GIF Maker from Images

Steps to Create an Animated GIF

Six steps from a pile of pictures to a looping animation.

1. 1

   1. Add at least two images

   Drop PNG, JPG, WebP or GIF pictures on the box labelled "Images, in the order you want them", or press Choose files. One picture is not enough; an animation needs two frames or more.

2. 2

   2. Put the frames in order

   The list shows a thumbnail of each picture. Nudge a frame earlier or later with its arrow buttons, tap Sort A–Z when the files are numbered, and use the cross to drop one.

   Good to know:

   • Shape on Auto follows the first picture; you can pick 1:1, 16:9, 9:16 or 4:5 instead.
   • Pictures of other shapes are fitted, never stretched: bars added, or edges trimmed.
   • The bars take the Background colour, white to start.
3. 3

   3. Choose the width

   The Width slider runs from 120 to 1000 pixels and starts at 480. Width has the biggest effect on file size, so keep it modest for chat and email.

   240 px chat480 px default800 px detailed

4. 4

   4. Set the speed

   Frames per second goes from 2 to 30, starting at 10. For slideshow-style GIFs, type a Delay per frame in milliseconds instead, for example 1000 for one second per picture. A delay above 0 overrides the frames-per-second setting.

5. 5

   5. Pick colours, looping and text

   Choose 64, 128 or 256 colours and switch on "Smooth out colour stripes" for photos. Turn off "Loop forever" to set Times to play. Type in "Text on every frame" for a caption, with size, outline, position and alignment.

6. 6

   6. Press Make GIF

   A progress bar counts through the frames, with a Cancel button if you change your mind. A summary gives the frame count, width, delay, looping and final size, and the GIF downloads.

No .png file to hand? Download a sample Image file (253.4 KB) and try it.

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Popular Things to Make with a GIF Maker

Ideas people turn into GIFs most often.

• Product showcase Photograph an item from four or eight angles and let it rotate in a listing or WhatsApp catalogue.
• Before and after Two frames with a one-second delay each make a clear transformation for a room, a repair or a design.
• Mini tutorial Screenshots of each step become a short loop that explains a process without a video.
• Greetings A few festive photos become a looping Diwali, Eid, Christmas or birthday wish.
• Changing data Export a chart for each month or year and show the trend as an animation.
• Group memories Burst photos from an outing become a short, funny clip for the family group.
• Newsletter banner A small looping banner draws readers to an offer in an email campaign.
• Classroom animation Teachers show stages of a process, such as plant growth or a sum, frame by frame.

Who Uses a GIF Maker?

Tips for Smaller, Smoother Animated GIFs

1. Start at 480 pixels wide. Halving the width roughly quarters the pixels in every frame, which cuts the size dramatically.

2. Ten to fifteen frames per second looks smooth. Most browsers ignore delays shorter than about 20 milliseconds, so 30 fps may not play faster.

3. Mixed picture shapes? Choose "Fill, trim the edges" to avoid bars, or keep bars and set a Background colour that suits.

4. Graphics and screenshots look fine at 64 or 128 colours. Photos usually need 256 with dithering on.

5. Fewer frames mean a lighter file. Six to twelve good pictures often say as much as fifty.

6. For a long clip, try Video to GIF instead, or share the video itself. Long GIFs become very large.

7. If the finished GIF is too heavy for a chat app, run it through GIF Compressor afterwards.

Further reading

• GIF on Wikipedia How GIF animation, palettes and looping work.
• Floyd–Steinberg dithering The dithering method used to smooth colour banding in each frame.
• Frame rate What frames per second means and why about 10 to 15 looks smooth.