
     }
     
-    console.log(`[FeedReactionButtons] Deleted reaction IDs by pubkey:`, 
+    console.debug(`[FeedReactionButtons] Deleted reaction IDs by pubkey:`, 
       Array.from(deletedReactionIdsByPubkey.entries()).map(([pubkey, ids]) => ({
         pubkey: pubkey.substring(0, 16) + '...',
         deletedIds: Array.from(ids).map(id => id.substring(0, 16) + '...')
@@ -233,7 +233,7 @@
       const deletedIds = deletedReactionIdsByPubkey.get(reaction.pubkey);
       const isDeleted = deletedIds && deletedIds.has(reaction.id);
       if (isDeleted) {
-        console.log(`[FeedReactionButtons] Filtering out deleted reaction:`, {
+        console.debug(`[FeedReactionButtons] Filtering out deleted reaction:`, {
           id: reaction.id.substring(0, 16) + '...',
           pubkey: reaction.pubkey.substring(0, 16) + '...',
           content: reaction.content,
@@ -247,7 +247,7 @@
   }
 
   async function processReactions(reactionEvents: NostrEvent[]) {
-    console.log(`[FeedReactionButtons] Processing ${reactionEvents.length} reactions for event ${event.id.substring(0, 16)}... (kind ${event.kind})`);
+    console.debug(`[FeedReactionButtons] Processing ${reactionEvents.length} reactions for event ${event.id.substring(0, 16)}... (kind ${event.kind})`);
     const reactionMap = new Map<string, { content: string; pubkeys: Set<string>; eventIds: Map<string, string> }>();
     const currentUser = sessionManager.getCurrentPubkey();
     let skippedInvalid = 0;
@@ -287,7 +287,7 @@
       }
     }
 
-    console.log(`[FeedReactionButtons] Processed reactions summary:`, {
+    console.debug(`[FeedReactionButtons] Processed reactions summary:`, {
       totalReactions: reactionEvents.length,
       skippedInvalid,
       reactionCounts: Array.from(reactionMap.entries()).map(([content, data]) => ({
diff --git a/src/lib/services/nostr/gif-service.ts b/src/lib/services/nostr/gif-service.ts
index 1e9ae9d..0eaab58 100644
--- a/src/lib/services/nostr/gif-service.ts
+++ b/src/lib/services/nostr/gif-service.ts
@@ -106,6 +106,7 @@ export async function fetchGifs(searchQuery?: string, limit: number = 50): Promi
   try {
     // Use profile read relays to get GIFs
     const relays = relayManager.getProfileReadRelays();
+    console.debug(`[gif-service] Fetching GIFs from ${relays.length} relays:`, relays);
     
     // Fetch kind 94 events (NIP94 file attachments)
     const filters = [{
@@ -113,18 +114,23 @@ export async function fetchGifs(searchQuery?: string, limit: number = 50): Promi
       limit: limit * 2 // Fetch more to filter for GIFs
     }];
 
+    console.debug(`[gif-service] Fetching kind 94 events with filters:`, filters);
     const events = await nostrClient.fetchEvents(filters, relays, {
       useCache: true,
       cacheResults: true
     });
 
+    console.debug(`[gif-service] Received ${events.length} kind 94 events`);
+
     // Parse and filter for GIFs
     const gifs: GifMetadata[] = [];
-    console.log(`[gif-service] Processing ${events.length} kind 94 events`);
+    let parsedCount = 0;
+    let skippedCount = 0;
     
     for (const event of events) {
       const gif = parseNip94Event(event);
       if (gif) {
+        parsedCount++;
         // If search query provided, filter by content or tags
         if (searchQuery) {
           const query = searchQuery.toLowerCase();
@@ -133,21 +139,33 @@ export async function fetchGifs(searchQuery?: string, limit: number = 50): Promi
           
           if (content.includes(query) || tags.includes(query)) {
             gifs.push(gif);
+          } else {
+            skippedCount++;
           }
         } else {
           gifs.push(gif);
         }
+      } else {
+        skippedCount++;
       }
     }
     
-    console.log(`[gif-service] Found ${gifs.length} GIFs from ${events.length} events`);
+    console.debug(`[gif-service] Parsed ${parsedCount} GIFs, skipped ${skippedCount} non-GIF events`);
+    // Only log final result if GIFs were found, otherwise it's just noise
+    if (gifs.length > 0) {
+      console.log(`[gif-service] Found ${gifs.length} GIFs${searchQuery ? ` matching "${searchQuery}"` : ''}`);
+    } else {
+      console.debug(`[gif-service] Final result: 0 GIFs${searchQuery ? ` matching "${searchQuery}"` : ''}`);
+    }
 
     // Sort by creation date (newest first) and limit
     gifs.sort((a, b) => b.createdAt - a.createdAt);
     return gifs.slice(0, limit);
   } catch (error) {
     console.error('[gif-service] Error fetching GIFs:', error);
-    return [];
+    const errorMessage = error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error);
+    console.error('[gif-service] Error details:', errorMessage);
+    throw error; // Re-throw so the UI can show the error
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/lib/services/nostr/nip30-emoji.ts b/src/lib/services/nostr/nip30-emoji.ts
index 5f9e857..e33bdf4 100644
--- a/src/lib/services/nostr/nip30-emoji.ts
+++ b/src/lib/services/nostr/nip30-emoji.ts
@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ export async function loadAllEmojiPacks(): Promise<void> {
   try {
     // Use profile relays to get emoji packs from more sources
     const relays = relayManager.getProfileReadRelays();
-    console.log('[nip30-emoji] Loading all emoji packs/sets...');
+    console.debug('[nip30-emoji] Loading all emoji packs/sets...');
     
     // Fetch all emoji sets (10030) and emoji packs (30030)
     // Use a high limit to get all available packs - increase limit to get more
@@ -165,7 +165,7 @@ export async function loadAllEmojiPacks(): Promise<void> {
       { useCache: true, cacheResults: true, timeout: 15000 }
     );
     
-    console.log(`[nip30-emoji] Found ${events.length} emoji pack/set events`);
+    console.debug(`[nip30-emoji] Found ${events.length} emoji pack/set events`);
     
     // Process and cache all emoji sets/packs
     // Track shortcode -> (url, created_at) to prefer most recent
@@ -206,7 +206,12 @@ export async function loadAllEmojiPacks(): Promise<void> {
       shortcodeCache.set(shortcode, url);
     }
     
-    console.log(`[nip30-emoji] Cached ${emojiSetsByPubkey.size} emoji sets with ${shortcodeCache.size} unique shortcodes`);
+    // Only log if we actually found emojis, otherwise it's just noise
+    if (shortcodeCache.size > 0) {
+      console.log(`[nip30-emoji] Cached ${emojiSetsByPubkey.size} emoji sets with ${shortcodeCache.size} unique shortcodes`);
+    } else {
+      console.debug(`[nip30-emoji] Cached ${emojiSetsByPubkey.size} emoji sets with ${shortcodeCache.size} unique shortcodes`);
+    }
     allEmojiPacksLoaded = true;
   } catch (error) {
     console.error('Error loading all emoji packs:', error);
diff --git a/src/lib/services/nostr/nostr-client.ts b/src/lib/services/nostr/nostr-client.ts
index 982a7c3..eb56c85 100644
--- a/src/lib/services/nostr/nostr-client.ts
+++ b/src/lib/services/nostr/nostr-client.ts
@@ -88,7 +88,8 @@ class NostrClient {
       this.relays.set(url, relay);
       // Clear failure tracking on successful connection
       this.failedRelays.delete(url);
-      console.log(`[nostr-client] Successfully connected to relay: ${url}`);
+      // Log successful connection at debug level to reduce console noise
+      console.debug(`[nostr-client] Successfully connected to relay: ${url}`);
     } catch (error) {
       // Track the failure
       const existingFailure = this.failedRelays.get(url) || { lastFailure: 0, retryAfter: this.INITIAL_RETRY_DELAY, failureCount: 0 };
@@ -156,8 +157,19 @@ class NostrClient {
         try {
           let candidateEvents: NostrEvent[] = [];
           
-          // Query by kind(s) if specified
-          if (filter.kinds && filter.kinds.length > 0) {
+          // Prioritize ID queries when IDs are specified (more efficient than querying by kind)
+          if (filter.ids && filter.ids.length > 0 && filter.ids.length <= 10) {
+            // For small number of IDs, query directly by ID
+            const idEvents: NostrEvent[] = [];
+            for (const id of filter.ids) {
+              const event = await getEvent(id);
+              if (event) {
+                idEvents.push(event);
+              }
+            }
+            candidateEvents = idEvents;
+          } else if (filter.kinds && filter.kinds.length > 0) {
+            // Query by kind(s) if specified
             // If single kind, use index for efficiency
             if (filter.kinds.length === 1) {
               candidateEvents = await getEventsByKind(filter.kinds[0], (filter.limit || 100) * 3);
@@ -210,9 +222,10 @@ class NostrClient {
             }
           }
           
-          console.log(`[nostr-client] Cache query found ${candidateEvents.length} candidate events for filter:`, filter);
-          
           // Filter candidates by all filter criteria
+          const queriedByIds = filter.ids && filter.ids.length > 0 && filter.ids.length <= 10;
+          let beforeFilter = candidateEvents.length;
+          
           for (const event of candidateEvents) {
             if (seen.has(event.id)) continue;
             
@@ -220,8 +233,8 @@ class NostrClient {
             if (filter.since && event.created_at < filter.since) continue;
             if (filter.until && event.created_at > filter.until) continue;
             
-            // Apply ids filter
-            if (filter.ids && filter.ids.length > 0 && !filter.ids.includes(event.id)) continue;
+            // Apply ids filter (skip if we already queried by IDs)
+            if (!queriedByIds && filter.ids && filter.ids.length > 0 && !filter.ids.includes(event.id)) continue;
             
             // Apply authors filter (if not already used for query)
             if (filter.authors && filter.authors.length > 0 && !filter.authors.includes(event.pubkey)) continue;
@@ -279,7 +292,10 @@ class NostrClient {
       const limited = sorted.slice(0, limit);
       
       const filtered = filterEvents(limited);
-      console.log(`[nostr-client] Cache query: ${limited.length} events before filter, ${filtered.length} after filter`);
+      // Only log cache queries that return results to reduce console noise
+      if (filtered.length > 0) {
+        console.log(`[nostr-client] Cache query: ${limited.length} events before filter, ${filtered.length} after filter`);
+      }
       
       return filtered;
     } catch (error) {
@@ -567,7 +583,7 @@ class NostrClient {
       try {
         const cachedEvents = await this.getCachedEvents(filters);
         if (cachedEvents.length > 0) {
-          console.log(`[nostr-client] Returning ${cachedEvents.length} cached events for filter:`, filters);
+          console.debug(`[nostr-client] Returning ${cachedEvents.length} cached events for filter:`, filters);
           // Return cached immediately, fetch fresh in background with delay
           // Don't pass onUpdate to background fetch to avoid interfering with cached results
           if (cacheResults) {
@@ -594,7 +610,8 @@ class NostrClient {
           }
           return cachedEvents;
         } else {
-          console.log(`[nostr-client] No cached events found for filter:`, filters);
+          // No cached events - this is expected and normal, so use debug level
+          console.debug(`[nostr-client] No cached events found for filter:`, filters);
         }
       } catch (error) {
         console.error('[nostr-client] Error querying cache:', error);
@@ -653,7 +670,7 @@ class NostrClient {
       return [];
     }
     
-    console.log(`[nostr-client] Fetching from ${connectedRelays.length} connected relay(s) out of ${relays.length} requested`);
+    console.debug(`[nostr-client] Fetching from ${connectedRelays.length} connected relay(s) out of ${relays.length} requested`);
 
     // Process relays sequentially with throttling to avoid overload
     const events: Map<string, NostrEvent> = new Map();
@@ -680,9 +697,12 @@ class NostrClient {
       console.log(`[nostr-client] Fetch returned ${filtered.length} events, calling onUpdate`);
       options.onUpdate(filtered);
     } else if (options.onUpdate && filtered.length === 0) {
-      console.log(`[nostr-client] Fetch returned 0 events, skipping onUpdate to preserve cached results`);
+      console.debug(`[nostr-client] Fetch returned 0 events, skipping onUpdate to preserve cached results`);
     } else if (!options.onUpdate) {
-      console.log(`[nostr-client] Fetch returned ${filtered.length} events (background refresh, no onUpdate)`);
+      // Only log background refreshes that return events, not empty results
+      if (filtered.length > 0) {
+        console.debug(`[nostr-client] Fetch returned ${filtered.length} events (background refresh, no onUpdate)`);
+      }
     }
 
     return filtered;