How to Convert MP4 to High-Quality GIF

The secret to great GIFs is using a custom color palette.

Best Method (Two-Step)

Step 1: Generate Palette

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vf "fps=10,scale=480:-1:flags=lanczos,palettegen" palette.png

Step 2: Create GIF

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -i palette.png -filter_complex "fps=10,scale=480:-1:flags=lanczos[x];[x][1:v]paletteuse" output.gif

This produces much better colors than direct conversion!

One-Line Version

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vf "fps=10,scale=480:-1:flags=lanczos,split[s0][s1];[s0]palettegen[p];[s1][p]paletteuse" output.gif

Quality Settings

Size	FPS	Use Case
320px	10	Small/file
480px	12	Balanced
800px	15	High quality

Extract Clip as GIF

ffmpeg -ss 5 -t 3 -i input.mp4 -vf "fps=15,scale=400:-1:flags=lanczos,split[s0][s1];[s0]palettegen[p];[s1][p]paletteuse" clip.gif

• -ss 5: Start at 5 seconds
• -t 3: Duration 3 seconds

Quick Reference

# High quality
ffmpeg -i in.mp4 -vf "fps=10,scale=480:-1:flags=lanczos,split[s0][s1];[s0]palettegen[p];[s1][p]paletteuse" out.gif

# Small file
ffmpeg -i in.mp4 -vf "fps=10,scale=320:-1:flags=lanczos,split[s0][s1];[s0]palettegen[p];[s1][p]paletteuse" out.gif

# From clip
ffmpeg -ss 10 -t 5 -i in.mp4 -vf "fps=12,scale=400:-1:flags=lanczos,split[s0][s1];[s0]palettegen[p];[s1][p]paletteuse" out.gif

Create beautiful GIFs!