How to Make a GIF from a Video (MP4, MOV and More)
Turn a moment from any video into a looping GIF. Pick the start, length (up to 15 seconds), size and smoothness, then download it.
Published · 5 min read
To make a GIF from a video, pick the moment you want, set how long it lasts and how big it should be, and convert just that part into an animated GIF. Our video to GIF tool takes MP4, MOV, WEBM and (in Chrome or Edge) MKV videos and makes a looping GIF of up to 15 seconds. It's free for videos up to 30 seconds long.
Why GIFs still matter
GIFs play automatically, loop forever and work almost anywhere an image works: in email, in documents, in chat apps, in support tickets, in README files and on websites that don't allow video. They're perfect for:
- Reactions for a group chat or a work channel.
- Showing a product or a feature in a few seconds, such as a click-through of an app.
- Bug reports and how-tos: a short screen recording turned into a GIF shows the problem without anyone pressing play.
- Email newsletters, where many email apps won't play video but will show a GIF.
The trade-off is size. GIFs store every frame as a picture with a limited colour palette, so they get big quickly. The settings below keep them manageable.
Step 1: Find the moment
The tool starts from a time you type, in seconds, so find it first:
- Play your video in any player and pause where the GIF should begin.
- Note the time and convert it to seconds: minutes × 60 + seconds. For example, 0:42 is 42 and 1:07 is 67.
- Decide how long the GIF should last. 2-5 seconds is the sweet spot for reactions; up to 15 seconds is allowed.
Step 2: Choose the settings
Open video to GIF and set:
- Start at: the time in seconds where the GIF begins. 0 means the very start.
- Length: how long the GIF lasts, from 1 to 15 seconds in half-second steps. The default is 5.
- Size: Small (320 px wide), Medium (480 px wide) or Large (640 px wide). Videos narrower than your choice keep their own width.
- Smoothness: Standard (10 frames a second), Smooth (15 frames a second) or Smoothest (20 frames a second).
Step 3: Make the GIF
- Under Choose a file, pick your video (up to 500 MB). Browsers can't read the length of an AVI file or of a WEBM video recorded in a browser, so the tool may say "We couldn't read that file" before anything is uploaded. If that happens, save the video as MP4 in a video app first.
- Press Start and wait while the GIF is made.
- Press Download result to save your GIF. It's kept for 1 hour.
The GIF loops forever, the way GIFs are expected to. Colours are mapped from the clip itself, which keeps skin tones and gradients looking better than a generic palette.
Keeping the GIF small
GIF size grows with every setting: more pixels, more frames per second and more seconds all multiply. Some rough guidance:
| Use | Size | Smoothness | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chat reaction | Small (320 px) | Standard (10 fps) | 2-4 seconds |
| Email newsletter | Medium (480 px) | Standard (10 fps) | 3-6 seconds |
| Product or app demo | Medium or Large | Smooth (15 fps) | 5-10 seconds |
| Fast action (sports, dance) | Small or Medium | Smoothest (20 fps) | 2-5 seconds |
If a GIF is too large for where you're posting it, drop the size first, then the smoothness, then the length. Halving the width roughly quarters the pixels in every frame, so it's the biggest single saving. A short, small GIF that loads instantly beats a long one nobody waits for.
For screen recordings with lots of text, Medium or Large keeps the text readable, and Standard smoothness is usually enough because screens don't move much.
Video length limits
Video to GIF is free for videos up to 30 seconds long, as many times as you like. Note that the 30-second limit applies to the whole video you upload, not just the GIF part.
So if your moment is inside a longer video, cut a short clip around it first with trim video, which is free when the part you keep is 30 seconds or less (see how to trim a video). Then make the GIF from that clip. Pro handles videos up to 60 minutes and 500 MB. See Pro.
GIF or short video?
Many social apps now turn uploaded GIFs into short videos anyway, and an MP4 is far smaller than a GIF of the same clip. If you're posting to a platform that accepts video, a trimmed MP4 often looks better. Choose a GIF when you need something that autoplays everywhere, especially in email, documents and chat.
Your files and privacy
GIF making runs on our servers, so your video is uploaded. It's deleted as soon as your GIF is made, and the GIF is available to download for 1 hour, then deleted too.
Want a still image with a caption instead? The free meme generator makes classic meme images; see how to make a meme.
Make your GIF
Note the start time, pick a size and smoothness, and turn your clip into a GIF with video to GIF.
Frequently asked questions
- How long can my GIF be?
- Up to 15 seconds. Set the start time and the length to capture the moment you want; 2-5 seconds works best for most uses.
- Why was my video refused?
- The free limit is videos up to 30 seconds long, counting the whole video. Trim a short clip around your moment first, then make the GIF from that.
- How do I make my GIF smaller?
- Choose a smaller size, Standard smoothness or a shorter length. Size has the biggest effect, because halving the width quarters the pixels in each frame.
- Does the GIF loop?
- Yes. The GIF loops continuously, like most GIFs.
- Can I add text to my GIF?
- Not in this tool. It converts the video as it is. Add text to the video before you convert it, with add text to video (free for videos up to 30 seconds) or a video editor.
Video tools
Try Video to GIF
Free, no sign-up, no daily limit. Turn a moment from a video into a looping animated GIF.