GIF to MP4 for Smaller, Smoother Video
GIF to MP4 - Convert Animated GIF to Video Settings
ReadyWhy turn a GIF into an MP4 video
Convert an animated GIF into an MP4 video for use in video players, presentations or apps that do not accept GIF files. The animation becomes a video clip; a GIF has no soundtrack to carry over. A video file may be smaller for the same visual sequence, but the result depends on the source. Check playback and the first and last frames after conversion.
Cost: Free to use. File size and usage limits apply.
How to convert a GIF to MP4
Add the GIF
Click Choose file or drop the GIF on the preview. Only GIF files are accepted, up to 200 MB, one per job. GIFs you uploaded or created in other tools on this site, for example Video to GIF, are listed under Uploads.
Check the source
The bar under the preview shows the file name, the number of frames and the size in px. There is nothing to configure: the result is always an MP4 with H.264 video and no sound.
Convert
Click GIF to MP4 - Convert Animated GIF to Video. The GIF is converted on our server, and the progress bar runs until the job is done.
Download and check
The result card shows the size of the MP4. Click Download and play the file once, paying attention to any areas that were transparent in the GIF. New GIF opens the file picker for the next file.
What carries over and what doesn't
Every frame is re-encoded as video, but size and timing follow the GIF. These are the differences you may notice.
Speed and frame rate
Each frame keeps its display time, so the clip runs at the same speed as the GIF does in a browser. Delays of 0 or 0.01 seconds count as 0.1 seconds, just as browsers treat them. No in-between frames are created, so motion is exactly as smooth as in the GIF. When the delays vary, the MP4 runs at one constant frame rate fine enough for all of them, up to 100 fps, and repeats frames to keep the timing.
A pause on the last frame
If the GIF holds its final frame longer than the others, for example to rest on a caption, the MP4 keeps that pause at its full length, so the clip ends exactly as the GIF does.
Width and height
The pixel size stays the same, except that an odd width or height is stretched by 1 px to the next even number: a 481×271 px GIF becomes a 482×272 px video.
Transparency
H.264 video can't store transparency. Transparent areas of the GIF turn white, so a sticker made for a dark page gets a white background.
Sound
A GIF has no sound, and the MP4 gets no audio track at all.
What determines the MP4 file size
A GIF compresses each frame, or the changed part of it, on its own and without loss, using at most 256 colours. H.264 predicts each frame from its neighbours, including content that moves, and compresses the rest lossily. As a rule of thumb, the saving is largest for clips cut from real video, screen recordings with scrolling, and anything with gradients or camera movement.
The gain is small for tiny GIFs with only a few frames or large flat areas, because GIF compression already handles those well. There the MP4 can end up about the same size as the GIF or slightly larger, because the video file adds a fixed overhead.
Formats and limits
- Input format
- GIF, animated or still. A still GIF gives a one-frame video whose duration follows its frame delay.
- Output format
- MP4 with H.264 video at the encoder's default quality (CRF
23), no audio track - Maximum file size
- 200 MB per GIF
- Files per job
- 1
- Kept from the GIF
- Width and height (odd sides rounded up to even) and frame timing including a pause on the last frame. Colours are re-encoded with lossy H.264. Transparency and the loop count are not kept.
- Processing
- On our servers with FFmpeg. A job can run for up to 15 minutes. No AI or third-party service is involved.
- Watermark
- None
- Storage
- Uploads and results are deleted automatically after 48 hours for guests and after 30 days for free accounts. Paid plans can keep files longer.
Frequently asked questions
Will the MP4 look worse than the GIF?
The frames are re-encoded with lossy H.264 at CRF 23. Fine dither patterns and hard pixel edges can soften; the visible difference depends on the animation and the size at which you view it. Converting cannot recover colours or details lost when the GIF was made.
Can I change the size, frame rate or quality?
Not in this tool. To get a smaller MP4, shrink the GIF first with Resize GIF; the resized GIF appears under Uploads here. To aim for a target size, lower the frame rate or change the quality after converting, open the MP4 in Compress Video, where it is listed under Uploads as well. If the file has to stay a GIF, use Compress GIF instead.
Will the MP4 loop like the GIF did?
The MP4 contains one pass of the animation. Unlike a GIF, it has no loop setting of its own, so repeating is up to the player. On a web page, add autoplay, loop, muted and playsinline to the <video> tag. Browsers generally only start a video by themselves when it is muted, and playsinline keeps iPhones from switching to full screen.
Is my GIF processed on a server?
Yes. The GIF is uploaded and converted with FFmpeg on our servers, and neither the GIF nor the MP4 is sent to an AI or other outside service. Both are deleted automatically after the storage period shown under Formats and limits.