What’s the haps?? GIFs. GIFs are currently the haps. (Graphics Interchange Format) are an integral part of online communication and entertainment. These animated images, which consist of a series of frames played in a loop, add a touch of humor, emotion, and creativity! GIFs are now widely used on social media platforms, messaging apps, and websites. No matter what your GIF consists of, these bite-sized animations will undoubtedly make their mark in the digital world. Which is why it’s important that you understand what they are and know how to create GIFs from your YouTube videos.
Step 1: Choose Your Clip
Don’t forget – less is more. You’ll want to keep your clip less than 5 seconds and just a few words. This is also where you’ll need to decide if you want your GIF to be a teaser for your upcoming video, informational, inspirational, funny, etc… You just have a few words to get your point across so choose wisely.
Step 2: Format & Export
For a Rectangle GIF you won’t need to worry about resizing – as your clip should export in this shape anyway.
However, for a Square GIF you’ll need to modify the clip before exporting to “square” format. The image below shows what that looks like on FinalCut.
After your clips are correctly sized you can export them. Since GIFs don’t need to be super high quality, they can be exported in 720p.
Step 3: Upload to Giphys Create Feature
If you haven’t heard of Giphy, you should know, it’s incredible! And best of all, it’s completely free to use! You just have to make an account. From this page, you’ll click “choose file” under GIF and select your exported file.
Step 4: Stop-Glamour Time
Add your caption then make it yours by changing the color, font, and adding any stickers or filters you want!
After you’ve made it look fabulous, you can click “continue to upload.”
Then, you’ll come to this page where you can add in tags and choose if you want your GIF to be public or private. For reference, I leave them set to “public” and usually add about 4 or 5 tags!
Step 5: Upload & Save
We’re down to the last step! When you’re ready just click “Upload to Giphy.”
Now, it’s time to save!
To save your GIF, all you have to do is right-click and then “Save Image As.” Then you can name your GIF and it’s ready to be used on all your platforms!
WOW! Super easy, right?? Just 5 easy steps to create GIFs from your YouTube videos. You’ll be a GIF expert in no time. Overall though, GIFs are super important in today’s online presence. So, let’s pick out those clips and get to creating!
