How to make a GIF from a video
- Choose your video. Drop it into the box above or click Choose video.
- Pick the moment. Play the preview, pause at the start of the moment and click Use current time. Then set the GIF length in seconds.
- Choose the size and frame rate. 480 px wide at 12 fps is a great default.
- Click Create GIF. A preview appears on the page — download it when you are happy.
Getting the best-looking GIF
GIFs are limited to 256 colours per frame, so a good converter matters. SmartVideoEditor builds a custom colour palette from your clip (FFmpeg's two-pass palettegen / paletteuse), which keeps skin tones and gradients smooth instead of blotchy.
| Setting | Smaller file | Smoother / sharper |
|---|---|---|
| Width | 320 px | 640 px |
| Frame rate | 10 fps | 15 fps |
| Length | 2–3 seconds | Up to your limit |
GIF files grow quickly: doubling the width roughly quadruples the size. For chats and docs, 320–480 px is plenty.
Where to use your GIF
- Reactions in Slack, Teams, Discord and WhatsApp
- Product demos in documentation, README files and help centres
- Email newsletters (most email apps play GIFs but not videos)
- Social posts and forum replies
Tips
- Keep it short. The best GIFs are 2–6 seconds.
- Trim long videos first with the trim tool so the preview is easy to scrub.
- Avoid fast camera motion — it needs more colours and frames, which makes the file bigger.
Private by design
Your video is converted in your browser and never uploaded. Guests can create GIFs up to 10 seconds long, and free members up to 30 seconds.