Video to GIF

Create looping GIFs from short video clips directly in your browser.

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Quick Tip

Select a short .mp4, .mov or .avi clip — trim it first if it runs longer than a few seconds.

About This Tool

Why use Video to GIF?

Turn a video clip into an animated GIF at 10 frames per second, scaled to 320 pixels wide with the height calculated to preserve the aspect ratio. Lanczos scaling is used for the resize, which keeps the result noticeably sharper than the default when an image is reduced this much.

Those settings exist because GIF is a terrible video format and the only way to get a usable file is to be strict. GIF stores every frame as a separate 256-colour image with no compression between frames, so it grows roughly linearly with length — 10 fps at 320 pixels wide is the point where a few seconds of motion stays shareable rather than becoming a multi-megabyte download. Keep clips short: three to five seconds is the sweet spot, and anything past ten seconds is better served as a video.

Key Benefits

Sized for sharing

10 fps at 320 pixels wide is the setting that keeps a short clip small enough to post, rather than producing a file nobody will wait for.

Lanczos scaling

A higher-quality resampling filter than the default, which matters a lot when an image is being reduced this far.

Aspect ratio kept

The height is calculated from the width, so the animation is not stretched or squashed.

How to use Video to GIF

1
Select a short .mp4, .mov or .avi clip — trim it first if it runs longer than a few seconds.
2
Convert; frames are sampled at 10 fps and scaled to 320 pixels wide.
3
Check the file size before you use it anywhere.
4
Download the GIF.

Best use cases

Turn a few seconds of screen recording into a GIF for a bug report.

Make a short looping clip for a chat or a forum post.

Add an animated demonstration to documentation.

Post a reaction clip where video is not supported.

Video to GIF FAQs

Why is my GIF so large?

Because the clip is too long. GIF stores every frame as a full image with no compression between frames, so size grows roughly with duration. Trim to three to five seconds.

What size is the output?

320 pixels wide, with the height calculated from the original aspect ratio, at 10 frames per second. Those settings are what keep the file shareable.

Why does the GIF look worse than the video?

GIF is limited to 256 colours per frame. Gradients and video footage band visibly. Screen recordings and flat graphics convert much better than camera video.

Should I use a GIF or a video?

For anything past a few seconds, a video. An MP4 is smaller, sharper and plays inline nearly everywhere GIFs do. GIF is worth it only where video is genuinely not supported.