How to Make a GIF from a Video

What you need

Just a video file and a browser. FreeVideoToGif reads common formats — MP4, MOV, WebM, AVI, and MKV — up to 200 MB, and does everything locally, so nothing is uploaded and there is no watermark on the result.

Step by step

1. Open the converter and drop your video onto the page. It loads straight into the browser.
2. Trim using the timeline handles to keep just the few seconds you want — shorter is better.
3. Crop if needed: pick a shape (1:1, 16:9, 9:16, 4:5) or drag a free crop to frame the subject.
4. Set the size and frame rate — 480px wide at 15 FPS is a good starting point.
5. Optionally add a caption and drag it into place.
6. Click Convert, then download your GIF.

Choosing good settings

• Width — 480px for sharing, higher for screen text. Avoid upscaling.
• FPS — 15 for most clips; 10 for slow ones; 20+ only for fast motion.
• Optimize palette — turn it on to shrink the file with little quality loss.
• Loop — leave on "forever" so the GIF repeats.

Tips for a better result

Keep it short — most great GIFs are 2–6 seconds. Crop tight on what matters so the detail survives the downscale. And if the file comes out too large, trimming another second or two does more than any other change.

Converting a specific format

The steps are the same whatever you start from, but if you want format-specific guidance, there are dedicated pages for MP4, MOV (iPhone/QuickTime), WebM (screen recordings), AVI, and MKV.