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There are many software for converting videos to animated GIF but I want to know which has least file size for the output of a same video with MP4 and with same frame rate, pixel size.

I'm using Windows 7.

Assume you have a MP4 file and you want to convert it to a GIF file. For example, a 14 seconds MP4 file with 2.53 Mb size. If I use 200×350 pixels and 4 frame per seconds then with "Any GIF Animator" the output has 1.5 Mb size but the quality is so awful. If I just increase frame rate to 30 frames per second then the output is over 700 Mb!

Is there any software that convert a video to GIF with good quality but low size? If not which software gives the best output with respect to quality and size?

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1 Answer 1

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ffmpeg

Can convert from mp4 to gif. You can apply some effects or resize the video to balance between quality and file size.

You haven't posted your mp4 sample, so I am using my own.

Plain conversion

ffmpeg -i sample.mkv -y sample.gif

Result 12M (Note: it won't be hosted foverer here):

sample.gif

Trickier conversion

According to this article.

filters=scale=854x480:sws_dither=ed:sws_flags=lanczos
ffmpeg -v warning -i sample.mkv -vf $filters,palettegen -y sample.d.png
ffmpeg -v warning -i sample.mkv -i sample.d.png -lavfi $filters' [x]; [x][1:v] paletteuse' -y sample.d.gif

The result has half resolution, looks better, but still 12M.

sample.d.gif

Let's try to trade quality for smallness

Reduce FPS to 15 and drop dithering

filters=fps=15,scale=425x240:sws_dither=ed:sws_flags=lanczos
ffmpeg -v warning -i sample.mkv -vf $filters,palettegen -y sample.m.png
ffmpeg -v warning -i sample.mkv -i sample.m.png -lavfi $filters' [x]; [x][1:v] paletteuse=dither=none' -y sample.m.gif

Result: 3.7M

sample.m.gif

Trying to fit in 2 MiB to attach here as a picture

12 FPS, 320x180, no dither, 1.8M

sample.mm.gif

Windows way

You can also use FFmpeg from command line in Windows.

I haven't tried, but something like this should work:

set F=fps=15,scale=400x240:sws_dither=ed:sws_flags=lanczos
ffmpeg.exe -i input.mp4 -vf %F%,palettegen -y palette.png
ffmpeg.exe -i input.mp4 -i palette.png -lavfi %F%"[x];[x][1:v]paletteuse=dither=none" -y output.gif

I don't have Windows at hand and can't check if everything is right. If it does not work, write a comment.

Batch file

It is probably not convenient to manually edit and paste those commands every time one need to do the conversion. Here is a (untested) batch file:

set SOURCE=input.mp4
set DESTINATION=output.gif
set FPS=12
set SIZE=256x144
set DITHER=none

set F=fps=%FPS%,scale=%SIZE%:sws_dither=ed:sws_flags=lanczos
ffmpeg.exe -v warning -i %SOURCE% -vf %F%,palettegen -y palette.png
ffmpeg.exe -v warning -i %SOURCE% -i palette.png -lavfi %F%"[x];[x][1:v]paletteuse=dither="%DITHER% -y %DESTINATION%
pause

You can play with output size and FPS, as well as with dithering (may be numbers from 0 to 5 instead of none).

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  • 1
    Maybe try to avoid full paths like C:\FFMPEG. Copy both ffmpeg.exe and zz123.mp4 into C:\FFMPEG then cd /D into C:\FFMPEG and use simpler file name.
    – Vi.
    Commented Apr 13, 2016 at 17:51
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    Also here should be end of the second command and start of the third: -y palette.png ffmpeg.exe. palette.png is the last argument of second command and ffmpeg.exe is the beginning on the third command. Is there a tiny picture palette.png in C:\FFMPEG\bin already?
    – Vi.
    Commented Apr 13, 2016 at 17:52
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    After success, you can create a bat file for doing the conversion again simpler.
    – Vi.
    Commented Apr 13, 2016 at 17:53
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    You may also want to edit the F line: for high quality mode, try set F=fps=25,scale=512x288:sws_dither=ed:sws_flags=lanczos (essentially both filters no-op), for more compact mode, try set F=fps=12,scale=256x144:sws_dither=ed:sws_flags=lanczos. It is based on video size and FPS on that screenshot.
    – Vi.
    Commented Apr 13, 2016 at 18:11
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    So, is the problem resolved? If you create that batch file in FFMPEG/bin directory, you'll have a "conversion bench" for doing it again with other files. FFmpeg can do many things with video: it can also extract part of video, do picture-in-picture, crop frame, adjust brightness contrast and so on.
    – Vi.
    Commented Apr 13, 2016 at 20:58

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