Video to GIF converter
Your files are converted on your device. They are never uploaded.
or drop them here
.mp4.m4v.mov.mkv.webm.avi.3gp
- Files stay on your device
- Batch + ZIP
- No sign-up, no limits
This converter runs in your browser and needs JavaScript. Turn it on to convert; the steps below explain everything.
Settings
Cut a moment out of a video and make it a looping GIF, with the file size shown before you start.
A GIF plays automatically and silently everywhere: chat apps, forums, documentation, emails, slide decks, bug reports. This tool turns a few seconds of any video on your device into an animated GIF. Choose the start and end, the width (240, 320, 480 or 640 px) and the frame rate, and the page estimates the GIF’s size before encoding, so you don’t wait for a 40 MB file you can’t post. MP4 and MOV always work; WEBM, MKV and other formats work when your browser can play them. No watermark, and the video isn’t uploaded.
How to convert Video to GIF
- Add the video and set the start and end of the part you want; 2–6 seconds make the best GIFs.
- Choose the width (480 px is a good default, 320 px for chats) and frame rate (10–12 fps is smooth enough; 15–20 fps for fast motion); watch the size estimate change.
- Confirm, convert, check the preview and download the GIF.
What happens to quality, size and metadata
GIF can show only 256 colours, has no sound and compresses video poorly, so a GIF is usually far larger than the same clip as MP4. We pick one palette from frames across your clip, which keeps colours steady and lets unchanged pixels stay transparent from frame to frame, a big saving for screen recordings. Smooth gradients and skin tones show some banding. File size grows with width × height × frames: halving the width makes the GIF about four times smaller, and dropping from 15 to 10 fps saves a third. We never enlarge a video that is narrower than the chosen width. Clips over 30 seconds trigger a warning.
- Test files
- 6
- Average input
- 656 KB
- Average output
- 705 KB
- Size change
- 1.07× larger
- Time per file
- 355 ms
About GIF
| Full name | GIF |
|---|---|
| Full name | Graphics Interchange Format |
| Introduced | 1987 |
| Defined by | CompuServe · GIF89a |
| Compression | Lossless |
| Transparency | Yes |
| Animation | Yes |
| Largest size | 65,535 × 65,535 px |
| Chrome / Edge | Yes |
| Safari | Yes |
| Firefox | Yes |
| Windows | Yes |
| iPhone / iPad | Yes |
| Android | Yes |
| Typical use | Short silent animations, reactions, memes and simple animated graphics. |
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.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
- developer.android.com/media/platform/supported-formats
Browser support data: caniuse.com, CC BY 4.0.
Without this site
iPhone: the Shortcuts app’s gallery has a ready-made “Video to GIF” shortcut, built on the “Make GIF” action. Windows 11: Clipchamp can export short videos (up to about 15 seconds) as GIF from its Export menu. Mac: there is no built-in video to GIF option apart from building a shortcut with “Make GIF” in Shortcuts. Android: some gallery apps, such as Samsung Gallery’s video player, have a GIF button.
Troubleshooting
- The GIF is too large to post. Shorten the clip first, then lower the width (320 px) and the frame rate (10 fps). The estimate shows the effect before you convert.
- Colours look grainy. That is GIF’s 256-colour limit. Clips with flat colours (screen recordings, animation) look best.
- “This browser can’t open this video”. The format or codec isn’t supported by your browser (often HEVC on Windows, or AVI). Convert it with MOV to MP4 first, or try Chrome or Edge.
- There is no sound. GIF has no audio track. For a short clip with sound, keep it as MP4.
Questions and answers
How do I turn a video into a GIF?
Add the video on this page, drag the start and end to the moment you want, pick a width and frame rate and press Convert. The GIF is built in your browser, frame by frame, and you can preview it before downloading. There is no watermark and no account.
How do I make a GIF from a video on iPhone?
Open this page in Safari, tap “Add files”, choose Photo Library and pick the video. Set the part and size, convert, and save the GIF to Files (or long-press it to share). Alternatively, the Shortcuts gallery has a “Video to GIF” shortcut. See our guide to making a GIF from a video.
Why are GIFs so large compared to the video?
GIF dates from 1987 and stores each frame with simple lossless compression and a 256-colour palette, while MP4 uses modern video compression that predicts motion. A 5-second 480 px GIF can be several megabytes when the MP4 was a few hundred kilobytes. Shorter, narrower, slower GIFs fix that.
What is the best size and frame rate for a GIF?
For chat apps and social posts, 320–480 px wide at 10–12 fps is a good balance. For documentation and screen recordings, 640 px at 10 fps keeps text readable. Go to 15–20 fps only for fast movement, and keep clips under about 6 seconds.