About this tool
The Video to GIF Converter cuts a section of a video and turns it into an animated GIF. Everything happens in your browser: the video is played locally, frames are captured from it, and the GIF is built on your device. Nothing is uploaded.
How to make a GIF from a video
- Choose your video. MP4, MOV and WebM are the most widely supported.
- Set the start time and length. Use the preview player to find the moment you want. Clips are limited to 30 seconds.
- Pick a width and frame rate. Smaller and slower means a smaller file.
- Press Make GIF, then download the result.
Choosing size and speed
A GIF stores every frame as a separate image, so file size grows with frame count and with width. Frames = length × frames per second.
| Length | Frames per second | Frames in the GIF |
|---|---|---|
| 3 s | 10 | 30 |
| 5 s | 10 | 50 |
| 5 s | 15 | 75 |
| 10 s | 10 | 100 |
For chat apps and email, try 320 px wide at 8 to 10 frames per second. For a website, 480 px at 10 to 12 frames per second usually looks smooth.
Things to watch out for
- GIFs have no sound. Only the picture is converted.
- Colour is limited to 256 colours per GIF. Smooth gradients such as skies can show banding. Footage with flat colours converts best.
- Files can be large. If the result is too big, shorten the clip, lower the width or reduce the frame rate.
- Some videos will not play. The converter uses your browser's own video support. If a file will not load, try an MP4 (H.264) or WebM version.
- Very large pictures are scaled down so the browser does not run out of memory. The tool tells you if it has to shorten the clip.
Frequently asked questions
Choose your MP4 file, set the start time, length, width and frame rate, then press Make GIF. The GIF is built in your browser and you can download it.
No. The video is played and converted entirely in your browser. It never leaves your device.
Up to 30 seconds. Long, large GIFs use a lot of memory, so the tool may shorten a clip if the width and frame rate would exceed what the browser can handle.
GIF stores each frame as its own image. Reduce the width, lower the frames per second or shorten the clip to shrink the file.
The GIF format cannot hold audio. Only the video frames are converted.
MP4 (H.264) and WebM work in nearly every browser. MOV files from an iPhone play in Safari and in some other browsers. If a file will not load, convert it to MP4 first.