# Video to GIF converter

> Turn a video or screen recording into a crisp animated GIF for a README, a changelog or a launch post. Trim up to 15 seconds, pick the width, frame rate, speed and loop. Free, no upload, no sign-up.

Canonical: https://filmagic.app/tools/video-to-gif
Last updated: 2026-10-26

Drop in an MP4, MOV or WebM, pick a few seconds and get a sharp GIF for your README, docs or launch post. It runs in your browser, so the video never leaves your device.

Free, runs in your browser, no sign-up needed.


## Pick the right settings

| Where the GIF goes | Width | Frame rate | Keep it under |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| GitHub README or docs | 800 px | 10 or 15 fps | 10 MB |
| Changelog or blog post | 800 to 1080 px | 15 fps | 5 MB |
| Slack or Discord | 640 px | 15 fps | 10 MB |
| X or LinkedIn post | 640 to 800 px | 15 to 20 fps | 15 MB |
| Email | 480 to 640 px | 10 fps | 1 to 2 MB |

The tool shows a size estimate before you export. Width matters most: halving it makes the file about four times smaller. Dropping from 20 to 10 fps roughly halves it again.

## Why screen recordings come out sharp

- **One palette for the whole GIF.** A GIF can only hold 256 colours. The tool picks them from frames across your range, so your UI colours and text stay exact and nothing flickers.
- **No dithering.** Dithering adds noise that blurs small text. Flat UI looks cleaner without it.
- **Only the changes are stored.** Pixels that stay the same from one frame to the next are skipped, so a recording where only the cursor moves stays small.

> **Tip:** record at the size you want the GIF to be, with a large font, and keep the cursor slow. Then pick 10 or 15 fps here.



## Frequently asked questions

### How do I turn an MP4 into a GIF?

Choose your MP4, set the start and end of the part you want (the first 6 seconds are picked for you), choose a width and a frame rate, then press Make GIF. The GIF appears with a download button.

### Is this video to GIF converter free?

Yes. There is no sign-up, no watermark and no limit on how many GIFs you make. Everything runs in your browser, so nothing is uploaded.

### How long can the GIF be?

Up to 15 seconds of video. At 0.5x speed that plays as a 30 second GIF. Short loops of 3 to 8 seconds work best and stay small.

### How do I make a GIF smaller for GitHub?

GitHub shows images up to 10 MB in a README. Pick 640 or 800 px wide and 10 fps, shorten the range, or speed it up to 1.5x. The estimate updates as you change each setting.

### Can I convert a screen recording from a Mac or iPhone?

Yes. QuickTime and iPhone recordings are MOV files, which open here directly. Portrait recordings keep their shape.

### Which browsers does it work in?

A recent Chrome or Edge on a computer is fastest. Safari 16.4 and newer works too. The tool tells you if your browser is missing what it needs.