Convert MP4 to GIF

Turn MP4, the most widely supported video container on the web and devices, into GIF, the classic animated image format that plays everywhere. FileChanger runs the video conversion in one call, no local tooling to install.

In the browser

Upload a file and download the result, no pipeline required. Open the converter.

One API call

POST the file with from=mp4 and to=gif, get the converted bytes back. Jump to the code.

From an agent

FileChanger ships an MCP server, so agents can run this conversion themselves. See the docs for setup.

Uploading something you care about? How to convert files safely explains what to check before you trust any converter, and Security and data handling describes exactly what we store and for how long.

Convert MP4 to GIF in code

The same call from any language: POST the file to /api/convert, the response body is the converted file.

curl -X POST https://filechanger.io/api/convert \
  -H "X-Api-Key: fc_your_api_key_here" \
  -F "file=@input.mp4" \
  -F "from=mp4" \
  -F "to=gif" \
  -o output.gif
import requests

with open("input.mp4", "rb") as f:
    response = requests.post(
        "https://filechanger.io/api/convert",
        headers={"X-Api-Key": "fc_your_api_key_here"},
        files={"file": f},
        data={"from": "mp4", "to": "gif"},
    )

response.raise_for_status()
with open("output.gif", "wb") as out:
    out.write(response.content)
const formData = new FormData();
formData.append("file", fileInput.files[0]);
formData.append("from", "mp4");
formData.append("to", "gif");

const response = await fetch("https://filechanger.io/api/convert", {
  method: "POST",
  headers: { "X-Api-Key": "fc_your_api_key_here" },
  body: formData,
});

const output = await response.blob();
import java.net.http.HttpRequest.BodyPublishers;
import java.net.http.HttpResponse.BodyHandlers;
import java.nio.file.Path;

String boundary = "----FormBoundary" + System.currentTimeMillis();
byte[] fileBytes = java.nio.file.Files.readAllBytes(Path.of("input.mp4"));

String body = "--" + boundary + "\r\n"
    + "Content-Disposition: form-data; name=\"file\"; filename=\"input.mp4\"\r\n"
    + "Content-Type: application/octet-stream\r\n\r\n"
    + new String(fileBytes) + "\r\n"
    + "--" + boundary + "\r\nContent-Disposition: form-data; name=\"from\"\r\n\r\nmp4\r\n"
    + "--" + boundary + "\r\nContent-Disposition: form-data; name=\"to\"\r\n\r\ngif\r\n"
    + "--" + boundary + "--";

HttpClient client = HttpClient.newHttpClient();
HttpRequest request = HttpRequest.newBuilder()
    .uri(URI.create("https://filechanger.io/api/convert"))
    .header("X-Api-Key", "fc_your_api_key_here")
    .header("Content-Type", "multipart/form-data; boundary=" + boundary)
    .POST(BodyPublishers.ofString(body))
    .build();

HttpResponse<byte[]> response = client.send(
    request, BodyHandlers.ofByteArray());
java.nio.file.Files.write(Path.of("output.gif"), response.body());
import Network.HTTP.Client
import Network.HTTP.Client.MultipartFormData
import qualified Data.ByteString.Lazy as BL

main :: IO ()
main = do
  manager <- newManager defaultManagerSettings
  initialReq <- parseRequest "POST https://filechanger.io/api/convert"
  let req = initialReq
        { requestHeaders = [("X-Api-Key", "fc_your_api_key_here")] }
  request <- formDataBody
    [ partFileSource "file" "input.mp4"
    , partBS "from" "mp4"
    , partBS "to" "gif"
    ] req

  response <- httpLbs request manager
  BL.writeFile "output.gif" (responseBody response)

About MP4

MP4 is the video container the world settled on: H.264 video alongside AAC audio in an MPEG-4 file, played by every phone, browser, smart TV, and editing suite without extra codecs. Cameras, phones, and screen recorders write it by default, which makes it both the usual starting point for a conversion and the safest thing to hand someone else.

About GIF

GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) is CompuServe's 1987 bitmap image format that became the web's standard for animated graphics. Limited to a 256-color palette per frame and LZW compression, it produces much larger files than modern video codecs, but its universal support across browsers, chat apps, and email clients keeps it the de facto format for short looping clips and memes.

Frequently asked questions

How do I convert MP4 to GIF?

Upload your file in the browser converter and pick GIF as the target, or POST it to /api/convert with from=mp4 and to=gif. The response body is the converted file.

Is converting MP4 to GIF free?

Yes. Every account gets 200 MB of conversions free, metered on input size. After that you pay only for what you convert, from $0.10 per GB, with no monthly fee. See pricing for the paid tiers.

Is there an API for MP4 to GIF conversion?

Yes, this whole conversion is one POST to /api/convert (the code examples above show it in five languages), plus an MCP server so AI agents can run it directly.

Why convert MP4 to GIF?

MP4 is a video container requiring a video player or video element, whereas GIF is an image format. Converting to GIF lets you embed short animations in places that do not accept video: README files, email newsletters, forums, and chat apps like Slack or Discord.

How does FileChanger optimize the converted GIF?

To prevent animated GIFs from ballooning in size, FileChanger caps the frame rate at 12 fps and scales the output to a maximum width of 480 pixels. This provides the optimal balance between smooth motion and a web-friendly file size.

Does the converted GIF include sound?

No. The GIF format has no audio support. The video stream is converted into animated image frames, and the audio track from the MP4 is discarded.