How to use the MP4 to GIF converter
- Choose the MP4 file.
- Enter where the GIF should start and stop.
- Set the width and frame rate, then convert and save the GIF.
Settings by destination
For Slack, Discord or an issue tracker, 480 px at 10–12 fps keeps a screen recording readable without growing past a few megabytes. A reaction moment from a film usually needs no more than 320 px at 12 fps.
Keeping the original width is seldom worthwhile for footage above 720p. For a demo on a landing page, a muted MP4 is generally lighter than a wide GIF.
Frames and scaling
ffmpeg decodes the MP4 and resamples it to the frame rate you choose, so a 30 fps recording played at 12 fps keeps roughly every second or third frame while motion stays at normal speed.
Each frame is shrunk with the Lanczos filter, which keeps letters and edges crisp, before the shared palette is applied with ordered dithering.
When it is still too big
Tightening the start and end does more than any other setting. After that, moving from 15 to 10 fps removes about a third of the size, and fewer colours help flat interface footage.
If a platform still rejects the GIF for size, check whether it accepts MP4 uploads instead; the video version will be a fraction of the weight.
Questions
Why is the GIF larger than the MP4?
H.264 stores the differences between frames very efficiently, while GIF does so crudely with a 256-colour limit. A bigger GIF is expected.
Can I turn a GIF back into an MP4?
Yes. The GIF to MP4 converter does that and usually produces a much smaller file.
What does the Colours setting do?
It caps the palette at 256, 128, 64 or 32 colours. Fewer colours mean a lighter file but more visible banding in gradients, so lower it mainly for flat screen footage.