Screen recordings are great for tutorials, gameplay, and demonstrations. Sometimes, you may want to create a GIF from your screen recording for various reasons, such as extracting the best moments from a game or creating a looping effect for a short demonstration. So, how to turn a screen recording into a GIF? Let’s get started.
How to Turn a Screen Recording into a GIF on Windows
To make a GIF from a screen recording, you need to select a video-to-GIF converter first. Here, I highly recommend MiniTool MovieMaker due to its ease of use and rich editing features.
As the name suggests, MiniTool MovieMaker is primarily designed as a video maker and editor, aiming to help everyone create videos with ease. Additionally, it also serves as a GIF maker to make GIFs from multiple video formats, such as MP4, MKV, MOV, WebM, AVI, and more.
Therefore, if you desire to turn a screen recording into a GIF, MiniTool MovieMaker is a fantastic choice. Here is the step-by-step guide.
Step 1. Download and Install the GIF Converter
Click the button below to download the GIF converter on your computer and complete the installation.
MiniTool MovieMakerClick to Download100%Clean & Safe
Step 2. Import Your Screen Recording
After opening the application, click the New Project button to enter the main user interface. Next, click the Import Media Files button to upload your recorded video and add it to the timeline.
Step 3. Optimize Your GIF for Better Quality & Smaller Size
To get a high-quality GIF at a small size, optimize your video before converting it.
Option 1: Shorten Duration
Trim the video and keep only the essential part. To do so, hover your mouse over the start or end point of the video until the Trim icon appears, then drag the icon inwards.
Option 2: Crop Unwanted Areas
Crop your screen recording in advance to remove unnecessary parts of the frame and focus on the main action.
Select the clip on the timeline and click the Crop icon. Then, choose an aspect ratio and adjust the cropping handles to select the area you want to keep, and click OK to apply the changes.
Option 3: Speed Up the Video
Slightly increase the playback speed (like 1.5x or 2x) without affecting the viewing experience. Click the video on the timeline and click the Speed icon. Click Fast and choose 2X.
Other Options
To optimize videos for GIF conversion, you can also reduce the frame rate if available. Consider 10 – 15 FPS to make the GIF file smaller. Besides, reducing the colors used in the GIF can also lower the file size.
Step 4. Convert the Screen Recording to a GIF
Click the Export button in the upper right corner to open the Export window. Then, expand the Format menu and choose GIF from the dropdown list. Next, give the GIF a name and choose the save path.
Finally, click the Export button to start the screen recording to GIF conversion.
Why MiniTool MovieMaker Is a Good GIF Converter
- Convert all popular video formats to a GIF and vice versa.
- Offer multiple editing options before the final conversion.
- The simple layout makes the software easy to use.
- Process any video with no file size limit.
- Export GIF for free and without watermarks.
How to Turn a Screen Recording into a GIF Online
Ezgif is generally considered a reliable online GIF maker and editor, offering a user-friendly interface and fast processing. However, this site may contain annoying ads and has a 200 MB video upload size limit. If you have a larger screen recording, compress the video before uploading.
Now, let’s see how to create a GIF from a screen recording with the help of Ezgif.
Step 1. Access Ezgif’s Video to GIF Converter
Navigate to the Ezgif website on your browser and select the Video to GIF option at the top.
Step 2. Upload Your Screen Recording
Click the Choose File button to open your video. Then, click the Upload video button to continue.
Step 3. Optimize Your Video
First, set the duration of the GIF by manually entering the start time and end time. Then, you can choose a screen size for the GIF from the presets. You can also modify the frame rate and the encoding method.
Step 4. Turn the Screen Recording into a GIF
Finally, click the Convert to GIF button to start the conversion. Once the process is done, download and save the GIF to your PC.
MiniTool Video ConverterClick to Download100%Clean & Safe
Conclusion
I believe now you won’t be bothered by how to turn a screen recording into a GIF anymore. Follow the steps above to create high-quality GIFs quickly.
About The Author
Position: Columnist
Cora works as an editor at MiniTool for many years, writing articles about video editing, video conversion, and screen recording. She also writes articles about Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat, and Twitter. During her spare time, Cora loves reading, traveling, and watching movies.
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