MP4 to GIF Converter
Your files never leave your device
Conversion runs inside your browser using WebAssembly. Nothing is uploaded; the only downloads are this page and the conversion engine. You can confirm it in your browser's network tab.
Why convert MP4 to GIF?
GIFs autoplay and loop in places that won’t play video, such as email, some chat apps, documentation and issue trackers.
What changes in the GIF
- Sound is removed (GIF has no audio).
- Colours are reduced to a 256-colour palette chosen for the clip; gradients may show banding.
- GIFs are much larger per second than MP4: a few seconds at 480 px wide can be several megabytes.
How Convertz converts it
FFmpeg (WebAssembly) samples the clip at 12 frames per second, scales it to at most 480 px wide, builds an optimised 256-colour palette from the clip in a first pass and applies it in a second, and sets the GIF to loop forever.
Everything happens on your device; the file is never uploaded.
Common pitfalls
- The whole clip is converted, so trim it to the few seconds you need first (for example in your phone’s Photos app).
- Where video is supported (most social networks and websites), a short MP4 is smaller and looks better than a GIF.
MP4 vs GIF
| Property | MP4 | GIF |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | MPEG-4 Part 14 | Graphics Interchange Format |
| Compression | Depends on codec (usually H.264) | Lossless, but limited to 256 colours per frame |
| Transparency | No (in practice) | 1-bit (on or off) |
| Animation | — | Supported |
| Works with | Essentially everything, when the video is H.264 with AAC audio. | Everywhere, including email clients and chat apps that won’t autoplay video. |
What is MP4?
The most widely supported video container. MP4 files usually hold H.264 or HEVC video with AAC audio, and play on virtually every phone, browser, TV and editing app.
What is GIF?
A 1987 format best known for short looping animations. Each frame is limited to a palette of 256 colours with on/off transparency, so photographic video looks posterised and files get large quickly.
Related conversions
The converter also handles 22 input formats in total. See all formats