Video to GIF
Make an animated GIF from a few seconds of video. See the frame count and an estimated size as you change settings, and play the GIF before you download it.
- 100% free
- Runs in your browser
- No uploads
- Runs on your deviceEvery tool works directly in your browser. No files are uploaded.
- Your privacy mattersYour files never leave your device, so there's nothing for us to store.
- No limitsUse any tool as much as you need. No daily caps, no waiting.
- Completely freeNo signup and no trial to cancel. Ads keep the tools free.
How to make a GIF from a video
- Add the video. Drop an MP4, MOV, WebM or MKV file. The first five seconds are selected to start with.
- Choose the part. Drag the yellow handles or type the start and end. Short is better: two to six seconds.
- Set width, frame rate and colours. The bar under the timeline shows the frame count and a rough size as you go.
- Make the GIF. It plays on the page when it's ready. Download it if you're happy, or change a setting and make it again.
How each setting affects the file
| Setting | Effect on size | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Width | Grows with the square: double the width, about four times the size | 480 px is sharp in chat apps |
| Frames per second | Grows in step: 20 fps is twice 10 fps | 10 to 15 looks smooth |
| Length | Grows in step | Trim to the moment that matters |
| Colours | Fewer colours, smaller and more banding | 128 suits most clips; 256 for skin and skies |
About the size estimate
The estimate multiplies the width, height and frame count by a typical number of bytes per pixel for the colour setting. Real GIFs vary a lot with the picture: flat screen recordings often come out at half the estimate, busy camera footage can be bigger. The exact size is shown once the GIF is made. Very long or large GIFs (over 1,000 frames, or about 160 million pixels in total) are blocked, as they would take a long time and could run the tab out of memory.
Common problems
- Colour banding in gradients: choose 256 colours. GIF can't show smooth gradients perfectly.
- The site rejects the GIF as too large: lower the width first, then the frame rate.
- Need a smaller, sharper file? Many apps accept a short MP4 instead; GIF to MP4 does the reverse conversion.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my GIF so big?
GIF is an old format that compresses video poorly: every frame is stored as a picture with up to 256 colours. Size grows with width × height × number of frames. Halving the width makes it about four times smaller; going from 15 to 10 frames per second saves a third. Camera footage with lots of movement is much bigger than a screen recording.
What settings make a good GIF?
For chat and reactions: 480 pixels wide, 10 to 12 frames per second, 128 colours, under five seconds. For a smooth product demo: 640 wide at 15 fps. For a tiny inline GIF: 320 wide at 10 fps with 64 colours.
Is the video uploaded?
No. Frames are read, reduced to a GIF palette and written inside your browser tab. Nothing is sent to a server.
Does the GIF have sound?
No. GIFs can't hold sound. If you need sound, trim the video instead and share it as an MP4.
Why does the GIF's frame rate look slightly different?
GIF timing is stored in hundredths of a second, so 15 fps (6.67 hundredths per frame) is stored as a mix of 6 and 7. The total length stays exact; individual frames differ by at most a hundredth of a second.