GIF Maker
Convert video clips into animated GIFs. Control frame rate, size, speed, and color palette — all in-browser.
Drop your video here or browse files
MP4, WebM, MOV, AVI supported · Best results with clips under 15 seconds
Clip length: 0:00 · For GIF, 3–10 seconds is ideal
How to Make a GIF from Video
- Upload your video file (MP4, WebM, MOV, AVI).
- Set the start and end time for your clip using the sliders.
- Choose your GIF width, frame rate, and color depth.
- Click Make GIF, preview it, and download.
For best results, keep your clip between 3 and 10 seconds. Longer clips create very large GIF files.
GIF Settings Guide
| Setting | Higher = ? | Lower = ? |
|---|---|---|
| Width | Larger file, sharper | Smaller file, blurrier |
| Frame Rate | Smoother motion | Choppier, smaller |
| Color Depth | More colors, larger | Fewer colors, smaller |
Why Use GIFs?
GIFs remain uniquely versatile decades after their introduction. Unlike video files, they require no player, no play button, and no codec — they just work everywhere, from email to Slack to GitHub README files. Here's where GIFs shine:
Messaging & Chat
Share reaction clips, funny moments, or highlights in Slack, Discord, Teams, and messaging apps that don't auto-play video.
Documentation
Embed product walkthroughs, UI interactions, and feature demos directly in README files, wikis, and help docs without embedding a video player.
Email Marketing
Animated GIFs in emails increase click rates significantly. Use a short GIF to demonstrate a product feature or sale offer without relying on video support.
Social Media
Create looping reaction GIFs, sports highlights, or meme templates for Twitter/X, Reddit, and other platforms that support GIF upload.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are GIFs so large?
GIF uses a 256-color palette and lossless (LZW) compression, which is less efficient than modern video codecs. Even short clips can produce large files. Reducing width, frame rate, and color depth significantly reduces size.
Why does my GIF look washed out?
GIF only supports 256 colors per frame. Videos with complex gradients, skin tones, or photorealistic imagery will lose color fidelity. This is a fundamental limitation of the GIF format.
Can I make a GIF longer than 10 seconds?
Yes, the tool doesn't hard-cap clip length — but GIFs beyond 10 seconds can easily exceed 20–30 MB, which may not load well in many platforms. Consider using a short video format (WebM, MP4) for longer clips instead.
Is GIF the best format for sharing short clips?
Not always. Platforms like Twitter/X and Tenor actually convert uploaded GIFs to MP4 internally for efficiency. For file size and quality, WebM or MP4 short clips are superior. GIF remains the most universally compatible animated image format, though.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my GIF larger than the original video?
GIF is an old format that stores every frame as a complete image rather than just the changes between frames. A 5-second video clip can produce a GIF 10-20x larger. Reduce file size by lowering the frame rate, output width, or colour palette size.
What frame rate should I use?
For text and UI animations, 10fps is plenty. For smooth motion, 15-20fps works well. Higher frame rates increase file size significantly with diminishing visual returns.
What colour palette size should I choose?
For photographic content, use 256 colours. For animations with flat colours and simple graphics, 64 or 128 colours will produce smaller files with little visible difference.
Is there a clip length limit?
There is no hard limit, but GIFs longer than 10 seconds become very large. For best results, keep clips under 6 seconds. Consider whether a looping highlight would serve better than a long clip.
Are my video files uploaded to a server?
No. All GIF conversion happens in your browser. Your video files never leave your device.