What is Mp4?
MP4 is a digital multimedia container type that is most typically used to hold video and audio, although it can also carry subtitles and still photos. It, like most modern container formats, supports Internet streaming.
What is a GIF?
A GIF is a lossless picture format that can store both animated and static images. GIF is an abbreviation for Graphics Interchange Format. Steve Wilhite of CompuServe, the first major commercial internet service provider in the United States, invented the GIF on June 15, 1987. GIFs can be created using image editing software such as Adobe Photoshop, GIMP, and Microsoft GIF Animator.
Video Characteristics:
· A video container contains video, but it is divided into chunks of frames or has a single file that contains all of the frames, depending on the format.
· Videos can be of great quality, but they have a higher loss rate than image sequences.
· Individual video frames cannot be easily edited.
· Video codecs enable rapid, efficient compression, resulting in improved internet performance. Most films will be transcoded into some form of video file if they are to be viewed on the internet.
· Video is perfect for live streaming and video chat since it provides a decent enough quality while also being fast enough to give a smooth user experience.
GIF Characteristics:
· GIFs are image sequences, but they are of lower quality. This makes it suitable for usage on the web, but not as part of a video production pipeline.
· A GIF is considered an image, therefore, you can add it to a website, and it will be treated as such. You are not required to pay for video hosting.
· GIFs take up a lot of storage space for what they are. If you utilize too many GIFs, they will slow down the performance of your site and application.
· If your graphics have few colors and clear, sharp lines and edges, GIFs are ideal for high-impact, rapid marketing.
Why do we convert MP4 to GIF?
We convert MP4 files to GIF images. Because MP4 is a container for a variety of contemporary motion codecs, whereas GIF only provides one sort of compression aimed at static images. One important distinction between motion and image codecs is that motion codecs only encode changes from frame to frame, but image codecs encode entire frames again, duplicating the majority of image data unnecessarily.
How to convert?
It is possible to convert MP4 videos to GIFs in respectable quality using a variety of converters. Their URL can also be supplied to convert the MP4 format to local files. Most converters allow for the addition of files up to 200 MB in size to the application for conversion. The video’s duration and frame rate can both be customized.
How to use Online Converter to convert MP4 for free to GIF:
Step 1: Open any Converter on your PC browser. To upload an MP4 file from your PC, select Choose File. If necessary, you can also include a file URL.
Step 2: Turn on Options to select the video’s duration and preferred frame rate.
Step 3: To begin the MP4 to GIF conversion process, click Convert.
GIF file advantages and disadvantages
Before using GIFs as a file type for your photographs, learn about their benefits and drawbacks.
Advantages:
· GIF animations make up for their lack of finesse with speed and intensity. They’re easy to make, don’t require any technical knowledge, and can spread like wildfire on social media platforms as memes.
· The color restrictions imposed on GIFs keep their file sizes minimal. This can help websites load faster.
· GIF files have a characteristic known as lossless compression. This means that their image quality does not suffer when their data is compressed.
Drawbacks:
Although using online tools is easy and cost-free, there are certain restrictions, which are described below.
- Almost all online MP4 to GIF conversion applications allow users to upload files of a certain size. Therefore, if your MP4 file is huge, using these techniques won’t accomplish your goals.
- Online tools operate through your browser and are reliant on an internet connection to function. Additionally, the conversion speed is based on the quality of the available network.
- Because they are free, online tools have few features and functions. The converted file’s quality is also inferior to that of programs designed for professionals.
Summary:
GIF files are compact and provide acceptable image quality when viewed in browsers. GIFs are now used to share memes on social networking sites like Facebook and to show How-To guides. Having said that, a good video to GIF converter is a need, and you may have greater control over the source material and the final products if you use specialist software rather than using free web services.
