How to make a GIF from a video or photos, and keep it small
GIFs are still everywhere for reaction clips, product demos and quick how-tos. They loop silently and show up like a picture in most forums and chat apps. The catch is that GIF files grow large fast, so a few settings make a big difference.
Two ways to make a GIF
From a video
- In the GIF tool, choose Video to GIF and add your video.
- Set the start and end times to keep only the part you need.
- Set frames per second (fps) and width, then create the GIF.
From photos
- Choose Images to GIF and add your photos in order.
- Set how long each image shows. Around 0.5 seconds feels like a slideshow, around 0.1 seconds feels like motion.
- Create it to get a looping GIF.
Why GIFs get so big
A GIF stores each frame with at most 256 colors and cannot compress motion the way video formats do. The same clip is often many times larger as a GIF than as an MP4. Size grows roughly with three things multiplied together:
- width and height
- frames per second
- duration
Keeping it light
| Setting | Suggested | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 3 to 6 seconds | Shorter clips shrink the file directly |
| Width | 320 to 480 pixels | Half the width means a quarter of the pixels |
| fps | 10 to 15 | Smooth enough, with far fewer frames |
Screen recordings with little movement still look natural at 8 to 10 fps. Fast action, on the other hand, looks choppy if fps is too low.
Trim the video first
If you only need a few seconds of a long video, cut it down with the Video Trimmer first. Picking the exact range becomes much easier.
Splitting a GIF back into frames
To grab a single frame from an existing GIF, use the GIF to frames option in the same tool. Every frame is saved as a PNG and bundled into a ZIP. Everything happens in your browser and nothing is uploaded.