How to Make a GIF from a YouTube Video

To make a GIF from a YouTube video, first record the moment: open the Screen Recorder, share the YouTube tab, play the part you want, and stop. Then open Video to GIF, add the recording, press Use current position where the GIF should start, choose a Length of 2–5 seconds, and press Make GIF. Add a caption with Add Text to GIF if you like.

Step 1: capture the moment

YouTube doesn't let you download most videos, so record the part you need from your screen:

1. Open the YouTube video in Chrome or Edge on a computer.
2. Open the Screen Recorder in another tab and click Start recording.
3. In the sharing dialog, choose the YouTube tab — you don't need the sound for a GIF, so you can leave Share tab audio off.
4. Go back to YouTube, play a few seconds before the moment, and let it run a few seconds after.
5. Stop the recording and download it.

Tip: make the video bigger first — choose a high quality in YouTube's settings and enter theatre mode — so the GIF is sharp.

Step 2: turn the clip into a GIF

1. Open Video to GIF and add your recording.
2. Play it and pause where the GIF should begin. Press Use current position.
3. Set the Length — 2 to 5 seconds suits most reactions and highlights.
4. Choose Frames per second: 10 (standard) is the usual choice; 15 (smooth) for fast motion.
5. Choose the Width: 480 px for chats and forums; 320 px for a small, quick GIF.
6. Press Make GIF, check the result, and download it.

Step 3 (optional): caption it

Reaction GIFs are funnier with words. Add Text to GIF adds top and bottom text in the classic meme style — white Impact with a black outline — or a caption on only the last frames for a punchline.

Getting a sharp, small GIF

• Keep it short. Every extra second adds frames; 3 seconds at 10 fps is 30 frames.
• Crop out black bars and YouTube's interface with the GIF Cropper.
• Too big for where you're posting? The GIF Compressor can get it under a size — 10 MB for Discord, for example.
• Separate colours for each frame helps when the scene changes a lot; Dithering smooths skies and faces.

Phones

Recording another app's screen on a phone uses the phone's own screen recorder (iPhone: Control Centre › Screen Recording; Android: Quick Settings › Screen record). Then open Video to GIF in the phone's browser and add the recording from your gallery.

Copyright and fair use

Short GIFs of moments from videos are common online, but the video still belongs to its creator. Use clips for commentary, reactions and personal sharing; don't use someone else's footage in advertising or products without permission, and credit the creator where you can.

Privacy

Both the recording and the GIF are made in your browser. Nothing is uploaded to iPixHub, and there's no watermark.

Frequently asked questions

Can I paste a YouTube link instead?

No. YouTube pages aren't video files, and downloading from YouTube isn't allowed by its terms. The paste-a-link box only works with direct links to video files.

Why is my GIF blurry?

The recording was small, or the width is too high for the source. Record in a larger window and choose a width no bigger than the recording.

How long can the GIF be?

Up to 20 seconds — but GIFs over 5 seconds get large quickly. For longer clips, share a video instead.