Video to GIF a short, light clip that loops.
Converting a video to GIF turns a short clip into an animated image that plays on its own, silent and looping. Load the video, mark the start and end, choose the width, frames per second and speed, then download the GIF. You see the estimated file size before you make it.
Free, no sign-upThis video has no preview here, but the GIF still works. Type the start and end times.
Type it as 12, 1:05 or 1:05.250.
Shortcuts: I marks the start and O marks the end at the video position. On the handles, arrows move 0.1 s and Shift plus arrows 1 s.
How to turn a video into a GIF
- 01
Load the video
MP4, MOV, WebM or MKV. The video shows up with a timeline below it, with the first seconds already marked.
- 02
Mark the clip
Drag the handles, type the times or press I and O at a point in the video. A good GIF lasts 2 to 6 seconds.
- 03
Adjust and download
Choose width, fps, speed and loop. Check the estimated size, make the GIF, see the preview and download it.
How do you make a GIF from a video without a huge file?
A GIF's size comes down to three things: how many pixels each frame has, how many frames per second it shows and how many seconds it lasts. Doubling the width makes the file about three times larger, because the height grows with it. Doubling the fps or the length doubles the file. That is why the same clip can become a 1 MB GIF or a 20 MB one.
GIF also compresses far less than video. It stores each frame as an image of up to 256 colors, without the frame-to-frame compression an MP4 uses, so a GIF is usually several times larger than the same clip as MP4. The estimate shows before you make it, and the real size shows at the end, next to the preview.
| Width | fps | Length | Typical size |
|---|---|---|---|
| 320 px | 10 | 3 s | 0.5 to 1.2 MB |
| 480 px | 10 | 4 s | 1 to 3 MB |
| 480 px | 15 | 6 s | 3 to 7 MB |
| 640 px | 15 | 10 s | 7 to 20 MB |
What fps and width should a GIF use?
For most uses, 480 px wide at 10 fps is the best place to start: motion looks smooth enough and the file stays light. Go up to 12 or 15 fps for fast motion, like a gesture, a dance move or a goal. Go down to 5 or 8 fps for screen recordings, slides or a still reaction, where little changes from one frame to the next.
A 320 px width is fine for chats and comments. 640 px works for websites, slides and documentation. If the video is narrower than the width you pick, the GIF keeps the video's width, because upscaling only makes the file bigger without adding detail. Vertical video works too: the width applies the same way and the height follows the aspect ratio.
- Chats and comments: 320 px, 8 to 10 fps, up to 4 s.
- Websites, blogs and docs: 480 to 640 px, 10 fps.
- Fast motion: 12 to 15 fps, short clip.
- Screen recordings or slides: 5 to 8 fps.
Why does a GIF only have 256 colors?
The GIF format dates from 1987 and stores each frame with a palette of at most 256 colors. A video frame has thousands, so each pixel becomes the closest color in the palette. On skin, sky and flat backgrounds, that can show up as color bands. It is a limit of the format, not of your video.
The Colors option changes how the palette is chosen. Per frame, each frame gets the 256 colors that suit it best, which keeps scenes that change color more accurate. With one palette, the whole GIF shares the same 256 colors, taken from frames spread across the clip. Colors stay steady, without shimmer on flat areas, and the file is usually a little smaller.
Where can you use the GIF once it is ready?
A GIF plays on its own almost anywhere that takes images: Slack, Discord, Telegram, Notion, a GitHub README, help pages, slides and email. With no sound, it works well to show a step in an app, a reaction or a product detail. Some versions of Outlook for Windows only show the first frame, so pick a start that makes sense as a still.
Social networks are a different story. Instagram, TikTok and YouTube take video, and the clip as MP4 is smaller and keeps its sound. WhatsApp accepts GIFs but turns them into short videos when you send them. To post the clip as video, cut it without losing quality in the video cutter.
More than a GIF. The best moments, ready to post.
Frequently asked questions
How do I turn a video from my phone into a GIF?
Open this page on your phone, tap the upload area and pick the video from your gallery. Mark the clip by dragging the handles, choose 320 or 480 px and tap Make GIF. The file goes to your downloads folder, ready to send or post.
Does a GIF have sound?
No. The GIF format only stores pictures, so the video's audio is left out. If you need the sound, cut the clip as MP4 in the video cutter: the file is smaller than the GIF and keeps the original quality.
How big can the GIF be?
Here, a GIF can last up to 30 seconds, and we warn you when the estimate goes over 15 MB. In practice, GIFs of 2 to 6 seconds at 320 to 480 px and 10 fps land between 0.3 and 5 MB and open quickly anywhere.
Why does my GIF have color bands or blotches?
Because each GIF frame has at most 256 colors, and smooth gradients like sky and skin do not fit whole in that palette. Try the Per frame option, which gives each frame its own colors, or pick a clip with fewer gradients.
How do I make a slow motion or sped up GIF?
Use the Speed option. At 0.5x the clip lasts twice as long, like slow motion. At 2x it lasts half as long, so more action fits in the same file size. The Watch the clip button plays the video at the speed you chose.
Which video formats work?
MP4 with H.264, WebM and MKV open in current browsers. iPhone MOV files in HEVC open in Safari and in browsers with HEVC support on your system. If your video does not open, export it as MP4 (H.264) and load it again.
The best moments of your video, already cut. We find them.
Send the long video. We transcribe it, find the strongest moments and deliver each one as a vertical clip with animated captions, ready to post with sound.
See the result on your own recording before adding a card.