Video to GIF Converter

What it does

Drop a short video (MP4, MOV, WebM) and get back a lightweight looping clip ready to share in Slack, Discord, GitHub comments, or anywhere a GIF would normally go. Output is actually a small WebM (VP9 or VP8 codec) labeled and used as a GIF — modern platforms render WebM the same way they render GIF, but the file is 5–10× smaller for the same visual result.

Why not a real .gif? Because GIF format itself is terrible — 256-color palette per frame, no inter-frame compression, no alpha. A 3-second 720p clip as a real GIF is often 8–15 MB; the same clip as WebM is 500 KB to 2 MB. Slack, Discord, Twitter/X, GitHub, Notion, and every modern messaging app render WebM inline and treat it like a GIF for autoplay purposes. The few corners of the web that still need a true .gif (legacy email clients, some forums) can convert from the WebM with ffmpeg or a dedicated converter.

The whole pipeline — decode, trim, re-record — runs locally via Web Audio + Canvas + MediaRecorder. No upload, no server. Works best with clips under 15 seconds; longer clips work but file size grows linearly and most chat platforms have an 8 MB inline limit.

How to use it

1. Drop or pick a video file (MP4, MOV, WebM all work).
2. Use the trim handles to set the loop range. Aim for 2–10 seconds for best file size and impact.
3. Optionally drop the framerate (30 → 15 fps) and resolution to shrink the file further.
4. Click Export. The clip is re-recorded silently into a new WebM file — duration of processing matches duration of clip (real-time).
5. Download. Drag the file straight into Slack/Discord/GitHub — they'll render it as an autoplay loop just like a GIF.

How it works

The uploaded video is loaded into a hidden HTML video element and played from the trim start to trim end. We capture its stream with video.captureStream(), drop the audio tracks, and pass it to a MediaRecorderconfigured for VP9/VP8 in WebM container at the framerate and resolution you picked.

Recording is real time — there's no faster path through the browser API. So a 5-second clip takes 5 seconds to export. The output WebM is downloadable directly; no server round-trip.

When to use this tool

• Sharing a short demo, screen recording, or reaction clip in chat.
• Replacing a heavy GIF you've already made — this will be 5–10× smaller for the same visual.
• Posting a code-demo loop on GitHub issues / PRs (drag-drop into the comment, GitHub auto-converts).
• Embedding a short product clip on a webpage where MP4 autoplay is restricted but GIF/WebM isn't.

When not to use it

• Audio-essential clips — output strips audio (it's a GIF replacement, not a video). For audio, keep the original MP4/WebM.
• Email clients / really old forums — those still expect actual .gif. Use ffmpeg locally to convert WebM → GIF, or accept the size penalty and start with a real GIF tool.
• Long clips (>30 seconds) — file size will be too large to autoplay-share on most platforms.
• When you need a real animated PNG (APNG) — different format, different tool.