Question 1

How do I convert a video to GIF without uploading the file?

Accepted Answer

Pick the file, mark the clip and click Generate. The tool extracts frames with the browser's own player, draws each one on a canvas and builds the GIF in memory, all on your device. Nothing is sent to a server, so there is no queue, no upload limit and no copy of your video anywhere.

Question 2

What FPS and width should I use?

Accepted Answer

For most cases, 10 to 15 frames per second at 480 px wide gives good smoothness with a reasonable file (the defaults are 12 and 480). Doubling the FPS doubles the frame count and the weight almost proportionally; going from 480 to 640 px adds about 78% more pixels. For a computer screen with text, raise the width and lower the FPS.

Question 3

Why is the GIF so heavy?

Accepted Answer

A GIF stores each frame as an image of up to 256 colors, with LZW compression and without compressing the difference between frames the way video does. That is why 60 frames of 480x270 weigh far more than the same clip as MP4. To reduce it: less width, lower FPS, a shorter clip, fewer colors, Bayer instead of Floyd-Steinberg and the repeated-pixel optimization.

Question 4

What is the difference between None, Bayer and Floyd-Steinberg dithering?

Accepted Answer

With 256 colors, gradients turn into bands. With no dithering, each pixel goes to the nearest color: small file and visible bands. Bayer adds a fixed 8x8 pattern before choosing the color, which simulates in-between tones and keeps pixels stable between frames, helping compression. Floyd-Steinberg spreads each pixel's error to its neighbors: more natural on photos, but grainy and heavier.

Question 5

Global or per-frame palette? What is optimizing repeated pixels?

Accepted Answer

The global palette is computed from up to 8 sample points of the clip and applies to every frame: stable colors, no flicker. The per-frame palette adapts to each image but enlarges the file and may flicker. With the global one, optimization makes pixels that did not change from what is already on screen transparent, which helps when the background is still and does almost nothing when the camera moves.

Question 6

How do I add a caption to the GIF?

Accepted Answer

In Advanced options, type the text, choose top, middle or bottom, the color and the size (4% to 20% of the frame height). The text wraps to up to 4 lines and the font shrinks on its own if it does not fit. Outline and uppercase, on by default, give the meme look and keep it readable on any background. The result-frame preview shows it before you generate.

Question 7

GIF, animated WebP or short video: which one?

Accepted Answer

GIF is accepted almost everywhere, at the cost of size. Animated WebP is usually much smaller and has more than 256 colors, and current browsers display it, but some sites and apps do not accept it. Short video (MP4 or WebM, silent) is the smallest, but only fits where video is allowed. The tool shows the estimate for all three for the same clip.

Question 8

What is the maximum clip length?

Accepted Answer

30 seconds, with a warning from 10. There are also caps of 1500 frames in total and 300 million pixels (frames x width x height), because the result sits in browser memory. The Fit button lowers width and FPS until the estimate fits the size in MB you enter.

Question 9

How do I make the GIF play once, repeat or ping-pong?

Accepted Answer

Repeats equal to 0 loops forever; 1 plays once; 3 plays three times. In Frame order, Reversed plays backwards and Ping-pong plays the clip and returns without repeating the end frames, which closes the loop smoothly. Short video has no repeat count: the player decides.

Question 10

Does it work on phones and in any browser?

Accepted Answer

Frame extraction and GIF work in any modern browser that can play the file. WebP appears only where the canvas produces WebP, and short video only where the browser encodes (WebCodecs); the tool hides what does not work. On weak phones, long clips and large widths take longer, and the Cancel button stops generation.

Video to GIF Converter