How to Convert GIF to Video (MP4/WebM) for Smaller File Sizes

Why Convert GIF to Video?

The GIF format was created in 1987 — nearly four decades ago. It was designed for simple animated graphics on early web pages, and its technical limitations reflect that era. GIFs are limited to 256 colors per frame, use lossless per-frame compression without any inter-frame compression, and cannot contain audio.

The result is that GIF files are dramatically larger than equivalent video files. A 10-second GIF can easily be 15-30 MB, while the same content as an MP4 is 0.5-2 MB — a reduction of 90-95%. The video version also looks better because it is not constrained to 256 colors.

For web performance, social media, messaging apps, and any context where file size and loading speed matter, converting GIF to video is one of the most impactful optimizations you can make.

GIF vs Video: The Numbers

The size difference between GIF and video formats is substantial because of fundamental differences in how they compress data:

The inter-frame compression used by H.264 and VP9 is the key advantage. Instead of storing each frame independently (like GIF), video codecs analyze what changed between frames and only encode the differences. For typical GIF content where most of the frame stays the same between iterations, this reduces data by 90% or more.

Method 1: FFmpeg (Best Quality, Full Control)

FFmpeg provides the most control over the GIF-to-video conversion process. Here are commands for the most common output formats.

GIF to MP4 (Maximum Compatibility)

ffmpeg -i animation.gif -movflags +faststart \
  -pix_fmt yuv420p -vf "scale=trunc(iw/2)*2:trunc(ih/2)*2" \
  -c:v libx264 -crf 20 -preset slow \
  output.mp4

The -pix_fmt yuv420p is critical — without it, FFmpeg may output a pixel format that many players (including browsers) cannot handle. The scale filter ensures dimensions are even numbers, which H.264 requires.

GIF to WebM (Smallest Files)

ffmpeg -i animation.gif \
  -c:v libvpx-vp9 -crf 30 -b:v 0 \
  -pix_fmt yuva420p \
  output.webm

VP9 in WebM produces even smaller files than H.264 in MP4. The -pix_fmt yuva420p preserves transparency if the GIF has a transparent background — something MP4 cannot do.

GIF to MP4 with Loop

GIFs loop by default, but MP4 files play once. To create a looping video for web use, you can:

1. Rely on HTML attributes (recommended):

<video autoplay loop muted playsinline>
  <source src="animation.mp4" type="video/mp4" />
</video>

2. Physically loop the GIF content before converting:

# Loop the GIF 3 times, then convert
ffmpeg -stream_loop 3 -i animation.gif \
  -pix_fmt yuv420p -c:v libx264 -crf 22 \
  -movflags +faststart output_looped.mp4

For more on creating seamless loops, see our how to loop video guide.

Preserving Quality: CRF Values

For GIF content (which is already limited to 256 colors), a CRF of 22-24 produces output that looks identical or better than the source GIF at a fraction of the size. For deeper understanding of quality settings, see our video bitrate explained guide.

Method 2: Online GIF to MP4 Converter

For quick conversions without installing software, use the GIF to MP4 converter.

Steps:

1. Navigate to the GIF to MP4 converter
2. Upload your GIF file
3. The tool automatically converts to MP4 with optimized settings
4. Download the resulting video

The online converter handles the pixel format, dimension rounding, and quality settings automatically. For converting in the other direction (video to GIF), use the GIF maker tool or see our guide on how to create a GIF from video.

Method 3: Converting with ffmpeg for Web Embedding

When converting GIFs for use on websites, the goal is the smallest possible file that autoplays seamlessly like a GIF would. Here is the optimized web-ready conversion:

# Web-optimized MP4 (smallest, autoplay-ready)
ffmpeg -i animation.gif \
  -pix_fmt yuv420p \
  -vf "scale=trunc(iw/2)*2:trunc(ih/2)*2" \
  -c:v libx264 -crf 24 -preset veryslow \
  -profile:v baseline -level 3.0 \
  -an -movflags +faststart \
  web_animation.mp4

The key flags for web use:

• -an removes the audio track entirely (GIFs have no audio, and the silent track wastes bytes)
• -profile:v baseline -level 3.0 maximizes browser compatibility
• -movflags +faststart enables progressive loading
• -preset veryslow takes longer to encode but produces the smallest file

Then embed in HTML:

<video autoplay loop muted playsinline>
  <source src="web_animation.webm" type="video/webm" />
  <source src="web_animation.mp4" type="video/mp4" />
  <!-- Fallback for ancient browsers -->
  <img src="animation.gif" alt="Animation" />
</video>

Providing both WebM and MP4 sources lets the browser choose the most efficient format it supports.

Method 4: Batch Converting GIFs to Video

If you have a library of GIFs to convert (common when optimizing a website), automate the process:

#!/bin/bash
mkdir -p converted

for gif in *.gif; do
  [ -f "$gif" ] || continue
  name="${gif%.gif}"

  echo "Converting: $gif"

  # Convert to MP4
  ffmpeg -i "$gif" \
    -pix_fmt yuv420p \
    -vf "scale=trunc(iw/2)*2:trunc(ih/2)*2" \
    -c:v libx264 -crf 22 -preset slow \
    -an -movflags +faststart \
    "converted/${name}.mp4" -y 2>/dev/null

  # Convert to WebM
  ffmpeg -i "$gif" \
    -c:v libvpx-vp9 -crf 30 -b:v 0 \
    "converted/${name}.webm" -y 2>/dev/null

  # Show size comparison
  gif_size=$(stat -f%z "$gif" 2>/dev/null || stat -c%s "$gif")
  mp4_size=$(stat -f%z "converted/${name}.mp4" 2>/dev/null || stat -c%s "converted/${name}.mp4")
  savings=$(echo "scale=1; (1 - $mp4_size / $gif_size) * 100" | bc)
  echo "  GIF: ${gif_size} bytes -> MP4: ${mp4_size} bytes (${savings}% smaller)"
done

For more on batch processing workflows, see our batch processing guide and how to batch convert files.

Handling Transparency

GIF supports 1-bit transparency (each pixel is either fully transparent or fully opaque). If your GIF uses transparency, your output format choice matters:

Preserving Transparency (WebM Only)

MP4/H.264 does not support transparency. WebM/VP9 does:

# GIF with transparency -> WebM with alpha channel
ffmpeg -i transparent.gif \
  -c:v libvpx-vp9 -pix_fmt yuva420p \
  -crf 30 -b:v 0 \
  transparent.webm

Adding a Background Color (MP4)

If you need MP4 output and the GIF has transparency, add a solid background:

# Replace transparency with white background
ffmpeg -i transparent.gif \
  -filter_complex "[0:v]pad=iw:ih:0:0:white[v]" \
  -map "[v]" -pix_fmt yuv420p \
  -c:v libx264 -crf 22 \
  -movflags +faststart output.mp4

For animated images with transparency that need broader browser support, consider APNG. Use the GIF to APNG converter for format conversion.

Real-World Size Savings

Here are actual file size comparisons from converting common types of GIF content:

The savings are consistently in the 95-98% range. For a 10-GIF gallery on a webpage, this could mean reducing page weight from 200 MB to under 10 MB — transforming a page that takes 30 seconds to load on mobile into one that loads in 2 seconds.

When to Keep GIF Format

Despite the size disadvantage, there are legitimate reasons to keep content as GIF:

• Email newsletters: Most email clients reliably display animated GIFs but cannot play embedded video
• Slack/Teams reactions: These platforms have native GIF support with autoplay
• GitHub README files: Inline GIFs display automatically in Markdown; video requires a link
• Legacy system compatibility: Some CMS platforms and forum software only support GIF for animation
• Simple animations under 100 KB: For very small, simple animations, the format overhead of video can approach or exceed the GIF size

For all other use cases — websites, social media, messaging apps, presentations — converting to video is the better choice. If you need to go the other direction and create a GIF from video, see our guide on how to create GIF from video.

Platform-Specific Recommendations

Twitter/X

Upload MP4 instead of GIF. Twitter converts uploaded GIFs to MP4 internally anyway, but uploading MP4 directly gives you control over quality.

Discord

MP4 plays inline and is much smaller. See our best video format for Discord guide for detailed settings.

Reddit

Both GIF and video are supported. Reddit's native video player handles MP4 well. For subreddits that only accept image posts, GIF may be required.

WordPress/Web

Always use video with the <video> tag. WordPress supports the video tag natively, and the performance improvement is substantial. For more on web optimization, see our best image format for web SEO guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will converting GIF to MP4 improve quality?

Yes, in most cases. MP4 supports millions of colors versus GIF's 256, so color banding and dithering artifacts disappear. However, the video is re-encoded from the GIF's already-limited color data, so it cannot add detail that was not in the original.

Can I convert MP4 back to GIF?

Yes, but the result will be larger. Use our GIF maker tool or see the how to create GIF from video guide. The GIF will be limited to 256 colors and will be much larger than the MP4.

Do converted videos autoplay like GIFs?

Yes, if you include the autoplay, loop, muted, and playsinline attributes on the <video> tag. All modern browsers support this.

What about APNG and animated WebP?

APNG supports full color and transparency but has limited browser support and no inter-frame compression. Animated WebP is well-supported and offers better compression than GIF, but video (MP4/WebM) still wins on file size. For a detailed format comparison, see our AVIF vs WebP vs JPEG XL guide.

Conclusion

Converting GIF to video is one of the simplest and most impactful optimizations available. The file size reduction of 90-97% translates directly into faster page loads, lower bandwidth costs, and better user experience. MP4/H.264 is the safest choice for universal compatibility, while WebM/VP9 offers even smaller files and supports transparency.

Use the GIF to MP4 converter for quick online conversion, or FFmpeg for batch processing and full control over quality settings. For the reverse conversion, the GIF maker tool creates optimized GIFs from video clips.

For more on video format optimization, explore our guides on video codecs explained, lossless vs lossy compression, and compress video without losing quality.