Video to GIF Converter
Turn a video clip into an animated GIF with a genuine LZW encoder and a proper 256-colour palette.
Convert with this tool
or choose a file from your device — it is processed in this tab and never uploaded
Accepted: MP4, WebM, MOV (browser-decodable containers)
Files stay on your device. There is no upload, no queue and no watermark, so a conversion works even with the network switched off after the page has loaded.
Supported formats & processing
| Accepted input | MP4, WebM, MOV (browser-decodable containers) |
|---|---|
| Produced output | Animated GIF with a 256-colour global palette |
| Processing | Web Audio API + canvas + native JavaScript encoders |
| Upload required | No — the file is read locally and never transmitted |
How to use this tool
- Add the video and set the start timePick the moment the interesting action begins.
- Set the clip lengthTwo to four seconds is usually plenty; twelve seconds is the maximum.
- Choose the frame rate10–12 fps keeps the file small; 20 fps is smoother and much larger.
- Choose the output width480 px is a good balance between clarity and size.
- Convert and previewThe animation plays in the result card before you download.
About this tool
GIF survives because it plays anywhere without a plugin, loops silently and can be dropped into a chat message. The cost is that it only stores 256 colours per frame with no temporal compression, so a few seconds of video can weigh more than the whole MP4 it came from.
This tool grabs frames from your video, builds a global 256-colour palette with median-cut quantisation, and encodes the LZW stream itself — so the output is a real GIF, not a renamed video. Short, graphically simple clips look best; keep the length under five seconds and the width at 480 px or less.
Features
- Real GIF89a encoding with LZW compression written in JavaScript
- 256-colour median-cut palette built from the actual frames
- Frame rate control from 8 to 20 fps
- Width presets from 240 to 640 px
- Infinite looping with correct Netscape extension block
- Clear note on why GIF colour banding is unavoidable
Frequently asked questions
Why is my GIF larger than the video?
GIF has no inter-frame compression: every frame is stored complete, with its own palette lookups and LZW data. A three-second 480 px GIF can easily exceed a one-minute 720p MP4.
Why does the GIF look grainy?
The 256-colour palette is shared across all frames. Smooth gradients in the source are mapped onto a limited set of colours, which produces visible banding. Reducing the width helps because there are fewer pixels to quantise.
Can I add text or a caption?
Not on this page. Compose the frame with a caption in an image editor first, or use the video thumbnail maker to produce a still with a timestamp and assemble the animation afterwards.
Which videos convert best?
Short clips with strong shapes and few colour gradients — animation, logos, charts, simple action. Photographic footage with subtle shading is the worst case for the format.