AVI to GIF converter
Convert AVI to GIF in your browser. No upload and no account: the file never leaves your device, so the only size limit is your device’s memory.
Fit Meter
Lower is smaller and choppier. 10 to 15 looks smooth for most clips.
Bytes of your files sent anywhere: 0 B · nothing leaves this tab
Every request this page makes is listed as it happens. You’ll see our own code loading, and for some formats a codec engine, but never your file going out.
- Waiting for network activity…
Check it yourself: open your browser’s developer tools on the Network tab, or turn off Wi-Fi once the page has loaded. The tools keep working.
Related conversions
Need it the other way round? Convert GIF to AVIRead more about the AVI format and the GIF format, or see every video tool and all video conversions.
Should you convert AVI to GIF?
You want a short looping GIF from an old AVI clip.
For a few seconds of silent motion that has to play inline everywhere, including emails and chats that block video, yes. For anything longer, or with sound, keep it as a video: GIF is many times larger and limited to 256 colors per frame.
AVI is Windows’ original video container, common for older camcorder files and downloads; GIF is a 256-color image format best known for short looping animations. Use GIF for a few seconds of silent animation that has to play inline everywhere, including in email clients that block video.
| Property | AVI | GIF |
|---|---|---|
| Usually contains | MPEG-4 Part 2 (DivX or Xvid) video with MP3 audio | — |
| Support | A legacy format | Opens everywhere |
| Plays on | Windows Media Player and VLC; no browser or iPhone plays it | Every browser, chat app, phone and computer |
| Best for | Old Windows software and hardware players that expect it | Short, silent loops and reaction images |
| Introduced | 1992 | 1987 |
How to convert AVI to GIF
- 01
Add your AVI
Drop your AVI video onto the box, or click to choose it. It is read from your disk and stays there.
- 02
Check the settings
The output is already set to GIF. Change the quality if you want to; the defaults suit most files.
- 03
Save the GIF
Press convert and save the GIF. Several files come back together as a ZIP.
What changes when AVI becomes GIF
Pick a short part
GIF stores every frame as a separate picture, so size grows with each second. Choose start and end points, a frame rate of 10 to 15 and a width around 480 pixels to keep the file sensible.
Sound and color
GIF has no audio, so the AVI soundtrack is dropped. Colors are reduced to a 256-color palette built from the clip itself, with dithering to smooth gradients.
Expect a larger file
GIF generally takes more room than AVI. If the file has to fit an upload limit, check the size once it’s converted. AVI: Often two to three times the size of a modern MP4. GIF: A five-second animation can easily pass 10 MB.
A one-time engine download
AVI is read by FFmpeg compiled to WebAssembly, a 31 MB download the first time. It is slower than your browser’s built-in video decoder, but nothing is uploaded and the engine stays cached for next time.
This page is put together from our notes on each format, choosing only what is true of AVI and GIF, so every pairing states the same facts the same way. How these pages are made.
Why it doesn’t upload
Making a GIF from a clip of your own video shouldn’t mean uploading the whole video first. The frames are picked and encoded on your device, and nothing is sent anywhere.
How to check for yourselfWorth knowing
- About the AVI. AVI is only a wrapper. The same extension can hide DivX, Xvid, MJPEG or uncompressed video, which is why one AVI plays and the next doesn’t.
- About the GIF. A few seconds of video as GIF is often ten times the size of the same clip as MP4, because GIF compresses each frame as a separate picture.
- Converting uses the FFmpeg engine, a one-time 31 MB download.
Questions
How long can the GIF be?
There’s no hard limit, but every second adds several megabytes. Keep it under about 10 seconds at 480 pixels wide for a file that loads quickly in chats and emails.
Will a GIF play on my phone?
GIF opens everywhere: every browser, chat app, phone and computer. Open it in any browser to see it animate; most photo viewers show only the first frame.