Video to GIF Converter
Trim the moment, pick a size and frame rate, download. Your video never leaves this device.
Your GIF
How to convert a video to GIF
- Drop your video on the frame above, or press Choose file.
- Set the start and end. Drag the handles on the film strip or type the seconds; the preview loops your selection. The first 10 seconds are selected to begin with.
- Crop if you need to. Square and 9:16 work well for social posts; the slider moves the crop across the frame.
- Choose width, frame rate, speed and quality, then press Make GIF.
- Download the GIF, or press Share on a phone.
Settings explained
Width
This one moves the file size most. Size grows with the pixel count, and the pixel count grows with the square of the width: going from 480 to 640 px adds 78% more pixels per frame. In our test clip that took the GIF from 12.6 MB to 21.1 MB. Pick the smallest width that still looks right where the GIF will be seen. A chat bubble on a phone rarely shows more than 320 to 400 px.
Frame rate
12 fps looks smooth for people, pets and most everyday motion. 8 fps is fine for screen recordings and slow scenes. Go to 15–25 fps only for fast action like sports or games. Why does the list stop at 25? GIF timing is counted in hundredths of a second, so 25 fps (4/100 s per frame) is exact, while 30 fps can’t be stored exactly and some browsers slow very short frames down.
Speed
From 0.5× to 2×. It changes the playback speed, not the number of frames you pick from the video: a 4-second selection at 2× becomes a 2-second GIF with the same frames.
Quality
All three levels use the same colors. They differ in how much a pixel has to change before it’s redrawn. High redraws nearly every change. Balanced lets tiny flicker go, which is mostly sensor noise; on our test clip it saved a third of the file. Small lets bigger changes go too, and that’s where you start to see old pixels smear along moving edges.
Examples
Same 10-second phone clip, six ways. It’s a portrait concert video with moving stage lights and haze, about as hard as footage gets for a GIF. A screen recording or a static shot comes out far smaller at the same settings.
| Width | Frame rate | Quality | GIF size | What you notice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 480 px | 12 fps | High | 12.6 MB | The default |
| 480 px | 12 fps | Balanced | 8.1 MB | Same as High at normal size; faint ghosting zoomed in |
| 480 px | 12 fps | Small | 5.2 MB | Moving edges smear, stripes break up |
| 480 px | 8 fps | High | 9.1 MB | Motion steps more visibly |
| 320 px | 12 fps | High | 6.2 MB | Softer, fine in a chat bubble |
| 640 px | 12 fps | High | 21.1 MB | Sharper, but heavy |
The lesson from this table: if the file is too big, Balanced quality and a narrower width get you further than cutting the frame rate. Dropping to 8 fps saved 28% and the motion got visibly steppier. Balanced saved 36%, and at normal size we couldn’t tell it from High. Zoomed in 2×, you can spot faint ghosting around the singer’s face. Small saved 59%, but the smearing shows even at normal size.
FAQ
How do I convert a video to GIF without losing quality?
Some loss is built into the format: a GIF frame holds 256 colors. What you control is how well those colors are chosen. Keep Quality on High, leave width at 480 px or above, and trim to the moment you need. A shorter GIF can afford a bigger width.
How long can the GIF be?
Up to 60 seconds, and up to 1,000 frames. Past that, GIFs reach tens of MB and most apps refuse them. If a long selection at your frame rate goes over 1,000 frames, the tool lowers the frame rate and tells you.
Which video formats work?
MP4, MOV and WebM, in the codecs your browser can decode: H.264 everywhere, HEVC (H.265) and VP9 in most current browsers. Phone videos, screen recordings and most downloads fall in that set. If your browser can’t decode a file, you’ll get a message that names the codec.
Can I convert a video to GIF on my phone?
Yes. This page works in Safari on iPhone and Chrome on Android. Tap Choose file, pick the video from your gallery, and when the GIF is ready, tap Share to send it to an app or save it.
Why does my GIF look grainy?
That fine grain is dithering: the encoder mixes two of its 256 colors in a pattern to fake the shade in between. Without it, smooth areas such as skies and skin break into visible stripes. It’s most visible on dark, hazy footage. A wider GIF makes the pattern finer.