How to Turn a Video Clip into an Animated GIF
Animated GIFs are still one of the easiest ways to show a short moment of motion where video is not supported or will not autoplay: a funny reaction in a chat, a step in a how-to guide, or a product preview in a web page or email. This tool converts a short video into a GIF that plays in almost every browser and messaging app with no play button.
Processing runs in your browser with ffmpeg.wasm, so the video is not uploaded to any server. The tool reduces the clip to 12 frames per second and resizes it to the width you choose while keeping the aspect ratio, using Lanczos scaling for smooth, sharp downsizing.
How to use it
- Drag the video into the drop area or click to select it. Clips under 10 seconds work best.
- Set Output width (pixels). The default is 480, and the height is calculated automatically.
- Click Convert to GIF.
- Wait for the processing library to load the first time, then follow the progress bar.
- The GIF downloads automatically with the same name as your video.
What you control
- Width from 120 to 960 pixels; values outside that range are clamped to the nearest limit.
- Height follows the original aspect ratio, so nothing is stretched.
- Frame rate is fixed at 12 fps, smooth enough for most motion at a reasonable size.
- The whole video is converted from start to end, and sound is dropped because GIF cannot carry audio.
Practical examples
- Turning a short screen recording of a menu or click into a GIF for a tutorial article.
- Making a reaction GIF from a funny clip to share in a group chat.
- Showing a rotating product in an email newsletter, where video usually does not play.
- Adding a moving preview of a design or app to a portfolio page.
Tips for better results
- Trim first: every extra second noticeably increases GIF size, because the format compresses far less efficiently than video.
- 480 px suits chats and articles; use 320 or less when size matters, and 720 or more only when fine detail is essential.
- GIF supports a limited colour palette, so gradients and dim scenes look worse than in the video. Screen recordings and flat graphics give the cleanest results.
- Long or high-resolution videos use a lot of browser memory and may stall on phones.
To cut the exact moment before converting, use the video trimmer. If the GIF is too heavy and your destination accepts video, WebM to MP4 may be a lighter option, and for still images try image to WebP.