Skip to content
QuickPrepMedia

Turn a video into a GIF, in your browser

Choose part of a clip, set the frame rate, width and quality, and make a looping GIF you can watch before you download it. Optionally check it against what a platform such as Discord, X or Tumblr states. The video never leaves your device.

  • No upload — runs in your browser
  • Free, no account
  • Reads MP4, MOV, and M4V; also WebM and MKV where the browser can decode them
  • HEVC (H.265) video: Chrome, Edge and Safari, where the device can decode it
  • Up to 4 GB per video
  • Watch the GIF loop before you download it

Drop a video here or click to browse

Reads MP4, MOV, and M4V. Also reads WebM and MKV when this browser can decode the video inside.

HEVC (H.265) video can be edited in Chrome, Edge and Safari, where the device can decode it.

Up to 4 GB per file.

Your video is processed in this browser and is never uploaded.

GIF for a platform (optional)

How to make a GIF from a video

  1. Add your clip

    Drop in one video of up to 4 GB. If the GIF is going to a particular platform, choose it in the tool or in the table below.

  2. Choose the range and the settings

    Type the start and the end, or set them at the playhead. Pick a frame rate, a width and a quality: fewer frames and fewer pixels make a smaller file.

  3. Export, check and download

    Export the GIF and watch it loop in the result, with its file size, frames and length measured. With a platform chosen, the GIF is checked against what it states. Then download it.

GIF limits by platform

What each platform covered here states for a GIF, as of the date shown. Platforms change their limits, so the linked page has the final word. Use a row to set that platform in the tool.

  • Discord emoji

    What the platform states
    • Up to 256 KiB
    • Up to 128 × 128 px
    What this tool does
    • Fits the GIF within 128 × 128 px, keeping its proportions
    • Checks the finished GIF against what Discord states
    Source

  • Discord upload

    What the platform states
    • Up to 20 MB
    What this tool does
    • Keeps the width you choose
    • Checks the finished GIF against what Discord states
    Source

  • X post

    What the platform states
    • Up to 5 MB
    • 15 MB on the web; the smaller limit is for its apps
    • Up to 1280 × 1080 px
    What this tool does
    • Fits the GIF within 1280 × 1080 px, keeping its proportions
    • Checks the finished GIF against what X states
    Source

  • Tumblr post

    What the platform states
    • Up to 10 MB
    • 540 px wide: a recommendation, not a limit
    What this tool does
    • Sets the width to 540 px when it is wider; wider widths stay available
    • Checks the finished GIF against what Tumblr states
    Source

  • GitHub comment

    What the platform states
    • Up to 10 MB
    What this tool does
    • Keeps the width you choose
    • Checks the finished GIF against what GitHub states
    Source

Frames, colours and the loop

A GIF is a run of still pictures, each with a limited set of colours, played over and over. Three ideas explain the settings.

  • The clipFewer, smaller frames

    A clip becomes a few frames a second

    A video holds many frames every second, and a GIF stores each frame it keeps as a whole picture. So the tool reads only as many frames a second as you choose, at the width you choose. Those two settings and the length of the range set most of the file size.

    For a smaller GIF, lower the frame rate or the width before cutting a clip that needs its length.

  • Smooth gradientA few colours, in bands

    Each frame holds a few colours

    A GIF frame holds at most 256 colours, far fewer than a video, so close colours are merged. On smooth gradients such as skies and soft shadows, the steps between them can show as bands. Each frame gets its own colours, which keeps this low when the scene changes.

    Keep High quality for gradients and faces. Balanced and Smaller suit flat, simple scenes.

  • A jump backEnds where it starts

    The last frame jumps back to the first

    A looping GIF goes from its last frame straight back to its first. If the two differ, the jump shows every time it loops. The first and the last frame of your range are shown side by side, so you can choose ends that match.

    Find a moment where the motion comes back to where it started, and end the range there.

A GIF from your clip

A GIF plays by itself and loops, with no play button and no sound, which suits a short product spin, a reaction or a how-to step in a chat, a post or a README. To make one from still photos instead, use Image to GIF.

Three settings set a GIF's size: the length of the range, the frame rate and the width. The file size also depends on how much the picture moves and changes, so it is measured when the GIF is made, never estimated before. The range editor says how long a range fits at your settings.

Making the GIF reads the range twice: once to collect its colours, and once to write the frames with them. The progress bar shows each pass on its own, so it never runs backwards.

A GIF holds at most 256 colours per frame, so smooth gradients can show bands. The tool gives each frame its own colours and adds no dithering, the fine noise some tools use to hide bands, because it would stop a frame from reusing what the one before it shows, which makes the file larger.

This tool doesn't aim at a file size. To bring a finished GIF under an exact size, such as a platform's limit, open it in Compress GIF, which tries smaller versions until one fits.

This tool keeps the shape of your clip and adds no padding. For a platform that asks for an exact or square size, make the GIF here, then pad it to size with Resize GIF.

Limits worth knowing

  • Reads MP4, MOV, and M4V. Also reads WebM and MKV where the browser can decode the video inside. HEVC (H.265) video can be made into a GIF in Chrome, Edge and Safari, where the device can decode it. The result is always a GIF.
  • Clips of up to 4 GB. A GIF is at most 1024 px wide and 1,000 frames long, at 5, 10, 12, 15, 20, or 25 frames per second, and never wider than the clip. A long, wide range can reach the GIF's pixel limit first; the range editor says how much fits.
  • Making a GIF decodes the video in the browser, which needs Chrome, Edge, Safari or Firefox on a computer. In a browser that can't, the tool says so before you add a clip.
  • A GIF has no sound and holds at most 256 colours per frame, so gradients can show bands. A GIF from an HDR clip is made in standard dynamic range, so bright highlights and colours may look different.

Video to GIF FAQ

Is my video uploaded to a server?

No. The video is read and the GIF is made in your browser, and no file is uploaded, stored or sent anywhere. The page does fetch its own code as you go, such as the video tools' code when you add your first clip. Your video is never part of that.

How long can the GIF be?

Up to 1,000 frames, so how many seconds that is depends on the frame rate, and a wide GIF reaches the GIF's pixel limit sooner. The range editor shows how much of the clip fits at your settings. When the whole clip doesn't fit, the range starts as the part that does.

How big will my GIF be?

That depends on how much the picture moves and changes, not only on its length and size, so the tool doesn't guess. The file size is measured when the GIF is made and shown with the result, along with its frames and its length.

How do I make the GIF smaller?

Shorten the range, lower the frame rate or the width, or choose Smaller quality, then export again. For an exact file size, open the finished GIF in Compress GIF, which tries smaller versions until one fits.

Why does my GIF show bands of colour?

A GIF frame holds at most 256 colours, so smooth gradients such as skies and soft shadows are drawn in steps. High quality and a separate set of colours for each frame keep the steps small, but a scene with wide gradients still shows some.

Can the GIF play once instead of looping?

Yes. Choose Play once under Loop, and the GIF stops on its last frame. For a GIF that loops forever, compare the first and the last frame shown beside the clip: the closer they match, the less the jump back shows.

Does the GIF keep the sound?

No. A GIF can't hold sound, so the clip's audio is left out. For a short clip with its sound, trim the video instead.

Which browsers can make a GIF from a video?

Chrome, Edge, Safari and Firefox on a computer, which can decode video in the page. HEVC (H.265) clips need Chrome, Edge or Safari on a device that can decode them. If the browser can't decode a clip, the tool says so and makes nothing from it.

Which platforms can I make a GIF for?

For Discord emoji, Discord upload, X post, Tumblr post, and GitHub comment, choose the platform and the tool fits the GIF to any size it states, then checks the finished GIF against what it states. For an exact or square size, make the GIF here, then pad it with Resize GIF.

What to do next

Make a GIF from your video now

Add your clip, choose the range and download the GIF. The video never leaves this device.

We use analytics cookies

Your images are always processed on your device and never uploaded. We would like to use Google Analytics to measure anonymous, page-level usage so we can improve the tools. Analytics stays off until you accept. Read our privacy policy