Guide
Video to GIF converter: up to 15 seconds, made in your browser
Drop a video above, set where the GIF starts and how long it runs, then press Make GIF. It is made in your browser, so your video is never uploaded.
In short
- This free converter turns 3 to 15 seconds of any video into a looping GIF.
- You pick the start, the length, the frame rate (10, 15 or 24) and the width (320, 480 or 640).
- 15 frames a second suits most GIFs. Use 320 pixels wide for a chat and 480 for a post.
- A GIF has no sound, because the format cannot hold audio.
- Your video is never uploaded, and you need no account.
Video to GIF
Runs in your browser · files never leave this page
Drop a video here
or
Length
Frames a second
Width
0:00.0 to 0:05.0: 5.0 s × 15 fps = 75 frames at up to 480 px wide. Weight follows frames × pixels.
Your file never leaves this page. The engine downloads once, the work happens in this tab, and there is no upload, no account and no storage. Close the tab and the file is gone unless you downloaded the result.
More free tools: Video compressor · Video resizer · Video to MP4 · Video to MP3 · Video clipper · Video stitcher · Video speed changer · Mute video · Rotate video · all tools
- Colours a GIF frame can hold
- 256
- Frames in a 10-second GIF at 15 frames a second
- 150
- Of the pixels left when a GIF goes from 480 to 320 wide
- 44%
How to convert a video to a GIF
Drop your video in the box above. Type where the GIF should start, in seconds or as minutes and seconds, such as 0:12. Then pick the length, the frame rate and the width.
Press Make GIF. The GIF is made in this tab, and its real file size is shown next to it. Check the size before you download or send it.
- To find the right moment, play the video in our free video trimmer and note the time where it should start.
- The number of frames shows under the options and changes as you change them.
- The tool never makes a GIF wider than your video, so a narrow clip keeps its own width.
Making a GIF in five steps
Everything happens in this browser tab.
Drop a video
In the box above
Set the start
Seconds, or minutes and seconds
Pick the settings
Length, frame rate and width
Press Make GIF
Made in this tab
Download
Check the size first
Which frame rate, width and length to pick
15 frames a second suits most GIFs. Movement still looks natural, and the file holds 62.5% of the frames that 24 frames a second would. 10 looks choppy.
Pick the width by where the GIF will be shown. Use 320 pixels for a chat or email, 480 for a post and 640 for a web page. Keep it short, because every second adds frames.
GIF settings and what they suit
| Setting | Best for |
|---|---|
| 10 frames a second | Screen recordings where little moves. Looks choppy. |
| 15 frames a second | Most GIFs |
| 24 frames a second | A gesture or a product turn that must look smooth |
| 320 wide | A chat or an email, where a GIF shows small |
| 480 wide | A document or a social post |
| 640 wide | A demo on a web page. The file gets heavy fast. |
| 3 to 5 seconds | A reaction or one gesture |
| 10 to 15 seconds | A short demo. 15 seconds is the longest here. |
Setting: 10 frames a second
- Best for
- Screen recordings where little moves. Looks choppy.
Setting: 15 frames a second
- Best for
- Most GIFs
Setting: 24 frames a second
- Best for
- A gesture or a product turn that must look smooth
Setting: 320 wide
- Best for
- A chat or an email, where a GIF shows small
Setting: 480 wide
- Best for
- A document or a social post
Setting: 640 wide
- Best for
- A demo on a web page. The file gets heavy fast.
Setting: 3 to 5 seconds
- Best for
- A reaction or one gesture
Setting: 10 to 15 seconds
- Best for
- A short demo. 15 seconds is the longest here.
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
Why a GIF file gets so big
A video stores a full picture now and then, and only the changes in between. A GIF stores every frame as a full picture. So a five-second GIF can be bigger than a minute of video.
The tool cannot promise a size before it runs, because the footage matters too. A still shot of a face stays small. Confetti, water and a shaky camera do not.
- A 10-second GIF at 15 frames a second holds 150 pictures. At 24 frames a second it holds 240.
- Going from 480 to 320 pixels wide keeps 44% of the pixels. This saves the most.
- To make a GIF lighter, make it shorter, narrower or use fewer frames a second.
- A short MP4 without sound loops as smoothly at a fraction of the size. A GIF is the better choice only where a video will not play, like an email or a slide.
Frames in a 5-second GIF at each frame rate
Every frame is stored as a full picture, so more frames means a bigger file.
- 10 fps50 frames
- 15 fps75 frames
- 24 fps120 frames
How the tool picks the colours
A GIF frame can hold only 256 colours. A video frame can hold millions, so every converter has to choose which 256 to keep.
Many converters use one fixed set of colours for every clip, which makes skin and sky look blotchy. This tool reads your clip first and picks the 256 colours that suit it best. Then it draws every frame in those colours.
- The chosen colours lean toward the parts of the picture that move.
- A fine dot pattern mixes nearby colours, so a sky or a skin tone stays smooth.
- Because the tool reads your clip twice, a GIF takes a little longer to make than the part you picked plays.
How the colours are chosen
Read your part of the video
Only the seconds you picked
Pick 256 colours
From your clip, not a fixed set
Read it again
Frame by frame
Draw each frame
In those 256 colours
Mix nearby colours
Keeps gradients smooth
Nothing is uploaded, and the limits
The tool runs ffmpeg, a free video program, inside your browser. It downloads once, about 32 MB, and then opens your video in this tab. Nothing is sent to a server or stored.
Only the part you picked is read, so a long video is fine as long as it opens. The tool warns above 500 MB, because the file has to fit in the tab.
- A 5-second GIF is usually ready in well under a minute on a laptop.
- If the tab runs out of memory, cut the part you need with our free video trimmer first, then make the GIF from that.
- If you need sound, send a short MP4 instead. Our free video compressor makes one small enough to send.
The limits at a glance
| Item | Limit |
|---|---|
| Longest GIF | 15 seconds |
| Colours per frame | 256 |
| Engine download | About 32 MB, once per visit |
| Size warning | Above 500 MB |
| Sound | None. A GIF cannot hold sound. |
Item: Longest GIF
- Limit
- 15 seconds
Item: Colours per frame
- Limit
- 256
Item: Engine download
- Limit
- About 32 MB, once per visit
Item: Size warning
- Limit
- Above 500 MB
Item: Sound
- Limit
- None. A GIF cannot hold sound.
From a silent GIF to a finished video
A GIF shows one silent moment. If your clip is you explaining something, a social feed needs your voice, captions and a strong first line.
Cutroom makes that video for you. Film one clip of up to three minutes and upload it. It comes back as a finished 9:16 video in about a minute. The GIF maker above stays free either way.
- Cutroom cuts the pauses, adds captions timed to your voice, adds b-roll and writes an opening headline.
- The video fits Reels, TikTok and Shorts, which all use 9:16.
- Your first video is free, with no card, and you have seven days to make it.
- The free video carries a Cutroom mark. Lite at $19.99 a month removes it.
What one clip becomes
A 9:16 MP4 with your voice, captions and a headline, where a GIF would be silent.
Questions people ask
- How do I convert a video to a GIF?
- Drop the video in the box above, type where the GIF starts, and pick the length, frame rate and width. Then press Make GIF and download the result. It is made in your browser, with no account.
- Why is my GIF bigger than the video it came from?
- Because a GIF stores every frame as a full picture, while a video stores mostly the changes. Five seconds at 15 frames a second is 75 pictures. To shrink it, pick 320 wide, make it shorter or use 10 frames a second.
- Is my video uploaded to make the GIF?
- No. The tool runs in this tab after a one-time download of about 32 MB. Your file is read from your disk, and the GIF comes back as a download. Nothing is sent and nothing is stored.
- Can a GIF have sound?
- No. The GIF format has no audio track, so no converter can keep the sound. If the sound matters, send a short MP4 instead, and shrink it with our free video compressor if it is too big.
- What frame rate and width should I use for a GIF?
- 15 frames a second suits most GIFs. Use 320 pixels wide for a chat or email, 480 for a post or document and 640 for a web page. Use 24 frames a second only when a movement must look smooth.
- What is the longest GIF I can make here?
- 15 seconds. At 24 frames a second that is already 360 full pictures. For anything longer, a short MP4 without sound loops the same way at a fraction of the size.
- Who should not turn a video into a GIF?
- Anyone who needs sound, more than 15 seconds or a small file of busy footage. Those are all jobs for an MP4. And if the clip is you talking to the camera, a silent GIF loses your voice. Cutroom keeps it and adds captions.
Make your GIF above, or film one clip and let Cutroom turn it into a video. Your first video is free.