Free tool
Video to GIF converter
Turn an MP4, WebM or MOV into a GIF right in your browser: trim the clip, pick the size, frame rate and speed, and download. It's built for screen recordings, and your video never leaves your device.
No video yet
Works with MP4, WebM and MOV files.
Your video never leaves this device: the GIF is made in your browser.
How to convert a video to a GIF
- 1
Add your video
Drop an MP4, WebM or MOV anywhere on the page, or choose one. No video handy? Try the sample tutorial.
- 2
Trim it
Drag the start and end, or play the video and set either one to the player's position.
- 3
Pick size and speed
Choose the width, the frame rate, a speed-up if the action is slow, and whether it loops.
- 4
Make and download
Click Make GIF. Your browser encodes it frame by frame; preview it, check the size and download.
GIF or video?
When a GIF is the right choice
A GIF plays anywhere an image can, without a player, which is why it's great for short silent loops. For anything longer, with sound or with lots of color, a video is smaller and looks better.
| Feature | GIF | MP4 video |
|---|---|---|
| Plays by itself | Anywhere an image shows: docs, READMEs, most email apps, chats | Needs a video player; autoplay is often blocked |
| Sound | None | Yes |
| Colors | Up to 256 per frame | Millions |
| File size | Larger, especially for long or camera footage | Much smaller for the same clip |
| Best for | A few seconds showing one action | Anything longer, or with narration |
Tips for GIFs that explain
The best product GIFs show one thing clearly. Most of that happens before you convert.
Record just the area you need
On a Mac, Shift+⌘+5 records a selected part of the screen; on Windows 11, the Snipping Tool can record a region.
One action per GIF
Show a single click, menu or result in 3 to 10 seconds. Several short GIFs beat one long one.
Move the cursor on purpose
Go straight to the target, pause briefly before you click, and keep the cursor still while people read.
Use a demo account
Record with realistic sample data, and keep names, email addresses and anything private out of frame.
Keep it light
About 640 px wide at 10 to 12 frames per second suits docs and posts, and loads fast on a phone.
Say what it shows
A GIF has no sound: add a caption or alt text that says what happens and why it matters.
With narration
When a GIF isn't enough, make a tutorial video
SayScreen records your web app in a real browser from a one-line prompt, then narrates and edits it into an MP4 with smooth zooms, a gliding cursor and captions, plus an .srt file. The sample above is the example video from our home page.
Frequently asked questions
Drop the video on this page or choose it. Set where the GIF starts and ends (play the video and use “Set to the player's position” to find the moment), pick a width, frame rate and speed, then click Make GIF and download it.
No. Your browser plays the video, draws each frame and encodes the GIF on your device. Nothing is sent to SayScreen or anyone else, so there's no upload to wait for either.
Anything your browser can play: MP4 (H.264) works everywhere, WebM in Chrome, Edge and Firefox, and most MOV screen recordings from a Mac. If a file won't open, convert it to MP4 first.
Make it narrower (640 px is plenty for most docs and posts), lower the frame rate (10 to 12 frames per second is smooth enough for screen recordings), or shorten or speed up the clip. Screen recordings stay small because only the parts that change between frames are stored; camera footage changes everywhere, so it makes much bigger GIFs.
10 to 15 frames per second for screen recordings: cursor moves and clicks look smooth and the file stays small. Use 20 to 25 for fast motion.
A GIF frame can hold at most 256 colors. The converter picks the best 256 for every frame, which suits interfaces and text well, but photos and smooth gradients can show steps. For colorful or long clips, an MP4 is often the better choice.
Up to 600 frames: 50 seconds at 12 frames per second. GIFs that long get big, though; the best ones show a single action in 3 to 10 seconds.
Yes: set Loop to Once and it stops on the last frame. Some apps and sites loop every GIF anyway, whatever the file says.
For short, silent loops in places that show images but not video players: docs, READMEs, changelogs, help articles, emails and chats. For anything longer or with narration, use a video.
Something missing or not working? hey@sayscreen.com
Show the whole task, narrated.
Point SayScreen at your app, say what to teach, and get a narrated, edited video back.
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