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Video to GIF converter

Turn a clip of an MP4, MOV or WebM video into an animated GIF. Choose the part, size and frame rate, or fit it under a size limit. Nothing is uploaded.

  • Runs in your browser
  • Nothing is uploaded
  • Free, no sign-up

or drop it here. MP4, MOV, WebM and MKV. Nothing is uploaded.

How it works

Choose a video and the part you want. Your browser's own video decoder reads the frames on your device, the same one that plays videos on other sites, and this page turns them into an animated GIF that loops forever. Nothing is sent anywhere.

A GIF can only hold 256 colours. The tool looks at frames across your clip and picks the 255 that fit it best, so a sunset gets oranges and a screen recording gets the exact colours of its windows and text. Dithering then mixes those colours in a fine, fixed pattern that hides banding without flickering from frame to frame.

To keep the file small, each frame only stores the part of the picture that changed, and frames where nothing moved are dropped and the frame before shows longer. With a size limit set, a GIF that comes out too big is made again narrower until it fits. To make a still image smaller instead, use compress an image to a target size.

Questions

How do I convert an MP4 to a GIF?

Choose or drop the MP4, then move the start and end to the part you want, up to 30 seconds. The GIF is made on your device as soon as you stop changing things, and plays below the settings. Download it, or on a phone share or save it.

How do I make a GIF smaller?

Make the clip shorter, choose a smaller width or a lower frame rate, or turn off dithering for screen recordings and cartoons. Or pick a size limit, like under 10 MB, and the GIF is made again narrower until it fits.

Can I make a GIF from an iPhone video?

Yes. iPhone videos are MOV files in HEVC (H.265). Safari decodes them, and so do Chrome and Edge on most computers and phones from the last few years; a browser that can't says so. Portrait videos stay upright.

Why does the GIF look grainier than the video?

A GIF can hold only 256 colours, while a video has millions. This tool picks the 255 colours that suit your clip best and, with dithering on, mixes them in a fine pattern so gradients don't turn into bands. Sharp details and text stay crisp.

Is there a watermark or a size limit on the video?

No watermark and no sign-up. Videos up to 4 GB open: nothing is uploaded, and only the parts of the file that are needed are read, so a large video starts as quickly as a small one.

Limits

Opens MP4, MOV, M4V, WebM and MKV videos up to 4 GB, in H.264, HEVC (H.265), VP8, VP9 and AV1, when your browser can decode them: current Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari (16.4 or later) can decode most. Older browsers, and AVI or WMV files, can't be opened. Apple ProRes can't be decoded by browsers.

A GIF holds up to 30 seconds, at 5 to 30 frames per second and up to 1,280 pixels wide, never wider than the video. Very long or wide GIFs are refused before starting, at most 150 million pixels in all frames together, so a phone doesn't run out of memory. GIFs have no sound. Videos with a see-through background (WebM with transparency) can't be opened yet.

HDR videos, which recent iPhones record by default, are turned into standard colours and can look flatter than on the phone.

Privacy

This tool runs entirely in your browser. The files you open and what you type are never sent to a server, and nothing is stored after you close the page. See the privacy page.

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