Drop videos here
or
.mp4, .mov, .m4v, .webm · nothing leaves your device
What this does
Pick a piece of a video and turn it into an animated GIF — a short silent loop you can send in a message, post online or drop into a document. Choose where it starts, how long it lasts, how smooth it is and how wide. Your video is not uploaded and is not changed.
How to use it in 4 steps
- 1Set the start time and length of the piece you want.
- 2Drop your video onto the box, or press Choose videos.
- 3Watch the bar. When it says GIF ready, the loop plays in the little picture.
- 4Press Save beside it. Not right? Change a setting and it remakes.
Turning a video clip into a GIF
A GIF is a short looping picture that plays without sound and works in chats, emails, slide decks and many websites that do not accept video. This page lets you choose a start point and length in a video, pick the smoothness and width and save the clip as a GIF. It handles clips up to 30 seconds and 300 frames.
Keeping the file small
GIFs get large very quickly because they store every frame as a picture with a limited range of colours. To keep the file small, choose a short clip, a smaller width and fewer frames per second. A clip of a few seconds at a width of 480 pixels or less is often enough for a chat or an email. Longer or larger GIFs are better shared as video.
Choosing the moment
Pick a clip with a clear action that loops naturally, and trim off the dull start and end. Use the preview to check the start and end points before you save. Your video is processed on your own device and never uploaded.
Related tips
A quick example: a five-second loop from a longer clip
You want to share the moment a dog catches a ball. Set Start at to 12 and Length to 5, choose Normal smoothness (10 per second) and Medium width (480 px). That makes 50 pictures at 480 pixels wide, a sensible size for a chat message. Changing a setting remakes the GIFs already on the page, so you can compare sizes before you save.
At Very smooth (20 per second) the 300-picture limit allows only 15 seconds, so a long, smooth clip is cut short.
Good to know
GIFs have no sound and a limited range of colours, so gradients such as skies can look blotchy. If the file is too big, shorten the clip first, since that saves the most. Start and end on a similar moment so the loop does not jump. If a video will not open, try Chrome or Edge. For anything longer than a few seconds, an MP4 is smaller and looks better.
Think about where the GIF will be shown. A chat app or email may limit the size, so aim for a few megabytes at most. If your first attempt is too big, lower the smoothness before the width, because fewer pictures per second hurts the look less than a much smaller picture.
Related tools
Questions people ask
Why is my GIF so big?
GIF is an old format and makes large files. To shrink it, make it shorter, choose a smaller width, or pick a lower smoothness.
Is there sound?
No. GIFs are silent pictures. If you want the sound, use MP4 to MP3.
How long can a GIF be?
Up to 30 seconds, and at most 300 pictures in one GIF, so a long piece at a high smoothness is cut short. Short loops of 2 to 6 seconds work best.
What videos can I use?
MP4, MOV (including iPhone videos), M4V and WebM, as long as your browser can play them. If one will not open, try Chrome or Edge.
Is my video uploaded?
No. Everything happens inside your browser, so your video never leaves your device.
Can I use any video?
Only use this on videos you have the right to use.