How to Convert Video to GIF

Have you ever watched a video and thought “this would make a really good GIF”? With a GIF, you can playback a looped recording from a recording on any platform. This provides an easy way to quickly share a funny or relatable scene. But how do you convert video to GIF?

Fortunately, there are several ways to convert video to GIF (and vice versa). You can use an online GIF converter to do a direct conversion or use a screen recorder to record your screen to GIF. Some websites also let you convert GIF to video. Let’s go over each of these methods of converting video to GIF so you can determine which recording screen to GIF method works best for you.

How to Capture a GIF from a Video

Use a GIF Converter 

The easiest way to convert a video screen to GIF is by using an online GIF converter. There are several free video screen to GIF converters that you can choose from, such as GIPHY, EZGIF, and Imgur. You can turn a video into a GIF this way by following these easy steps:

1. Sign up for your free GIF converter account with your email address or Facebook account. With a free account, you can create GIFs from video or a series of images.
   
2. Copy and paste the web address of your video into the video convertor, then click submit. Be aware that some screen to GIF converters limit which platforms you can use; for example, GIPHY can only convert videos from YouTube or Vimeo.
   
3. After the GIF converter generates your new GIF, you can edit it! Trim your GIF to include the parts you want, add text or stickers, crop it, and more! Be sure to check with your chosen GIF maker to see which editing tools it includes.
   
4. Once you’ve completed your GIF, copy and paste it via short link or share it directly to social media!

Record Your Screen to Make a GIF

You can also record a video that has already been posted online as a GIF using a screen recorder. This provides a roundabout way to convert video to GIF or to record your screen to GIF. This is also the easiest way to convert YouTube to GIF. Follow these steps to make GIF from video by recording your screen as a GIF:

1. Start playing the video you wish to record.
   
2. Open up your computer screen recorder. Be sure that the screen recorder can record a video as a GIF. We recommend using Droplr for Mac or Windows.
   
3. Set your screen recording’s size. With Droplr, you can make full-screen recordings, choose from a number of presets, or use crosshairs to select the portion of your screen that you want to record.
   
4. Press “record” once you are at the part of the video that you want to turn into a GIF. Make sure that you haven’t set a timer on your screen recording, so you can start recording right when you press start. You can record as long as you want; there is no recording limit for GIFs.
   
5. Stop the recording when you get to the end of your clip. Then, wait for your GIF to generate.
   
6. Check that your GIF recorded what you want. Then share it! With Dropr, you can share your GIF recording by pasting its associated short link on any platform or an email. Clicking on this short link will bring your viewer to the GIF’s page in the Droplr cloud, where they can view it right away. You can also download the GIF, if you prefer.

What if I want to convert GIF to video?

You can also use several websites to convert GIF to video, such as EZGIF or a file conversion website like CloudConvert. With these websites, you can convert a GIF file into an MP4 file. You can follow the same instructions above for using a GIF converter. All you have to do is upload the GIF’s file or URL address to the GIF-to-video converter. Then, if you’re using EZGIF, you can edit it with text, effects, speed, resizing, and cropping. Finally, you can save your new MP4 to your computer. 

Learn More about GIFs

Now that you know how to convert video to GIF, learn more about what you can do with animated GIFs! Check out our articles on the top 5 online GIF makers and how to make a GIF.