How to make a GIF from a video clip (2026 guide)

GIFs are everywhere — and making your own from video is easier than ever. The secret to a good GIF is size control: GIF is an old format and bloats fast if you don't constrain it.

The 3 dials that matter

• FPS — 10–12 is plenty; 24fps GIFs are 2× bigger and look identical
• Width — 480px is the social sweet spot; 720px for desktop
• Length — 3–6 seconds loops best; longer = dramatically bigger files

How to do it

Use our Video to GIF tool: upload your clip, set FPS 12, width 480, max 5 seconds, and hit Make GIF. The conversion runs locally — your video never uploads.

Platform size tips

• Discord — keep under 8MB or Nitro users only
• Instagram Stories — under 5s and 480px wide
• Forums/Reddit — 480px, 3s, CRF-style compression isn't an option so keep it short

Need the clip shorter first? Cut it with our Video Trimmer before converting.