How to make a GIF from a video
November 12, 2026 3 min read
Short answer
To make a GIF from a video, pick a few seconds of the video and convert that part with a GIF maker. A good GIF is short, narrow and low in frame rate: a few seconds, 320 to 480 pixels wide and 10 to 15 frames per second is enough for most uses. GIFs have no sound and are much larger than an MP4 of the same length.
GIFs play automatically, are silent and open almost everywhere. That makes them handy for a reaction, a software step or a quick product loop.
Video to GIFTurn a moment of video into a GIF.What GIFs are good and bad at
GIF is a very old image format. Its strengths are that it opens everywhere and loops on its own. Its weaknesses are no sound, a limit of 256 colours per frame and very inefficient compression. Even a few seconds of GIF can take several megabytes.
So the secret of a good GIF is keeping it small: short length, narrow width and low frame rate. Colourful scenes with lots of motion produce bigger files than calm, simple ones.
Step by step
The Video to GIF tool processes the video in your browser, never uploads it and adds no watermark. It builds a custom colour palette for each GIF, so colours look cleaner.
- 1Open Video to GIF and choose your video.
- 2Select the part you want on the timeline; up to 15 seconds.
- 3Choose the width: 320, 480 or 640 pixels.
- 4Choose smoothness: 10 or 15 frames per second.
- 5Create the GIF and download it.
Settings for different places
Matching the settings to where the GIF will be used keeps the file a sensible size.
- 1Chat apps: 2 to 4 seconds, 320 pixels, 10 frames per second.
- 2Slides: 480 pixels is usually enough; make the end of the loop match the start.
- 3Forums and help pages: check the site's file size limit; if you go over, shorten the clip first, then reduce the width.
- 4For GIFs made from screen recordings, 480 or 640 pixels may be needed to keep text readable.
When MP4 is better than GIF
If you need sound, the clip is longer than a few seconds or quality matters, use MP4. An MP4 of the same length is far smaller than a GIF and shows millions of colours. Most chat apps and social networks autoplay short videos anyway.
To share an MP4, cut out just the part you need with Trim video, and shrink it with Compress video if it is still large. GIF is the best choice only when the place you upload to does not play video, or when you truly want a silent loop.
Frequently asked questions
- Do GIFs have sound?
- No. The GIF format cannot carry audio. If you need sound, share the clip as MP4.
- Why is my GIF so big?
- GIF is an inefficient format. Shorten the clip, reduce the width to 320 pixels or lower the frame rate to 10 frames per second.
- How long can my GIF be?
- Up to 15 seconds in the Video to GIF tool. For a longer moment, MP4 is a better fit.
- Can I make a GIF on my phone?
- Yes. The tool works in a phone browser, with no app to install.