How to make a GIF from a video
Clip length, width and frame rate: the three settings that decide GIF size.
GIFs loop silently, play everywhere without a play button, and work in places video does not, such as some email clients, chat tools and documentation. They are also a very old, inefficient format, so a careless GIF can easily be ten times the size of the video it came from. A few settings keep it small.
Step by step
- Drop the video into the video to GIF tool.
- Set the start time and length. Keep it short: 2 to 6 seconds is ideal.
- Choose the width and frame rate.
- Convert, check the size, and adjust if it is too large.
The three settings that decide the size
| Setting | Good starting point | Effect on size |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 2 to 6 seconds | Doubles when the length doubles |
| Width | 480 pixels, 320 for chat | Roughly quadruples when the width doubles |
| Frame rate | 10 to 15 frames per second | Doubles when the frame rate doubles |
Width is the big one. A 1080 pixel wide GIF is rarely needed and enormous. For most uses, 480 looks fine.
Why GIFs are so large
GIF dates from 1987. Each frame can hold only 256 colours and is compressed with a simple lossless method, and it cannot reuse detail between frames the way modern video does. A 5-second clip that is 1 MB as MP4 can easily be 10 MB or more as a GIF.
What makes a good GIF source
- Short, clear action: a reaction, a product demo, a single step in a process.
- A steady camera. Camera shake changes every pixel and bloats the file.
- Simple backgrounds and flat colours, such as screen recordings, which suit GIF's 256-colour palette.
When to use a video instead
On websites and social media, a short muted, looping MP4 is almost always better: far smaller, full colour and smooth. Most platforms that show "GIFs" actually convert them to video behind the scenes. Use a GIF where video will not play, and a video everywhere else. If you need the clip smaller as a video, use the video compressor.
Privacy
The conversion runs in your browser with FFmpeg, so the video is never uploaded. Screen recordings of work tools and private clips stay on your device.