MP4 to GIF
Make a looping GIF of up to 15 seconds from an MP4 clip. Nothing is uploaded.
Drop MP4 files here
Converted on your device. Files are never uploaded.
Up to 20 files at a time.
A GIF plays on its own, loops and shows up in chats, docs and issue trackers where a video wouldn’t autoplay. FormatJet cuts a short clip from your MP4 and turns it into a looping GIF, with the frame rate and width you choose. Your browser decodes the video, so it stays on your device.
About the formats
MP4MP4 video
MP4 is the most widely supported video format, used by phones, cameras and websites. It usually holds H.264 or HEVC video with AAC audio.
GIFGIF image
GIF is an old image format best known for short animations. It’s limited to 256 colours, so photos look grainy and files can be large.
Converted with Mediabunny, Browser video decoder (WebCodecs), gifenc, Media engine (FFmpeg).
Questions
How do I choose which part of the MP4 becomes a GIF?
Set “Start at” to the second where the clip should begin and “Length” to how long it runs, up to 15 seconds. Left alone, the GIF starts at the beginning of the video.
Will the GIF have sound?
No. GIF is a picture format with no audio track, so the MP4’s sound is dropped.
Why does my GIF show bands of colour?
A GIF frame can hold at most 256 colours. FormatJet gives each frame its own palette, which helps, but smooth gradients such as skies or skin tones can still show steps.
How do I make the GIF smaller?
Pick a lower “Frame rate” or a narrower “Width” in Options, or shorten “Length”. Fewer frames and fewer pixels both cut the file size.
Which browsers can make GIFs from MP4?
A recent Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari. The frames are read with your browser’s own video decoder (WebCodecs), and if it can’t decode a particular MP4 the page tells you.
MP4 to GIF with the API
The conversion API opens later this year.
curl https://api.formatjet.com/v1/convert?to=gif \
-H "Authorization: Bearer fj_test_…" \
-F file=@input.mp4 -o output.gif