Creating the perfect GIF is pretty easy, though it takes some time because you’ll need a video, an image, and the right tool to get it up and run. There are several tools out there, and we’re going to talk about some free online tools to create an animated GIF while explaining how to turn a short video clip or image into a neat animated GIF. We take a look at Giphy.com and GIF.com.
You’ll be showing it off to your friends by the end of this article. They’ll be giving you cookies and milk because you’ll be so awesome.
Online tools to create animated GIF
As we’ve stated above, you’ll need a short video. We do not suggest going for a long video because that would defeat the whole idea of creating and sharing a GIF on the web. GIFs need to be short for the best performance and entertainment value, you know, a couple of seconds fast.
Giphy.com
After getting your video clip, you’ll need a program to turn gold into magic. We suggest playing around with web tools instead of actual software because they are more accessible. We recommend Giphy, one of the best tools out there for creating awesome GIFs. Giphy is awesome because it allows users to upload their videos or point to a YouTube URL. Bear in mind. The video size cannot exceed that of 100MB. On the website, click on “Create” to get things started. It should open the GIF maker, which allows the user to upload video files or add YouTube links. If you wish to create a GIF from pictures, the option is there to upload a slideshow. Furthermore, there are other options here as well. They make it possible for the user to add a caption and other cool things. The option is also there to change each video’s duration and start time. It is especially great for YouTube videos, as you won’t cut the video beforehand. You can visit Giphy.com.
GIF.com
While it’s easy to create GIFs via Giphy, an issue shows its ugly head when you’re ready to do this via a mobile device. Giphy isn’t ideal, and as such, we recommend GIF.com. This website is perfect for making GIFs from a smartphone and for YouTube videos. Creating GIFs via GIF.com is similar to how things are done on Giphy, so there’s no huge learning curve. If you are looking for desktop freeware to create animated GIFs, take a look at these:
How do I turn my video into a GIF?
Many tools accept video files and allow you to convert them into a GIF file. Since it’s a sequence of images in repeat, doing so is not a big problem. All the video editor needs to do is extract those pictures or frames from the video and convert them into a GIF file.
