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Video to GIF Converter

Turn a clip of an MP4, WebM or MOV video into an animated GIF. Trim start and end against a preview, choose frame rate, width, speed and colours, then download. Nothing is uploaded.

Overview

Converts part of a video into an animated GIF without uploading it. Load an MP4, WebM or MOV file the browser can play, pick the start and end against a live preview, set frames per second, playback speed, width, colours and looping, then encode with progress and Cancel. Frames are grabbed one at a time, so long videos do not fill your memory.

How It Works

Drop a video and it plays in a preview player. Drag the Start and End sliders, or play to a moment and press Set start to playhead or Set end to playhead. The panel shows the clip length, the number of frames that will be captured and the output size. Choose 2 to 30 frames per second, a speed from 0.5x to 3x, width, colours and loop count. Convert to GIF steps through the clip, and the finished GIF appears with its size and a download button.

Step-by-Step Usage Guide

  1. Drop a video file the browser can play.
  2. Set the start and end of the clip with the sliders or playhead buttons.
  3. Choose frames per second, speed, width and colours.
  4. Click Convert to GIF and wait for the progress bar.
  5. Preview the GIF and download it.

Technical Specifications & Standards

A hidden video element is seeked to each frame time in turn, from the start time in steps of one over the frame rate, stopping just before the end so the black end-of-stream frame is never captured. After each seeked event the current frame is drawn to a canvas at the output width, with the height kept in proportion, and its pixels go straight to the GIF worker. Only a few frames are ever held at once, which is why the tool can show a small memory figure even for a long clip. Speed changes only the stored delay: at 2x, frames captured every 100 ms are played every 50 ms. The worker uses the same median-cut quantizer, optional Floyd-Steinberg dithering and LZW compression as the GIF Maker. Frames are capped at 300 per GIF. Which videos load depends on the browser's codecs: H.264 MP4 and WebM work in Chrome, Edge and Firefox, and HEVC usually needs Safari.

Targeted Use Cases

  • Clipping a funny moment from a phone video to share as a reaction GIF.
  • Turning a screen recording of a bug into a GIF for an issue tracker.
  • Making a short product demo loop for a landing page or email.
  • Showing a software feature in documentation where video embeds are not allowed.

Notes & Gotchas

  • Keep clips under 5 seconds and the frame rate at 10 to 15 fps for small files.
  • Use a width of 320 to 480 px for chat apps; most display GIFs small anyway.
  • Lower colours to 64 for screen recordings, which have large flat areas.
  • Keep this tab visible while it converts, as some browsers slow down seeking in background tabs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my video not load?

The browser must be able to play the file. Chrome, Edge and Firefox play H.264 MP4 and WebM; MOV files recorded in HEVC on an iPhone usually need Safari. Converting the video to H.264 first also works.

How many frames can a GIF have?

This tool captures up to 300 frames per GIF. At 10 frames per second that is 30 seconds, which already makes a large file, so shorter clips give better results.

Is sound included?

No. GIF is an image format and cannot carry audio. If you need sound, keep the clip as a video, for example with the Video Compressor and Converter.

Is my video uploaded?

No. The video is played and sampled in your browser, and the GIF is encoded in a background worker on your device. Nothing is sent over the network.

Related tools

  • GIF Maker - Make an animated GIF from images or a short video. Reorder frames, set per-frame delays, loop count, size and colours, with optional dithering. Encoding runs in a background worker with progress.
  • GIF Frame Splitter - Split an animated GIF into PNG frames composited exactly as browsers play them. See a table of frame delays and disposal, save single frames or download a ZIP with all frames and a delays CSV.
  • Video Compressor & Converter - Re-encode a video to WebM (VP9 or VP8) or MP4 where your browser can record it. Pick resolution, frame rate and bitrate, trim, and compare sizes. Shows which formats this browser supports.
  • Extract Audio from Video - Pull the audio track out of an MP4, WebM or MOV video and save it as lossless WAV (16 or 24-bit) or as compact Opus where supported. Optional mono mixdown. Decoded locally, never uploaded.
  • Online Video Editor (Timeline, Trim, Text & Music) - Edit video in your browser on a multi-track timeline: trim, split, speed, fades, filters, transitions, titles, logos and music, then export WebM or a WAV mix. Files never leave your device.
  • Image Converter (PNG, JPG, WebP, AVIF, BMP, ICO, GIF) - Batch convert images between PNG, JPG, WebP, AVIF, BMP, ICO and GIF in your browser. Set quality, pick a background for transparent areas, keep file names and download everything as one ZIP.