Electrodeposition is emerging as a method for the synthesis of semiconductor thin films and nanostructures, especially chalcogenides and oxides. An overview of the evolutions of researches in this area, as a function of time and material category (IV, III, V, II, VI), is first given. Then key aspects of the electrodeposition of semiconductors, in particular the important role of the free energy of formation of the compounds in the formation process, are recalled. Selected results in the area of the deposition of chalcogenide and oxides, with a focus on CdTe, ZnSe, ZnO and CuInSe2, are presented. The interplay between the formation of a precursor film by electrodeposition and a post annealing treatment is pointed out. Increasing the quality of the precursor film will reduce the need of high temperature annealings and allow to built new materials and new structures, in particular by playing with fragile molecules and templates. (C) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.