Drop an MP4 to make a GIF
MP4 videos as GIFs that play anywhere a picture does.
or paste with CtrlCommandV MP4
Your files never leave your deviceAbout this tool
Turn an MP4 into a GIF
This tool turns an MP4 into a GIF in your browser. Most MP4s are minutes long and a GIF is a few seconds, so you choose the part to keep, then the width and the frames a second. The GIF has no watermark, and your MP4 stays on your device.
Why a GIF instead of the MP4
An MP4 needs a video player. A GIF is a picture that moves, so it plays on its own in a chat, an email, a document or a web page, where a video would show as a file or a play button. That is the reason to convert, and the reason to keep it short.
A GIF is also much bigger than the MP4 it came from. The tool shows the number of frames and the size before you press anything, so you can see what a longer part will cost.
Screen recordings and phone videos
An MP4 from a screen recorder is mostly flat colours and text, which a GIF keeps well. A 480 pixel width at 10 frames a second is the starting point; raise the width if text is hard to read, and raise the frames for fast movement.
A phone video filmed upright comes out upright. The GIF’s height follows the picture, so nothing is stretched.
The sound stays behind
An MP4 usually carries sound, and a GIF can’t. Only the picture is used, whatever codec the sound is in. If you want the sound as well, keep the MP4, or take it out as an MP3 with the MP3 converter.
How it works
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Step 1:Add your MP4
Drop it here or choose it. The page reads its size and length.
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Step 2:Pick the part
Set the start and end in seconds, then the width and the frames a second.
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Step 3:Make the GIF
Press Make GIF, check it, and save it to your device.
Questions, answered
How long can the GIF be?
As long as your device can build: the page counts the frames and pixels before it starts and says when a part is too much. A few seconds at 480 pixels wide is comfortable almost anywhere.
Will the GIF look as sharp as the MP4?
Not quite. A GIF has 256 colours, so photos and gradients lose some shading. The default smooth setting mixes colours to hide the steps; flat colours make a smaller file.
Does my MP4 get sent anywhere?
No. The MP4 is read and the GIF made on your device, with nothing sent to a server.
More video conversions
Add a video to make a GIF
Part of the video
Size and speed
Playing
Colours
A GIF has 256 colours. Smooth mixes them so gradients keep their shape; flat makes a smaller file.