Video to GIF Converter
How to turn a video into a GIF
- Choose a video. MP4, WebM and most MOV files work. Short clips make the best GIFs.
- Trim the part you want. Drag the orange handles on the timeline or type the start and end times. Two to six seconds is the sweet spot.
- Pick width, frame rate and speed. 480 px at 12 to 15 fps covers most uses. Use 2× speed to fit a longer moment into a short loop.
- Convert and check the size. The panel shows whether the GIF fits common upload limits. If it’s too big, lower the width first, then the frame rate.
- Download the GIF. It has no watermark and is yours to use.
Recommended settings
| Where it’s going | Width | Frame rate | Keep it under |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discord message | 480 px | 15 fps | 20 MB |
| Post on X | 640 px | 15 fps | 15 MB |
| Email newsletter | 320–480 px | 10 fps | ≈ 1 MB |
| Website or blog post | 640 px | 12–15 fps | 2–3 MB |
Discord’s free upload limit is 20 MB and X accepts GIFs up to 15 MB. Both as of October 2026; platforms change these limits from time to time. The email and website figures are our recommendations for fast loading, not hard limits.
Why GIFs get so big
A GIF stores every frame as a separate picture with at most 256 colors. It has none of the motion compression that keeps MP4 files small, so a five-second clip that is 2 MB as an MP4 can easily become 10 MB as a GIF.
File size grows with width × height × number of frames. Halving the width cuts the size to roughly a quarter. Dropping from 20 fps to 10 fps roughly halves it.
- Trim first. Every second you cut is the biggest saving.
- Lower the width before the frame rate. 12 fps still looks smooth for most motion.
- Keep Size saving on. Parts of the picture that don’t change are stored once instead of in every frame. Static backgrounds and screen recordings shrink the most.
- Match the color mode to the footage. Smooth gradients suits camera footage, skies and light leaks. Flat colors suits logos, interfaces and cartoons, and usually gives a smaller file.
Questions
Is my video uploaded anywhere?
No. The converter is JavaScript that runs in your browser. Your file is read from your device and never sent to a server. Once this page has loaded, it keeps working even if you go offline.
Which video formats can I convert?
Anything your browser can play: MP4 (H.264), WebM and most MOV files. Some iPhone videos recorded in HEVC won’t open in every browser. If a file doesn’t load, export it as MP4 first or try another browser.
Is there a length limit?
The converter stops at 600 frames, for example 40 seconds at 15 fps. GIF isn’t built for long clips: past a few hundred frames the file gets very large and conversion slows down, especially on phones.
Will the GIF have a watermark?
No. Nothing is added to your GIF.
Why do the colors look slightly different?
Each GIF frame can hold only 256 colors. The converter picks the best 256 for every frame, and the palette panel shows the colors it chose for the first one. If you see banding in gradients, switch to Smooth gradients.
Can I use GIFs made from other people’s videos?
Converting a file doesn’t change who owns it. Use your own footage, clips you have permission to use, or free resources such as the overlays and loops on Free Creative Stuff.