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If you operate a social media profile, there’s a decent chance you have seen GIFs or at least know about them. For those who haven’t come across the term (even though it is unlikely), you might remember seeing those video-like ten to fifteen-second-long clips on social media– yeah, they’re called Graphics Interchange Formats or GIFs.
As the usage of social media platforms and the meme culture expands, more and more people are turning to GIFs, which is reasonable considering that GIFs are more entertaining and visually expressive than standard emojis.
Research shows that people share more than 7 billion GIFs every day. Moreover, 69 percent of Americans use GIFs to interact with friends regularly because they are more efficient at expressing feelings than words or pictures alone.
No matter the emotion you are experiencing, there is a GIF to express it. But what if you can’t find a relevant GIF? Well, that doesn’t mean you have to scratch the idea of sharing one – you can simply make your own! As the popular phrase goes, “The internet is full of entertaining GIFs. If you can’t find one, make one” (or was this saying about nice people)?
Anyways, if you are wondering how you can make your GIFs, fret not, as we have got you covered! This article is directed to share the top 9 tools to make GIFs for social media. Sounds interesting? Let’s get started!
Top 9 Tools to Make GIFs on Social Media
Even though millions of GIFs are available online, they are protected under copyright law. You must either credit the originator or obtain permission to use most of them. But you can strategically avoid these hassles by making your GIFs using GIF creating tools. Listed below are the top 9 tools to get you started with your GIF creating journey:
1. Photoshop
Photoshop is one of the most used photo editing programs, but most people are unaware that it can also be used to create GIFs. In fact, Adobe Photoshop is one of the finest tools for making GIFs.
The software provides a range of options for creating animated GIFs. You can make GIFs from video clips or photos and customize the playing speed and looping options. You don’t need to spend hours capturing a suitable film to convert into a GIF. You can simply use Photoshop to edit YouTube videos and GIFs to create brief animations. Moreover, Adobe Photoshop allows you to preview your custom GIF before saving it.
However, as with other software, Adobe Photoshop has its downsides. To begin with, it is more expensive than most of the tools listed in this article.
Also, because Photoshop requires a lot of RAM, starting it up or exporting a finished GIF can take time. The interface can also be difficult for first-time users, but that wouldn’t be an issue for people who already have experience with the software for photo editing purposes.
Now, if you can see past these flaws, you’ll love the range of options Adobe Photoshop provides for creating animated GIFs. Various other tools can provide several similar features, but if you are serious about designing GIFs, Photoshop is the way to go.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Works both online and offline | A little expensive |
| Photoshop users get access to numerous GIF editing tools | Novice GIF designers may find the interface difficult to use |
| It gives the facility to combine graphics with text | |
| Compatible with all operating systems | |
| High-definition animations |
Pricing
Photoshop is a paid editing software, but Adobe offers a seven-day free trial for Windows and macOS users. As previously stated, Photoshop can be somewhat costly for most users.
Moreover, the tool doesn’t give lifetime access; you will have to pay a recurring fee monthly or yearly, depending on the pricing plan you choose.
Photoshop has three pricing plans for the users to choose from:
| Annual plan (monthly installments) | Annual plan (prepaid) | Monthly plan |
|---|---|---|
| USD 20.99 per month | USD 239.88 per year | USD 31.49 per month |
Photoshop Free vs Paid GIF Creating Tool Features
Photoshop Paid Plans
Regardless of the pricing plan you choose, Photoshop will offer the following features to its subscribers:
- 100 GB of cloud storage
- Adobe fonts
- Adobe Fresco
- Access to newly released features and updates
- Adobe Creative Cloud Express
Photoshop Free Trial
The free trial provides the complete functionality of the software with all of the features and upgrades available in the most recent version of Photoshop.
2. PhotoDirector
PhotoDirector is a professional photo editor that allows users to make animated GIFs. CyberLink is regularly updating this software, and subscribers get new effects, typefaces, templates, and editing tools as they are introduced.
GIF creators prefer the software mainly because of its clean, effective, and appealing interface and free download option.
You may use PhotoDirector to record any moment in a film and transform it into an eye-catching GIF whether you have a Windows or Mac device. You may do this by converting a video into an animated GIF with PhotoDirector’s Video-to-Photo Tool.
Alternatively, you can collect and combine a video series into a single frame using the Multi-Exposure function.
PhotoDirector also has photo animation capabilities for creating animated GIFs from images. The current edition of CyberLink PhotoDirector includes various enhanced features, including new color tools, GIF animation effects, iStock Getty Images, and object selection.
In short, the only limit to your GIF production options using PhotoDirector is your imagination.
PhotoDirector’s mobile version is exactly as powerful and user-friendly as the desktop version. For example, you may still use the PhotoDirector mobile app to create GIF images from over 4 million royalty-free photographs.
Basic adjustments such as merging and cropping images are also possible using the GIF editor. After you’ve created the ideal GIF, save it to your device or share it on social media.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| User-friendly interface | Some menus take time to load |
| Affordable pricing options | Pricing |
| Thousands of stock photos for making GIFs | |
| Allows users to make GIFs from videos and photographs | |
| Offers excellent editing tools to add special effects to GIFs | |
| Ideal tools for beginners and experts alike |
CyberLink PhotoDirector offers free and paid options to users. The software is free to use for as long as you like, and it comes with a 30-day trial of the enhanced features.
As for the paid plans, PhotoDirector offers four different plans to choose from; two plans are available for lifetime contracts and two for annual/ monthly subscriptions.
Lifetime Contract Plans
| PhotoDirector 13 Ultra | PhotoDirector 20 Ultimate + PhotoDirector 13 Ultra |
|---|---|
| USD 99.99 | USD 169.99 |
Subscription Plans
| PhotoDirector 365 | Director Suite 365 |
|---|---|
| USD 54.99 per year | USD 129.99 per year |
Difference between PhotoDirector Free vs. Paid GIF Creating Tool Features
PhotoDirector 13 Ultra
- 25 GB cloud storage per year
- 8 AI style transfer effects
- 4 express layer templates
- 20 frame templates
PhotoDirector 20 Ultimate + PhotoDirector 13 Ultra
- 50 GB cloud storage per year
- 8 AI style transfer effects
- 4 express layer templates
- 20 frame templates
- Advanced video audio editing features
PhotoDirector 365
- 50 GB cloud storage
- 80+ AI style transfer effects
- 380+ express layer templates
- 400+ frame templates
- Unlimited access to CyberLink premium plug-ins and effects
- Unlimited access to sound clips and music
- Unlimited access to version updates
- Access to 60+ plug-ins and effect packs and 170+ audio packs per month
PhotoDirector Suite 365
- 100 GB cloud storage
- 80+ AI style transfer effects
- 380+ express layer templates
- 400+ frame templates
- Unlimited access to CyberLink premium plug-ins and effects
- Unlimited access to sound clips and music
- Unlimited access to version updates
- Access to 150+ plug-ins and effect packs and 170+ audio packs per month
PhotoDirector Trial Version
- Watermark in GIFs and videos
- SmartSound Audio Library trial version
- Limited templates
- Does not include the CyberLink WaveEditor program
3. Giphy
Giphy is the most well-known online GIF maker. It is a fantastic app that provides several options for users for creating GIFs. There are two reasons for the immense popularity of Giphy among GIF creators: it is a free tool, and it can be accessed from any device – computer or mobile phone.
The app provides millions of GIFs to users to customize and allows you to upload videos and images from your Gallery to convert into a GIF.
Moreover, the app allows you to shoot short videos automatically converted into GIFs. Of course, you may add a variety of stickers, effects, filters, and text to your small clips.
Before you begin shooting the small clip, you can apply some filters. Users can alter the movie once it’s finished by adding text, effects, and stickers.
Furthermore, the program allows you to trim the GIF to remove undesirable bits.
You can use their GIF Maker to import videos/clips from YouTube or Vimeo and create your GIFs. To begin, drag and drop the video onto the GIF Maker screen, set the start and end times, add captions, and post it on your social media.
The GIF creation process takes only a few minutes, and the generated GIFs are immediately uploaded to Giphy’s engine. You can change the visibility of your GIF from public to private at any time, allowing you to choose who sees it.
The only con is that the app mandates creating an account to make customized GIFs.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| No watermark | Sign-up is mandatory |
| Compatible on all operating systems | Does not operate offline |
| Free and unlimited cloud storage | |
| Perfect GIF maker for beginners | |
| Simple and instructive interface | |
| Advanced features – filters, text, special effects, and free-draw | |
| Hassle-free saving and exporting functionality |
Pricing
You don’t have to pay anything, irrespective of whether you are creating a new GIF from an image or video or customizing an existing one. The app is free to use as long as you have an account registered on your device.
Features of the Giphy App
Giphy has just enough features to convert your photographs and movies into distinct and attractive GIFs:
- Feasibility to convert MP4 and MOV video files into GIFs
- Easy-to-use video trimming solution to adjust the timing of GIFs
- Allows users to convert segments of imported videos into GIFs
- Includes a preview tool to make changes in the output
4. GifMaker.me
GifMaker.me is a free online tool that allows you to easily and rapidly create animated gifs, slideshows, and animation videos with background music. It’s a feature-rich GIF creator that lets you design animated symbols and avatars and share your digital art with others.
This free online GIF maker is featured on a website that may be accessed from any device, making it perfect for people who don’t have enough space to install software on their PCs or mobile phones. You don’t even need to register.
Visit the website, upload photographs or video to GIF, use its features, and you’ll have a fantastic outcome that you can keep and share with others.
You can upload clips or photographs to convert into GIFs on the website. You can also change the animation speed, canvas size, and the number of times the animation repeats.
Filters, fonts, effects, frames, and other image-altering tools are available as most popular gif creators do.
GifMaker.me is compatible with all major web browsers with the Adobe Flash Player installed. It also supports all video formats and allows you to instantly publish your gif to social networking platforms among other things.
You may also make animated avatars and icons of yourself to use on forums. GifMaker.me also allows you to compress your gif, reverse it, and join two or more gifs to fit your needs.
Even though GifMaker.me is simple and easy to use, it only has a few editing capabilities. You can’t crop or add additional effects to photographs.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Free of cost | Device must have a flash player installed to use GifMaker.me |
| Fast processing | |
| Enables users to add music to GIFs and video animations | |
| No registration required | |
| Suitable for amateurs and expert GIF creators |
Pricing
GifMaker.me is completely free and works with any web browser that has a flash player installed.
Features of GifMaker.me
- Drag and drop option to create a GIF from 20 images
- Boomerang effect – create a new GIF by playing an existing one backward
- Reduce the size of a GIF image
- The choice to adjust the width and height of a GIF and change the animation speed
5. Ezgif.com
Ezgif.com is a free online GIF creator and image editor that includes all essential tools and features. With its user-friendly interface, Ezgif.com has made GIF creation much easier online.
You’ll also have access to plenty of tools for creating a killer GIF. It’s comparable to GifMaker.me, but it has several new features that set it apart from the competition.
This free gif creator enables you to edit and generate any GIF rapidly. It has a large online library with over 100,000 possibilities, and you may choose from a wide range of photos, effects, and filters. You can transform your images and create visually appealing GIFs with this tool.
You may use this program to create GIFs from photographs and videos. One of the most appealing features of this website is that it is completely free to use and does not require registration. Simply visit the website and take advantage of all of its features.
Ezgif.com is a basic GIF producer with a lot of customizing options. It allows you to create, resize, crop, optimize, reverse, and give amazing special effects to your GIFs. You may also add text to it.
There is also a feature that allows you to publish your content privately via social networking platforms. The best thing is that you can make GIFs without watermarks or attribution using this freeware.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| No watermarks | Limit of 2000 files |
| Fast animated GIF creator | It takes novice GIF makers some time to get the hang of the website |
| Cropping, reversing, resizing, and other special effects options |
Pricing
Ezgif.com is free of cost GIF maker and photo editor. You neither need to sign up nor pay for premium tools.
Features of Ezgif.com
- Ezgif.com offers access to various tools to make your GIF experience a pleasurable one. Here are some of the features that ezgif.com offers to its users:
- Innovative GIF maker
- Video to GIF conversion
- Resizing and rotating options
- Access to cut and crop tools
- Feasibility to split GIFs into segments
- Trendy fonts to add captions to GIFs
6. MakeAGIF.com
MakeAGif.com is a digital gif maker that serves as a warehouse for all of your animated gifs. MakeAGIF is a large library of shareable GIFs that allows you to browse through many GIFs and even create your own.
You may use this tool to make gifs from your photographs, as well as GIFs from YouTube, Facebook, video, and webcam.
It’s a valuable service that you can use from anywhere on the planet. The platform accommodates almost all of the most popular video and image formats and allows you to edit photographs using premium features that set it apart from the competition.
One of the best characteristics of this online gif maker is that it gives you access to a vast collection of the world’s best high-quality images, which you can easily search, find, and share.
This website is perfect for novice GIF designers who want to maintain a record of their artwork or create a portfolio. Moreover, professionals can also use the platform to produce and design gifs for commercial projects.
You may also share your GIFs with others to gain comments on your creativity in real-time. Browser gifs, all-in-one customization tools, a simple editor, and an online community are among MakeAGif’s primary features.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Plenty of choices to upload GIF material from | Does not work offline |
| Accessibility to upload YouTube videos | The free plan includes a watermark |
| Users can take new photos and videos with their webcam | |
| A free platform to store customized GIFs | |
| Great platform for beginners and professionals | |
| Simple drag-and-drop interface | |
| The premium plan offers HD GIFs |
Pricing
MakeAGIF is normally free, but you can upgrade to a premium membership to access additional features like HD GIFs and faster uploading/editing. The premium plan costs USD 11.95 per month, but we suggest you make the most of their 3-day free trial before upgrading to the premium version.
Features of MakeAGIF.com
- Free Plan
- Photo and video files upload from computer
- Innovative editing tools
- Includes advertisements
- Premium Membership Plan
- High definition GIFs
- No advertisements
- Personalized watermarks
- Ultra-fast processing
- Lifetime cloud storage to save GIFs
7. ImgPlay
ImgPlay GIF Maker is Android and iOS-compatible software that lets you create stunning GIFs using a large collection of stationary and motion stickers, filters, and other enhancements.
You may use the tool to create personalized GIFs from videos, stills, bursts, and live images. You may also use the app’s pen drawing feature to add your signature or other graphics to your GIFs.
One of the best things about this site is that it has a huge library of free photographs in various categories, including Funny, Fight, Bye, Laughing, Thumbs up, and many more. You have complete freedom to choose and utilize its image.
You can also use ImgPlay to add sound to your gifs to make them more intriguing. Its most notable features are the simple interface, the ability to generate and change endless gifs with photos, the ability to set frame rates, and the ability to share your gifs directly with others.
If you prefer to track every change you make to your GIF as you design it, this is the GIF maker for you. You can also alter the quality, width, and height when producing GIFs with images. This amazing program also allows you to change the animation time and rearrange the photographs.
The ImgPlay software is simple to use and free to download. The free version, however, leaves watermarks on generated GIFs. Although the premium version is available, numerous less expensive competing GIF editing applications offer more capabilities.
So, we suggest that you go for ImgPlay only if you need a mobile GIF generator with the most basic functionality.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Offers a free version | The free version includes a watermark |
| Beginner-friendly interface | Ads included in the free version of ImgPlay |
| Various options to obtain GIF source material | Difference between Features |
| Great in-app tools for stop motion animation |
Pricing & Features of ImgPlay
ImgPlay has both a free and a pro version at users’ disposal. The paid version (ImgPlay Pro) offers advanced features and greater editing flexibility and costs USD 4.99 per month.
Free Plan
- 30 unique filters
- Save and share options – can save as GIF and video to phone gallery
- Camera mode
- Speed control
- Instant sharing option
Pro Version
- No watermarks
- Free of advertisements
- Sticker and text animation
- Access to new canvases
- Custom stickers, fonts, and filters
8. GifCam
GifCam is an interactive GIF maker that allows you to build and change an unlimited number of GIFs. It’s one of the best gif creators with plenty of complex tools and features that make it an all-inclusive GIF-making platform.
GifCam, like the majority of the main GIF creators, allows you to apply dozens of effects to your GIFS, add text, merge numerous GIFs, and even add music to your GIFs to make them stand out. GifCam is a completely free service that you may use from anywhere in the world.
It can turn screen recordings into GIFs. All you have to do is move the window over the image or video you want to edit and it will start recording. Once you’ve collected all of the necessary frames, you can easily end the recording.
One of the best features of this software is that it accepts keyboard inputs, which is useful if you want to add a specific width or height to the image you’re working on.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Easy installation | Only available for Windows |
| User-friendly interface | |
| Free to download | |
| Captures mouse motion | |
| Compress coinciding frames |
Pricing
GifCam is a free GIF creating program – downloading and using the app does not entail any costs.
Features of GifCam
- Frame-by-frame GIF edits
- Delay output
- Preview GIF versions
- Direct sharing option on various social media platforms
9. GifRun
GifRun is a simple yet effective online gif maker that allows you to create high-quality GIFs without any unwanted watermark freely.
It allows you to obtain GIF material from various platforms, including YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo, and even TikTok.
Simply copy-paste the link into the text box, choose the region you wish to record, and click the download button.
It also includes GIF editing software with a huge range of fonts, effects, filters, and other features to make your GIFs more fascinating.
GifRun allows you to instantly share your creativity with people on Facebook, Twitter, and a variety of other sites after you’ve finished your GIF.
GifRun is also a great place to go if you want to locate, download, and share cool GIFs. It offers a large collection of animated GIFs divided into different categories. Each of its GIFs can be readily saved, downloaded, and shared for free.
The platform offers a global community of people that share their work daily to demonstrate their originality. It also offers a feature to upload your GIFs with only one click.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Compatibility with Windows and iOS systems | Imprecise selection and control functions |
| Free tool | |
| Features cool GIF editing options | |
| No watermarks |
Pricing
GifRun is a free service; it does not offer a premium version.
Features of GifRun
- Built-in image editor
- Screenshot tools
- Automatic upload
- HD GIFs without watermarks
Conclusion
Even though GIFs have been there since the dawn of the internet, their popularity has only recently exploded into the mainstream thanks to the availability of the high internet, the increased usage of messaging applications, and the expansion of meme culture.
Businesses these days are incorporating GIFs in their content to attract customers and express their brand values better. What are you waiting for? Explore these top 9 tools to make GIFs on social media to make your profile stand out and not only attract but retain your target audience.
