Last week, our post subject was how to make a meme. This week, we’ll look at how to make a GIF, which is essentially an animated meme. It’s a short, soundless, video clip with text that is usually a caption of what the person in the video has just said (or a caption that matches the subject’s face). The GIF can be made from a video or a series of still images. Remember this lady?
Just about every face this guy makes is GIF-worthy:
Making a GIF
Much like memes, a GIF can be created using stock videos from a GIF-generating site, or you can use your own video or set of images. Here are some sites you can use to create a GIF:
- Giphy – if you want to use an existing video, get the URL and then head to the GIF creator by clicking “create” at the top
- Imgflip – you may recognize this site from the meme article. It can do both! Again, if you’re using an existing video, get the URL first
- Canva – here is another service that can generate both memes and GIFs
- Kapwing – this platform was also in the meme post
- Make a GIF – this one offers more platform options for importing video
On most platforms, you are offered a chance to share your GIF, but it isn’t always obvious how to download it to your device. To download, right-click the GIF and select “save image as.” It will most likely be saved in .webp format and appear to be a still image in your folder list, but when you click it, it will open as a video.
No matter which service you use, there will be several options available. These might include keeping a GIF private, removing a watermark (account is usually required), or adding a label such as, “not safe for work.” Be sure to explore these options before finalizing and saving your GIF.
Summary
GIFs add a bit of humor to the internet and messaging, and making your own personalized GIFs is easy!
