MP4 to GIF converter
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.mp4.m4v.mov
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Turn MP4 screen recordings and clips into GIFs for docs, chats and bug reports, right in your browser.
MP4 is what screen recorders, Android phones, cameras and most apps save, and it is the most common source for GIFs: a UI demo for a pull request, a quick how-to for a help page, a reaction clip, a product animation for an email that can’t embed video. This page reads the H.264 or HEVC frames from the MP4 at exactly the times the GIF needs, so it skips the rest of the video quickly. Set the range, width and frame rate, check the size estimate, and get a looping GIF without uploading the MP4.
How to convert MP4 to GIF
- Add the MP4 and set the start and end; for a UI demo, cut the idle seconds before the first click.
- Pick the width: 640 px keeps interface text readable, 320–480 px for chats; 10 fps is enough for screen recordings, 15 fps for camera footage.
- Check the size estimate, convert, preview and download.
What happens to quality, size and metadata
Screen recordings are the best case for GIF: large areas don’t change between frames, and we store unchanged pixels as transparent, so they cost almost nothing. Flat interface colours also fit within one 256-colour palette shared by all frames. Camera footage is the hard case: grain and gradients change every frame, so the GIF grows quickly and shows banding; shorter and narrower helps more than anything. Turning looping off makes the GIF play once and stop on the last frame, useful in documentation. The audio track of the MP4 is ignored, since GIF can’t carry sound.
- Test files
- 3
- Average input
- 833 KB
- Average output
- 854 KB
- Size change
- 1.02× larger
- Time per file
- 423 ms
MP4 vs GIF
| Full name | MP4 | GIF |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | MPEG-4 Part 14 | Graphics Interchange Format |
| Introduced | 2003 | 1987 |
| Defined by | MPEG · ISO/IEC 14496-14 | CompuServe · GIF89a |
| Compression | Lossy or lossless | Lossless |
| Transparency | — | Yes |
| Animation | — | Yes |
| Largest size | — | 65,535 × 65,535 px |
| Chrome / Edge | Yes | Yes |
| Safari | Yes | Yes |
| Firefox | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone / iPad | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| Typical use | Phone videos, screen recordings, downloads from cameras and video for sharing. | Short silent animations, reactions, memes and simple animated graphics. |
MP4 MP4 is a container defined in ISO/IEC 14496-14. It usually holds H.264 or HEVC video and AAC audio, plus chapters and metadata. It is the most widely supported video file: phones, browsers, TVs and social apps all play it.
GIF GIF dates from 1987 (CompuServe); the 1989 version added animation timing and transparency. Each frame is limited to 256 colours from a palette, which is why video turned into GIF looks grainy and gets large. It still plays everywhere without a player.
Sources for this table
- www.iso.org/standard/79110.html
- www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc4337
- caniuse.com/mpeg4
- developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Media/Guides/Formats/Containers
- developer.android.com/media/platform/supported-formats
- www.w3.org/Graphics/GIF/spec-gif89a.txt
- www.loc.gov/preservation/digital/formats/fdd/fdd000133.shtml
- developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Media/Guides/Formats/Image_types
Browser support data: caniuse.com, CC BY 4.0.
Without this site
Windows 11: open the MP4 in Clipchamp, trim it to 15 seconds or less and choose Export › GIF. iPhone: run the “Video to GIF” shortcut from the Shortcuts gallery and pick the MP4 from Photos or Files. Mac: in Shortcuts, a shortcut with the “Make GIF” action converts a selected video. Android: no built-in MP4 to GIF in stock Android; some phone makers’ gallery apps include it.
Troubleshooting
- Text in the GIF is blurry. The width is too small for the recording. Use 640 px, and record a smaller window instead of the whole screen.
- The GIF is huge. Camera footage at 640 px and 15 fps adds up fast. Try 480 px and 10 fps, or keep it as a short MP4 if the platform allows video.
- A 4K MP4 is slow on a phone. Each frame has to be decoded at full size first. Use a computer for long 4K clips.
- GIF should stop at the end. Switch off looping; the last frame stays visible.
Questions and answers
How do I convert an MP4 to a GIF?
Add the MP4 here, set the start and end, pick a width and frame rate, and press Convert. The size estimate tells you roughly how big the GIF will be before encoding starts. The finished GIF is previewed on the page and downloads directly; nothing is uploaded.
How do I make a GIF from a screen recording?
Record the screen as MP4 (or MOV on a Mac), then add it here. Trim to just the action, choose 640 px wide so text stays legible and 10 fps, which is smooth enough for clicks and scrolling. Screen recordings make compact GIFs because most of the picture doesn’t change.
Can I make a high-quality GIF from an MP4?
Within GIF’s limits, yes: use the largest width you can afford (640 px), 15 fps and a short range. The 256-colour limit and lack of modern compression are part of the format, so a GIF can never look exactly like the MP4. For pin-sharp quality, share the MP4 itself.
Does the GIF keep the sound from the MP4?
No. GIF is a silent image format; it has no place for audio. If the sound matters, share a short MP4 instead, or extract the sound separately with MP4 to MP3. Many chat apps also auto-play short muted MP4s, which can replace a GIF while keeping sound available on tap.