What makes a good GIF
Short wins. Most GIFs people share are two to six seconds long. Each extra second makes the file bigger, and chat apps start to compress or refuse files over a few megabytes.
Pick a moment that loops well: a reaction, a gesture, a single action from start to finish. Starting a split second before the action makes it easier to follow.
Which size to choose
Small (240 pixels on the long side) is right for WhatsApp, Telegram and other chats. Medium (360) suits most posts and forums. Large (540) looks sharper but can easily pass 10 MB for a few seconds of busy video.
Portrait phone videos keep their shape. The size always applies to the longer side, so a tall video does not turn into a huge, thin GIF.
Why it runs in your browser
The editor uses FFmpeg compiled to WebAssembly, the same tool video professionals use, running inside the page. The first time, it downloads about 30 MB, then your browser keeps it.
Nothing is uploaded, so there is no queue, no file size check on a server and no copy of your video anywhere else. A newer phone makes a short GIF in a few seconds.
Questions
- How long can the GIF be?
- Up to 15 seconds. Longer GIFs get very large; for longer clips, save a short MP4 instead.
- Can I make a GIF from a TikTok or X video?
- Yes. Download the video with DropVid first, then tap Make a GIF, clip or transcript. The video opens here without downloading it again.
- Is there a watermark?
- No. DropVid adds nothing to your GIF.
- Which files work?
- Most videos a phone or browser can play: MP4, MOV, WebM and MKV, up to 400 MB.
More tools: Video to MP3, Make a video vertical, Video to text, Add subtitles to a video, Save a frame from a video.
Updated 13 October 2026.