How to Make an Animated GIF from Images
Upload images, set frame order and timing, export as animated GIF. Free, private, runs in your browser. No watermark, no signup.
The problem
You have a series of images — screenshots from a process, frames from a design iteration, product photos from different angles, or pixel art sprites — and you want to turn them into an animated GIF. The alternatives are Photoshop (expensive, complex timeline editor), ffmpeg (command-line knowledge required), or online tools that watermark your output or require an account.
For the common case of "put these images in order, set a delay, export a GIF," you shouldn't need professional software.
How it works
- Upload your images — drag multiple files at once, or click to browse. Supports PNG, JPG, and WebP.
- Arrange the frames — thumbnails appear in a strip. Drag to reorder, click X to remove, click + to add more.
- Set the timing — a global delay slider applies to all frames. If specific frames need different timing, override them individually.
- Choose dimensions — by default, all frames resize to match the first image. Or set a custom width and height.
- Set loop behavior — infinite loop (default), or a specific number of repeats.
- Preview — watch the animation play at your settings before committing.
- Download — one click, no watermark.
All processing happens in your browser. Images are quantized to 256 colors (a GIF format limitation) and encoded locally.
The 256-color limit
GIF is a 30-year-old format with a hard limit of 256 colors per frame. For pixel art, logos, and simple graphics, this is plenty. For photographs, you'll see color banding — smooth gradients become visible steps.
Tips for working within the limit:
- Simple graphics and pixel art look great as GIFs. This is the format's sweet spot.
- Screenshots with UI elements work well — limited color palettes naturally.
- Photos work but look best at smaller dimensions where banding is less visible.
- Gradients suffer the most. If your image is gradient-heavy, consider using video (MP4/WebM) instead.
Frame delay guide
- 100ms (10cs) — standard animation speed. Good for most use cases.
- 200-500ms — slideshow pace. Good for product photos, before/after comparisons.
- 50ms — fast animation. Good for smooth motion with many frames.
- 33ms — approximately 30fps. As smooth as GIF gets before hitting browser limits.
- 1000ms+ — very slow. Useful for step-by-step tutorials where each frame needs reading time.
Pixel art workflow
If you're creating animated sprites or pixel art animations:
- Draw frames in the Pixel Art Editor — export each frame as PNG at 1x scale
- Open GIF Creator, upload all frames
- Set dimensions to your sprite size (e.g., 32x32 or 64x64)
- Set a fast delay (50-100ms) for smooth animation
- Export — the GIF preserves crisp pixel edges because the source images are already at target size
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