Why is my GIF bigger than the video?

Because a GIF stores something close to a whole picture per frame, where a video stores what changed. At full width and 30 frames a second a GIF is routinely several times the size of the clip it came from. Dropping the width to 480 and the rate to 10 usually shrinks it by an order of magnitude.

Is my video uploaded?

No. Frames are decoded in your browser and the GIF is assembled there. No request carries the file, which you can confirm in the network panel.

Why does it look grainy?

A GIF holds 256 colours per frame. Anything with a gradient, a sky or skin tones has to be approximated, and that is the format rather than the tool. It is also why a GIF of a screen recording looks far better than a GIF of a camera clip.

Is there a length limit?

The GIF is capped at 600 frames, which at 10 frames a second is the first minute. Every frame is held in memory until the file is assembled, and past that the browser gives out before you do.

No. GIF has no audio track and never has. If you need the sound, the video converter or MP4 to MP3 on this site will keep it.

ON YOUR DEVICE · FREE

MP4 to GIF

The same maker, pointed at the format people actually have

…

What the editors charge

Clideo	~~$9 / month~~	converts on their servers, watermarked until you pay
Kapwing	~~$16 / month~~	inside a full editor subscription
VEED	~~$12 / month~~	inside a full editor subscription
PixPunk	Free	no upload, no watermark, no daily cap

A watermark on a GIF is a strange thing to pay to remove. It exists because the conversion ran on somebody else's machine; yours runs on your own, so there is nothing to meter and nothing to stamp.

1
Drop the video in
Up to 500 MB, in any format the browser can play. It is never sent anywhere.
2
Choose width and frame rate
The estimated size updates as you change them. This is the whole trick: a GIF has 256 colours a frame and no real compression between frames, so those two numbers decide everything.
3
Make it and download
The real size is printed next to the estimate when it finishes.

FAQ

Why is my GIF bigger than the video?: Because a GIF stores something close to a whole picture per frame, where a video stores what changed. At full width and 30 frames a second a GIF is routinely several times the size of the clip it came from. Dropping the width to 480 and the rate to 10 usually shrinks it by an order of magnitude.
Is my video uploaded?: No. Frames are decoded in your browser and the GIF is assembled there. No request carries the file, which you can confirm in the network panel.
Why does it look grainy?: A GIF holds 256 colours per frame. Anything with a gradient, a sky or skin tones has to be approximated, and that is the format rather than the tool. It is also why a GIF of a screen recording looks far better than a GIF of a camera clip.
Is there a length limit?: The GIF is capped at 600 frames, which at 10 frames a second is the first minute. Every frame is held in memory until the file is assembled, and past that the browser gives out before you do.
Will it have sound?: No. GIF has no audio track and never has. If you need the sound, the video converter or MP4 to MP3 on this site will keep it.

MP4 to GIF

What the editors charge

Drop the video in

Choose width and frame rate

Make it and download

FAQ

The other tools