Video to GIF, small enough to share.
Drop an MP4, MOV or WebM. Trim it on the filmstrip, crop, add a caption, then convert right here in your browser. Smart size picks the frame rate, width and colours that keep the GIF sharp but small.
Drop a video here
MP4, MOV, WebM, MKV and more. Or paste with Ctrl+V. It never leaves your device.
No upload · no sign-up · no watermark
Private by design
Your file is processed inside this browser tab. It is never uploaded, so there is nothing to leak and no queue to wait in.
Hardware fast
WebCodecs uses your device's own video chip, so most clips convert in seconds. A backup engine handles the odd formats.
Small by default
Smart size fixes the usual mistakes: too many frames, too many pixels, repeated frames, black bars and bitrates above the original.
How to convert a video to a GIF
- Drop your video. Drag an MP4, MOV, WebM or MKV onto the drop zone, or tap Choose a file. It opens on your device; nothing is uploaded.
- Pick the moment. Drag the two handles on the filmstrip to choose the part you want. Two to six seconds makes the best GIFs.
- Crop and caption. Choose 1:1, 9:16, 16:9 or 4:5 and drag the crop box, add a caption, and set speed, reverse or boomerang if you like.
- Check the size. Smart size has already picked the fps, width and colours. The live estimate shows the file size before you convert; lower the width or fps to go smaller.
- Convert and download. Press Make GIF. When it is done you see the before and after size, then download or share the GIF.
The other GIF Studio tools
Same engine, same privacy. Your open file comes with you when you switch.
Want the clip edited, not just converted?
Shinel Studios edits YouTube videos, Shorts, Reels and podcast clips for creators, with captions, sound design and thumbnails. Send the raw footage; Shorts come back in 24 to 48 hours.
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert an MP4 to a GIF without losing quality?
A GIF can only show 256 colours per frame, so some loss is unavoidable, but most of the 'bad GIF' look comes from settings, not the format. Keep it short (2 to 6 seconds), 10 to 15 fps, 480 to 640 px wide, and use dithering on camera footage. This tool picks those for you, builds one palette from the whole clip, and lets you switch to Floyd-Steinberg dithering for the smoothest gradients.
Why are GIFs so big compared to MP4?
GIF is a 1987 image format: every frame is stored as a picture, with simple lossless compression. MP4 (H.264) only stores what changes between frames and throws away detail your eye does not notice. A 5-second GIF can be larger than a minute of MP4. This tool claws a lot back by storing only the pixels that changed between frames, merging repeated frames and keeping a steady dither pattern.
What is the best frame rate and size for a GIF?
10 to 15 fps and 480 to 640 px wide covers almost every use: chat, Slack, Discord, GitHub READMEs and websites. Above 15 fps a GIF roughly doubles in size for motion most people cannot see, and halving the width cuts the file to about a quarter.
Can I make a GIF from an iPhone video?
Yes. iPhone videos are MOV files, usually in HEVC (H.265). Safari and Chrome on most devices read them directly; in Firefox, or if your device has no HEVC decoder, the tool loads its backup engine automatically.
Can I add text to the GIF?
Yes. Type a caption, pick a font (including the classic meme style), size and position. The outline keeps it readable on any background, and it is drawn into every frame.
Are my files uploaded anywhere?
No. The conversion runs inside your browser tab, on your own device. Your video, GIF or images are never uploaded to Shinel Studios or anyone else, which is also why there is no queue, no file-size paywall and no watermark. Once the converter has loaded you could even go offline and it would keep working (the backup engine, when a file needs it, is a one-time download).
Is it really free? Is there a watermark?
Free, no sign-up and no watermark. Shinel Studios is a video editing studio; this tool is a free sample of the care we put into creators' files.
Which browsers does it work in?
Any current browser on desktop or phone. Chrome, Edge, Opera, Brave, Safari 16.4+ and Firefox 130+ use the fast WebCodecs engine (hardware video decoding). If your browser cannot read a file directly, for example an iPhone HEVC video in Firefox, or an AVI or WMV file, the tool switches to a backup engine (ffmpeg compiled to WebAssembly). It is slower and downloads about 31 MB once, but reads almost any format.
Learn more: free guides
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