MP4 to GIF Converter
Cut a moment out of an MP4 video and turn it into a looping GIF that plays automatically in chats, docs, forums and README files.
Video to GIF
or drag MP4, MOV, MKV … files here ·
Up to 95 MB each· 20 files at once· Removed after 30 min
Your files are removed from our servers 30 minutes after processing.
Seconds (e.g. 12.5) or minutes:seconds (0:12). GIFs get large fast, so keep clips to a few seconds.
Same format as the start time. Leave empty to use the whole video.
Play the clip slower or faster. 2× also halves the length and the file size.
Whether the GIF repeats endlessly or plays one time and stops on the last frame.
GIF holds at most 256 colors per frame. Fewer colors make a smaller file but cause banding on skies and skin.
Mixes palette colors in a fine pattern to hide banding. Sierra gives the smoothest result; none gives the smallest file.
Files are deleted 30 minutes after processingPrivacy policy
What size and frame rate should a GIF from an MP4 have?
Start at 480 pixels wide and 12 frames per second: smooth enough for most motion, and light enough to post. Shorten the clip before you lower the quality.
- Width
- 480 px
- Frame rate
- 12 fps
- Colors
- 256
Frame rates for GIFs
- 8fpsChoppy but tiny; fine for slow screen steps and simple animations.
- 10fpsAcceptable for reactions and slow movement.
- 12fpsThe preset: smooth enough for most clips at a reasonable size.Recommended
- 15fpsSmoother motion for sports, dance or fast gestures; larger file.
- 24fpsClose to film motion; only for very short clips.
Why turn a video into a GIF
A GIF plays by itself, everywhere. It starts without a play button, loops without controls, and shows up inline in places that do not embed video: many chat apps and forums, email clients, documentation pages, wikis and README files on code hosting sites. For a reaction, a product demo of a few seconds, a UI interaction or a short tutorial step, that matters more than perfect quality.
The format is old and simple. CompuServe published GIF89a, the version with animation, in 1990, and its specification is still the reference today. That simplicity is why every browser and almost every app shows GIFs, and also why they get large: there is no modern video compression inside.
The trade-off is worth it for short, silent moments. A two-second clip of a button being clicked or a face reacting carries its meaning without sound, and as a GIF it can sit right next to the text that explains it. For anything longer, or anything where speech or music matters, a video file remains the better way to share it.
MP4
MP4 video
The MPEG-4 Part 14 container, standardized in 2001 and now the default for online video. It usually carries H.264 or HEVC video with AAC audio, all lossy, plus optional subtitles. Phones, browsers, smart TVs and social platforms all play it.
- Lossy
- Open standard
GIF
GIF image
CompuServe's 1987 format, best known today for looping reaction clips. Each frame uses a small fixed color palette and lossless compression, and one color can be marked fully transparent. Every browser and chat app plays it, though gradients look banded and long clips make heavy files.
- Lossless
- Transparency
- Animation
Why convertGoing from MP4 to GIF trades efficient video compression, sound and full color for something more basic and more portable: a silent loop that autoplays in any app or page without a player. Keep the MP4 for watching; make the GIF only for the moment you want to show.
Keeping the GIF small
Size grows with three things: the number of frames, the pixels in each frame and the number of colors. Frames are the length of the clip times the frame rate, so a shorter clip is always the first fix. Pixels grow with the square of the width, which means going from 480 to 320 pixels removes more than half of every frame. Colors matter less, but reducing them to 128 or 64 helps on flat graphics such as screen recordings.
If the source MP4 is long, trimming it first can help too. Upload only the part you need with Trim Video, or simply set the clip times here; either way, the GIF is built only from the seconds between the start and end you choose, and the rest of the video is ignored.
A short checklist for a light GIF
- Cut to the essential seconds with Start at and End at
- Use 480 px for posts and chats, 320 px for small previews
- Stay at 12 fps unless the motion looks choppy
- Raise Speed for slow screen recordings
- Keep 256 colors for camera footage
- Use Boomerang only for very short clips, since it doubles the length
Settings beyond the preset
Loop plays the GIF forever by default; choose Play once for a demo that should stop on its last frame. Boomerang plays the clip forward and then backward, so the loop has no visible jump, at twice the length. Dithering controls how missing colors are approximated: Sierra, the default, gives the smoothest gradients, while None keeps flat colors clean in screen recordings.
Screen recordings deserve their own settings. They have large flat areas and sharp text, so lower Colors to 64 or 128 and set Dithering to None; the GIF becomes smaller and the text stays clean. Camera footage is the opposite and needs all 256 colors with dithering on.
Vertical phone videos work too. Width sets the GIF's width and the height follows the clip's shape, so a tall portrait clip at 480 pixels wide is much taller than it is wide. Choose a smaller width, such as 320, for tall clips to keep the file reasonable.
Up to 20 clips fit in one batch. Uploads are deleted once the GIFs are made, and the GIFs after 30 minutes. For clips from an iPhone, see MOV to GIF; for every other video format and more control, open the main Video to GIF tool.
Make a GIF from an MP4
Add the MP4
Drop the video on the box above or press Choose Files. Clips up to 95 MB work, but the GIF should be only a few seconds long.
Trim and size it
Set Start at and End at under Clip. Width 480 px and 12 fps are preset; change them under GIF size.
Convert and download
Press Convert to GIF, check the result, and save it. It loops forever unless you choose Play once.
MP4 to GIF questions
Why is my GIF bigger than the MP4 it came from?
MP4 video stores mostly the changes between frames, while GIF stores each frame as a full picture with limited compression. A few seconds of GIF can outweigh a much longer MP4. Shorter clips, smaller widths and lower frame rates are the main ways to bring the size down.
How long can a GIF from an MP4 be?
There is no fixed limit here, but keep it to a few seconds. Every extra second adds a full set of frames, and many sites and chat apps cap GIF uploads. Cut the moment precisely with Start at and End at.
Why do the colors in my GIF look grainy?
GIF allows at most 256 colors per frame, so smooth gradients from video are approximated with dither patterns. Keep Colors at 256 and Dithering on Sierra for the cleanest result.
Is the MP4 soundtrack kept in the GIF?
No. GIF has no audio track. If the sound matters, send a short MP4 instead; Trim Video cuts the same moment as video.
Can I make a slow-motion or sped-up GIF?
Yes. Under Playback, set Speed to 0.5× for slow motion or 2× and 4× to speed it up. Faster playback also makes the GIF shorter and smaller.
Can I convert a screen recording saved as MP4 to GIF?
Yes, and it often works better than camera footage. Screen recordings have flat colors, so reduce Colors to 64 or 128 and turn Dithering off to keep text crisp and the file small.
| Other ways to get GIF | |
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| Other MOV conversions | |
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