GIF Speed Control for Better Timing

Q: Why is my slowed-down GIF so much larger?

Smooth slow GIFs adds generated frames. For a GIF between 10 and 30 fps, 0.5x roughly doubles the frame count and 0.25x roughly quadruples it. Those extra images can increase file size; the amount depends on the animation and its new encoding. Turn smoothing off to keep the original frames, or shrink the result with Optimize GIF.

Original GIF Settings

Ready

Original GIFUpload a GIF to change its speed

What happens when you speed up or slow down a GIF

Change the playback speed of an animated GIF using a multiplier, target duration or frame-rate setting. A 2x speed setting makes the animation play in roughly half the time. Frame skipping can reduce the amount of motion data but also make the result less smooth. Check both the timing and the loop transition before downloading the new GIF.

Cost: Free to use. File size and usage limits apply.

How to change the speed of a GIF

Add your GIF
Click Choose file, drop a GIF onto the preview, or open Uploads to reuse a GIF you uploaded or created in another tool. The tool accepts one GIF of up to 200 MB per job.
Pick a method
In 1. Settings, choose Factor, Duration or FPS. Factor is selected by default with a value of 1.50x.
Set the value
Drag the slider or type a number. The buttons 0.25x, 0.5x, 1x, 2x and 4x below the preview switch to Factor and set that value in one click.
Decide how frames are handled
Turn on Skip frames when speeding up (smaller file) for big speed-ups. Leave Smooth slow GIFs on for fluid slow motion.
Process, check, download
Click Change Speed!. The new GIF replaces the preview, so watch the timing and the jump from the last frame back to the first before you click Download. Adjust takes you back to the settings. The result also stays in the shared file manager for other GIF tools.

Settings explained

All three methods end up as one speed factor that changes how long a single loop takes. They only differ in how you describe the target.

Factor: Multiplies the playback speed: 2x halves the length of the loop, 0.5x doubles it. The slider and field run from 0.1x to 5x in steps of 0.05. The display below the preview shows the value with Faster, Slower or Original.
Duration (Target Duration): Sets the new length of one loop, from 0.2 to 30 seconds (default 3 seconds). The tool divides the original length by your target. The resulting factor is limited to 0.05x–20x, so a 1-second GIF with a 30-second target ends up 20 seconds long.
FPS (Target FPS): Sets how many of the existing frames play per second, from 1 to 60 fps (default 12 fps). This changes the speed, not the number of frames: a 10 fps GIF set to 20 fps plays twice as fast and lasts half as long. Values above 50 fps can't be played back exactly because of how GIF stores timing (see below).
Skip frames when speeding up (smaller file): Off by default and only used when the GIF gets faster. The tool keeps every Nth frame, where N is the speed factor rounded to a whole number, with a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 10. At 2x, 3x or 4x, each remaining frame keeps its original delay. Fewer frames can reduce file size; the saving depends on the source and its new encoding. It works best from 2x upwards. In FPS mode, skipping means the result plays fewer frames per second than the value you set.
Smooth slow GIFs: On by default and only used when the GIF gets slower. The tool generates in-between frames with motion interpolation, so the slowed GIF keeps the original frame rate (at least 10 fps, at most 30 fps) instead of holding each frame longer. GIFs with fewer than 4 frames or shorter than 0.3 seconds are slowed without smoothing. Turn it off for pixel art, screen recordings and text, where invented frames can warp edges.

Example: one 3-second GIF, four results

The source has 30 frames at 100 ms each (10 fps).

0.5x with Smooth slow GIFs on

About 6 seconds long with close to 60 frames at 10 fps. Intermediate frames keep the motion fluid and can increase file size. The size does not follow a fixed ratio to the frame count.

0.5x with Smooth slow GIFs off

6 seconds, the same 30 frames, each shown for 200 ms. Motion looks slower and steppier. No extra frames are created, but re-encoding can still change the file size.

2x with Skip frames on

1.5 seconds and 15 frames, each still shown for 100 ms. Removing half the frames can make the file smaller; compare the actual output with the original.

Same speed, different method

For this GIF, Duration 1.5 seconds and FPS 20 give the same factor as Factor 2x.

Why GIF timing has limits

A GIF stores a separate delay for every frame in hundredths of a second, so each delay is a multiple of 10 ms. A new speed that falls between these steps is rounded, and the final length can differ slightly from your target.

Most browsers play frames with a delay of 10 ms or less at 100 ms instead, so an extreme speed-up can make a GIF look slower. As a rule of thumb, keep delays at 20 ms or more (50 fps). Divide the original delay by your factor: a GIF with 40 ms frames (25 fps) reaches that limit at 2x. Beyond that point, turn on Skip frames when speeding up (smaller file).

Every result is re-encoded, even at 1x. The tool builds one palette of up to 256 colours for the whole animation and dithers each frame against it, so colours can shift slightly if the original used a separate palette per frame. The dimensions stay the same and transparent pixels stay transparent.

Formats and limits

Input format: GIF only, animated or single-frame. To change the speed of an MP4 or other video, use Video Speed.
Output format: GIF with the same width and height
Maximum file size: 200 MB
Files per job: 1
Largest GIF per job: The longest side can be at most 8192 px, and width × height × estimated output frames must not exceed 1.2 billion pixels. A 1280 × 720 px GIF can have about 1,300 estimated output frames. With smoothing, the estimate uses at least 30 frames per second of the new length.
Frames and timing: Every frame keeps its own delay, scaled by the speed factor, including a longer pause on the last frame.
Looping: The result always loops endlessly, even if the original played once or a set number of times.
Processing: On our servers with FFmpeg. A job can run for up to 15 minutes. No AI or external 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

Why doesn't my sped-up GIF look faster in the browser?

The new frame delays are probably below 20 ms, and most browsers show delays of 10 ms or less at 100 ms. Turn on Skip frames when speeding up (smaller file) or choose a smaller factor. Check: original delay ÷ factor should stay at 20 ms or more.

Why is my slowed-down GIF so much larger?

Smooth slow GIFs adds generated frames. For a GIF between 10 and 30 fps, 0.5x roughly doubles the frame count and 0.25x roughly quadruples it. Those extra images can increase file size; the amount depends on the animation and its new encoding. Turn smoothing off to keep the original frames, or shrink the result with Optimize GIF.

What does "GIF is too large for a speed change" mean?

The GIF is wider or taller than 8192 px, or the job would create too many pixels across all output frames (see Largest GIF per job above). Make it smaller with Resize GIF, pick a less extreme slow-down, or turn off Smooth slow GIFs, which creates the most frames.

Does changing the speed lower the quality?

The resolution stays the same. Colours can shift slightly because every result is re-encoded with one shared palette, smoothing can warp fast motion, and Skip frames removes frames by design.

Can I also reverse the GIF or make a boomerang?

Yes. The result is saved in the shared file manager, so you can open Reverse GIF, pick it under Uploads and choose Reverse, Boomerang or Reverse Boom.