Gif Converter

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Still deciding on the GIF & Short Video Planning Kit?

• Settings cheat sheet (PDF)
• Loop storyboard (PDF)
• Screen recording checklist (PDF, DOCX)
• Platform limits log (PDF, DOCX, XLSX)

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GIF Settings Cheat Sheet1 page · free PDFPrintable Loop Storyboard Sheet1 page · free PDFScreen Recording Checklist1 page · free PDFPrintable GIF Limits Log1 page · free PDF

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How to make a GIF from a video

1. Choose a video file — MP4, WebM or MOV clips that your browser can play.
2. Set the start time and length; short clips of two to five seconds make the best GIFs.
3. Choose the frame rate: 10 fps is smooth enough for most clips and keeps files small.
4. Choose the width: 320–480 pixels suits messages and web pages.
5. Click “Make GIF”, preview the result and download it.

For a slideshow GIF, select several images at once instead of a video. Each image becomes one frame, and the frame rate controls how fast they change (5 fps shows each image for 0.2 seconds).

How the converter works

The converter plays through your clip, capturing a frame at each time step onto a canvas. GIF images can use only 256 colours, so it then analyses the colours across all frames and builds a shared palette using a median-cut algorithm, which splits the colour space where most pixels are. Each frame is mapped to its nearest palette colours and compressed with LZW, the compression method defined by the GIF format. The result is a standard GIF89a file that loops and plays in every browser and messaging app.

Keeping GIF files small

Many platforms limit GIF sizes, often to a few megabytes. If a GIF is too big, shorten it, lower the frame rate or width, or choose a calmer section of the video.

GIF vs video formats

GIFs are universally supported and loop automatically, but they are inefficient: a GIF can be ten times larger than an MP4 or WebM of the same clip, and the 256-colour limit causes banding in gradients and skin tones. For websites, short muted looping videos (MP4 or WebM with autoplay, loop and muted attributes) are usually a better choice. GIFs remain the simplest option for chat apps, email, documentation, forums and anywhere video is not supported.

Worked example

To show a new software feature in a help article, a writer records a 6-second screen capture. They set start 1.0 s and length 4 s, 10 fps and 480 px wide. The converter captures 40 frames, builds a palette dominated by the interface colours and produces a GIF of a few hundred kilobytes that loops smoothly in the article. A second version at 320 px is small enough for a chat message.

Tips for great GIFs

• Pick a moment with a clear beginning and end so the loop feels natural.
• Keep the camera still if possible; motion across the whole frame increases size.
• Crop or record at the size you need rather than shrinking a huge frame.
• For screen recordings, a lower frame rate (5–10 fps) is usually enough.
• Avoid tiny text; it becomes unreadable after scaling.
• Add captions in the source video if the GIF needs to explain something.

Limits in the browser

Conversion happens on your device, so very long or very high-resolution clips can take time or run out of memory, especially on phones. The converter limits clips to 15 seconds. Some video formats and codecs (for example certain HEVC files) cannot be decoded by every browser; if a file will not load, convert it to MP4 (H.264) first. The converter does not add dithering, so gradients may show visible colour bands.

Making GIFs for documentation and support

Short GIFs are excellent for showing a process in help articles, release notes and support replies: a click sequence, a drag-and-drop, or where to find a setting. Keep each GIF to one action, start and end on a still moment, and pair it with a short text description for accessibility and for readers who cannot view animations. Screen recordings with flat interface colours compress very well, so even a 10-second demo can stay small at 5–10 frames per second.

Accessibility

Looping animations can distract some readers and, if they flash rapidly, can affect people with photosensitive conditions. Avoid flashing more than three times per second, keep motion gentle, and provide alternative text describing what the GIF shows. On websites, consider a video element that users can pause, or a static first frame with a link to play.

Copyright

Only make GIFs from videos you own or have permission to use. Sharing clips from films, TV or other creators’ videos may be restricted even as short GIFs, depending on the platform and your jurisdiction.

Privacy

Your video or images are processed entirely in your browser. Nothing is uploaded, stored or shared.