MP4 to GIF converts a few seconds of an MP4 into an animated GIF, for a reaction in a chat, a bug report, or a step in a tutorial. Everything runs in your browser and the result has no watermark.
Tips for a good GIF
| To get | Do this |
|---|---|
| A small file | 320 px wide, 8–10 frames per second |
| Smooth motion | 15–24 frames per second, a short clip |
| Readable screen text | 640 px or more, a still part of the screen |
Where a GIF works better than the MP4
An MP4 is smaller, so why convert? Because some places show a GIF but not a video:
- GitHub issues, pull requests and README files. A GIF plays inline; a video often shows as a link or a separate player.
- Email. Most email apps show an animated GIF in the message body, while a video is an attachment the reader has to open.
- Wikis, forums and help desks. Many editors only allow images.
- Slack, Teams and Discord. A GIF plays automatically in the conversation without a click.
If the destination plays MP4, keep the video. If it only takes images, make a GIF.
Example: a GIF for a bug report
You recorded the bug on screen as an MP4. To show it in an issue:
- Drop the MP4 and set From and To around the moment the bug happens, for example 0:03 to 0:09. Six seconds is usually enough.
- Choose 640 px so the interface text stays readable, and 12 frames per second.
- Click Make GIF. The download keeps the name of the MP4 with a .gif extension.
- Drag the GIF into the issue or chat.
Common problems
“That is more than 600 frames.” The clip is too long for the frame rate. At 24 frames per second the limit is 25 seconds; at 8 it is 75 seconds. Shorten the part or lower the frame rate.
The MP4 does not open. Some MP4s from newer phones use HEVC. Chrome and Edge on most recent computers, and Safari, can read it.
The GIF is blurry. A GIF cannot be sharper than its source. Use the original recording rather than a copy saved from a chat app, and a width of 640 px or more for text. The width is never set larger than the MP4’s own.