How to make a small GIF from part of a video

Pick a short moment that works as a loop

A GIF is best for a moment of a few seconds: a gesture, a reaction, a step in a procedure or a short piece of an animation. Play the video and note the start and the end of the part you want. If you need to cut it precisely or want to inspect the moment first, use Trim video to produce a short copy; then you can work with a small file. Choose a moment where the beginning and the end look similar, because a GIF repeats endlessly and an abrupt jump at the loop point is noticeable.

Set the start, length and width

In Convert video to GIF, enter the start as seconds or as minutes and seconds, for example 1:30 or 90. The length can be from half a second to 30 seconds. The width can be 320, 480 or 640 pixels, and the tool never enlarges beyond the video’s own width; the height follows the proportions of the original. If the range you ask for extends beyond the end of the video, it is clipped at the end. A start at or after the last moment is rejected, because there would be nothing to capture.

Choose frames per second and understand the size

Frames per second can be 5, 10 or 15, with up to 300 frames in total. More frames make smoother movement and a larger file; fewer make a lighter, choppier animation. Three seconds at 10 frames per second give 30 frames; at 15 they give 45. The width has an even stronger effect on weight than the frame rate, because every frame contains more pixels. If a combination would exceed 300 frames, the tool asks you to shorten the length or lower the rate. Start with 10 frames and 480 pixels and adjust from there.

3 s · 10 fps = 30
3 s · 15 fps = 45

Know what GIF can and cannot do

A GIF can show at most 256 colors, so photographs and gradients may show bands or noise. The tool builds one palette from the clip itself to get the best result it can, but a sunset or a skin tone will never look like the video. A GIF has no sound; if the sound matters, keep a video instead. GIF files are also large for what they show. If your platform accepts short MP4 or WebM videos, those usually look better at a fraction of the size, so use GIF only where it is required or convenient.

Preview the loop and check the file size

Play the preview in the page and watch the loop point several times. If the jump is distracting, choose a different start or end and create the GIF again. Compare the file size shown with the limit of the place where you will publish it; many services restrict how large an animation can be. To reduce the weight, shorten the clip, narrow the width or lower the frame rate, one change at a time. Download only when you are satisfied. Everything happens on your device, and the original video is not modified.