About Video to GIF
A video to GIF converter that keeps your files on your device
What this site is
Video to GIF is a free web tool that turns videos into GIFs. Your file isn't uploaded anywhere; the conversion happens inside the browser you're using right now. No sign-up and nothing to install.
It's built and run by one developer who uses GIFs all the time in bug reports and blog posts. The converters I used to rely on made me upload files to servers I knew nothing about, and the colors were never quite right, so I made my own. The longer story is in this post.
What I paid attention to
Your file stays on your computer
Conversion finishes inside your browser. If you want to check for yourself that nothing gets uploaded, I wrote down how to verify it with DevTools.
Color quality
I converted the same video with FFmpeg, the Naver Blog app and gifski, compared the results, and picked gifski. The comparison is in the gifski post.
Settings that pick themselves
Settings are picked automatically for each video's length and resolution, and one slider lets you choose from Low-spec to High-spec. The settings guide explains what changes behind the scenes.
Getting better bit by bit
It started as a plain converter. Now it can also trim GIFs and add text. If there's something you need, let me know through the contact page.
What it can do today
- ✅ Convert any video your browser can play (MP4, MOV, WebM and more) to GIF
- ✅ Automatic settings for each video, with a 5-step Low-spec to High-spec slider
- ✅ Every level plays at the original speed
- ✅ Longer side up to 900px at High-spec (here's why)
- ✅ Add text to the GIF and drag it into place
- ✅ Keep only the part you want from a GIF (Trim GIF)
- ✅ English / Korean pages
How it works
- HTML5 Video + Canvas - The file you pick is opened through a temporary address that only exists inside your browser. At every frame interval, the frame at that moment is drawn onto a canvas at the size you chose and saved.
- gifski-wasm - gifski is a GIF encoder written in Rust; this is the version compiled to WebAssembly. It builds a separate palette for each frame, which keeps colors looking good despite GIF's 256-color limit.
- WebAssembly - Lets the browser run code at close to native speed. That's what makes encoding possible without a server.
- Jekyll + GitHub Pages - The site is a set of static pages hosted on GitHub Pages. Since nothing is converted on a server, there's no server to run.
The step-by-step version: How a GIF gets made in your browser without uploading anything
Compared with other options
| Feature | Video to GIF | Typical online converter | Desktop software |
|---|---|---|---|
| Privacy | ✅ Processed locally | ⚠️ Requires uploading | ✅ Processed locally |
| Speed | ✅ No upload wait (depends on your device) | ⚠️ Slow (depends on network) | ✅ Fast |
| Installation | ✅ Not needed (just a browser) | ✅ Not needed | ❌ Required |
| Cost | ✅ Free | ⚠️ Limited free tier / paid | ⚠️ Mostly paid |
| Quality control | ✅ Fine-grained settings | ⚠️ Limited | ✅ Professional controls |
| Mobile | ✅ Works (short clips recommended) | ✅ Works | ❌ No |
| File size limit | ⚠️ Depends on device memory | ❌ Strict limits | ✅ None |
Privacy
Protecting your data comes first:
No server uploads
Your video is never sent to a server.
Local processing
All conversion happens in your browser.
Gone when you close it
Closing the page clears everything automatically.
No conversion logs
Conversion history and file details are never stored.
For details, see the privacy policy.
Give it a try
No installation, no sign-up.
Start converting →