How to use the video to GIF converter
- 1Press Choose video and add an MP4, MOV or WebM file.
- 2Set Start (seconds) and Length, or play the video, pause where the GIF should begin and press Start at current position.
- 3Choose Frames per second, Width, Colors per frame and Loop; the estimated size updates as you go.
- 4Press Create GIF (you can Cancel), then Download GIF.
Trimming the clip
A GIF stores every frame as a full image, so it should be short: pick the few seconds that matter. Enter Start (seconds) and Length, or use the video player: play or scrub to the moment you want, pause, and press Start at current position. The line under the fields shows the exact time range. Length is capped at 30 seconds and 600 frames, both to keep the file usable and because frames are captured one at a time in your browser.
Frame rate, width and file size
GIF size grows with frames × width × height. Doubling the width roughly quadruples the size; doubling the frame rate doubles it.
| Setting | Suggested |
|---|---|
| Frames per second | 10–15 for most clips; 20+ only for fast motion |
| Width | 320–480 px for chat and social; up to 800 px for slides |
| Colors per frame | 256 for video; 64–128 to save space on simple footage |
The estimate before you press Create GIF is a range, because busy, fast-moving scenes compress far worse than static ones. Shared palette uses one set of colors for the whole GIF, which reduces flicker and size; Per frame gives each frame its best 256 colors.
GIF size limits on Discord, Slack and X
Chat apps and social networks cap upload sizes, and the limits differ by plan and change from time to time, so check the platform's help page for the current figure. Some also convert uploaded GIFs to video, or stop animating large ones. As a practical rule, GIFs for chat work best under about 10 MB. To get under a limit, lower the width first, then the frame rate, then the length; reducing colors to 128 or 64 helps a little more.
When to use MP4 or WebP instead of GIF
GIF dates from 1989: 256 colors per frame and inefficient compression make it many times larger than the same clip as MP4. Use a GIF where only GIFs are accepted or where it must autoplay everywhere, such as email and some chat apps. On your own website, a short muted, looping MP4 or WebM video (or an animated WebP) looks better at a fraction of the size. Keep the original video for that; this tool only creates GIFs.
Are my files uploaded?
This tool runs entirely in your browser. Your files are not uploaded to our servers.