How to make a GIF from video

Animated GIFs are a popular form of visual communication in content marketing for a reason: they’re fun and informative! GIFs are preferably used to cut your favorite moments from video content. It’s not a big deal if you don’t know how to make a GIF from a video, there are a few relevant ways.

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Table of Contents

What is a GIF in particular?

GIF, short for Graphics Interchange Format, is a dynamically compressed video.

It is a sort of accelerated slideshow of a set of compressed images. GIFs can be created using both live photo and video files.

The main difference between GIFs and other video and image formats is their size.

How to make a video into a GIF

One of the popular tools for turning video to GIFs is the online service Snagit. All you need is a screen recording or video of your choice. Creating a GIF file through the program is straightforward.

First you need to open the video with Snagit. Creating a screen recording with the built-in tool is a great way to create a GIF image, or you can transfer an existing video directly into the editor.

Crop the video and create your GIF

With Snagit, you can create a GIF file from a video of any length. Simply trim the clip to the desired length using the green and red markers. Once you’ve selected a video clip, click the play button to check it and then save the video or the selected snippet as an animated new GIF.

Optimize the file to your needs

From the pop-up menu, select “Use Selection” or “Use All Video” depending on what you want to do. Then choose one of the following options:

Screen video (default). Use this option if your future GIF is a screen recording.
High-resolution mp4 or webm video. Use this option if your GIF contains a YouTube video or any other edited video.
Reduced file size. Use this option to optimize the size. Snagit reduces the size to a maximum width and height of 200 pixels.

If you want something out of the ordinary, use the custom mode. In it, you can adjust the frame rate, the size of the GIF, and the animation work.

How to make a GIF in Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop can be exploited as a free GIF maker. For this process, you can use video frames, frames of animation or even still images.

To save time follow the steps below to make a GIF:

Create a frame-by-frame animation in the timeline panel.
Open the timeline panel with the window option open. In the timeline panel, you will see your layers. Select the Frame Animation option.
Then select your layers and divide them into frames. Do this in the timeline panel.
Adjust the time, and playback speed and set the animation to loop in the GIF converter.

You can set the time for individual multiple images frame by frame in a special frame animation box. With this, you can decide how long each frame will be in the finished product. Set the animation to loop by selecting the “Forever” option in the repeat menu.

Export your new looped GIF file, save it and send it anywhere!

Export the final animated version by clicking File → Export → Save for Web. This way the GIF will be previewed and available for viewing.

Select GIF or PNG as the GIF image format from the menu and save! Your GIF is now ready to send.

You can now use Photoshop to create a looped GIF image, perfect for many tasks.

However, Photoshop does have some limitations. Creating a GIF requires you to learn the interface instructions and wait for the GIF to convert, but there are no ads.

It should be noted that one more Adobe’s photos app is suited to video to GIF converters. We’re talking about Adobe Express GIF maker. It contains specialized tools to turn a video to a GIF within a couple minutes. You can trim selected range of duration, align aspect ratio and do a few more. There is a free app for iPhone.

How to create a GIF using online tools

Countless online services allow you to create a GIF picture for a design project! Let’s go through the most popular options.

Giphy GIF maker

Giphy is one of most popular online GIF makers with free tools to make high-quality GIFs. It is characterized by its accessibility and ease of use. With the advanced software, you can create a GIF in just a few simple steps.

Add content. After signing in Giphy account, upload your files to the GIFMaker screen. Giphy only accepts videos that are less than 15 seconds long. Keep in mind that avi format is not suitable, you need to reformat it through an online converter.
Create layers. You can add captions and stickers to personalize each layer to bring your GIF to life.
Edit layers: cut each layer so it starts and stops when you want it to.
Customize videos to fit different formats like portrait, landscape, etc.
“Continue Uploading” – click this button when you’re done. The prompt will ask you to add tags and a source URL for publishing.
Done! – Don’t forget to set the GIF privacy settings to “Public” so you can share it with anyone on social media channels and only then download.

Giphy is a handy way to convert videos to GIFs, but it has limits to work with. The video duration is reduced to 15 seconds, which limits the number of GIFs that can be created. Nevertheless, this online tool is a great option for creating GIFs on any computer or application.

CANVA

Another popular platform for creating high-quality animated GIFs is Canva. The service, which has gained popularity among a wider audience for its ease of use in creating digital design elements is an affordable option. Plus, the site has synchronization with Dropbox in case you store videos there.

Here are necessary steps of GIF convert through the app:

To import videos to Canva just drag and drop the video into the upload window to speed up the process.
Edit videos: add text, effects, and animations to personalize your GIF online without losing quality.
Upload and save. Select the GIF from the drop-down menu to make sure you have the right file format, and save it on your phone or PC.

That’s it, this is how GIFs are created online.

Conclusion

Learning how to create GIF files from a video can be useful. By learning how to convert videos into a compressed GIF format, you will have attractive visuals to add to web pages or blogs along with other design elements.