5 free tools to create animated GIFs

Did you know you can use animated GIFs in VideoScribe videos? There are 200 GIFs already in the image library ready for you to use. Prefer to use your own? No problem, simply upload them like you would an image.

Want to take it a step further and create your own? You can create your own GIFs easily in VideoScribe. Plus, here's a round-up of other free online tools you can use to create animated GIFs for VideoScribe, whether you prefer to do your scribing on the desktop or the browser version.

5 free online tools for creating GIFs

Search Google for 'GIF creator tool' and you’ll be bombarded with options for making animated GIFs. So we've done the hard work for you.

1) VideoScribe

VideoScribe gives you the option to download your scribe video directly as a GIF. First, create your animation and preview it to check that you are happy with it. Remember, if your project is longer than 15 seconds, it will only be the first 15 seconds of the video which are turned into a repeating GIF.

When you're ready to turn it into a GIF, click the Download button in the top right. It will ask you to choose an export format and all you have to do is select GIF and click the big blue 'Start Download' button. It's as easy as that!

2) Toonator

Toonator allows you to easily draw and bring animated images to life. Create your drawing frame by frame, using the plus icon to add the next frame in your sequence. Once you've finished, hit the play button to watch your animation come to life. You can save your image as a file, or copy the HTML code to embed the animation on your site.

3) imgflip

My favorite of the 4 listed here, imgflip takes your ready-made images and animates them. Upload your images, arrange them in the right order and adjust the speed. Click generate when you've got it just right. Minor drawback - your finished GIF will have a small imgflip watermark on it, unless you have a pro account.

4) GIFMaker

Compatible with Windows, Mac and Linux, GIFMaker works in roughly the same way as imgflip. You can adjust your canvas size, animation speed and select the number of times you want the image to play. You can also add music to play along with your image if you’re uploading to YouTube.

5) Make a GIF

Another straightforward pictures-to-gif maker, similar to imgflip and GIFMaker. But you can also create GIFs from YouTube videos and your webcam. Make a GIF doesn't put a watermark on your image and the extension for Google Chrome is quite handy.

Keep your file size down

Keep the file size of your finished GIF as small as possible to avoid any problems with the import or playback. The GIFs available in the VideoScribe library are under 300kb and we recommend keeping your own files at or below this size.

Compressor.io will reduce your file size by up to 90% without causing a noticeable difference in image quality.

ezgif's optimize tool will also reduce the size of your animated GIFs - either by reducing the number of colors used or removing frames that aren't essential to the final effect.

websiteplanet.com also allows you to compress both JPEG and PNG files and each picture can be up to 50 MB in size.

How to use animated GIFs in VideoScribe

Using GIFs in VideoScribe

As well as being able to create your own GIFs using VideoScribe, you can also bring GIFs onto your canvas to use in any of your scribe videos.

To browse through the GIFs already available for you in VideoScribe, open the image library and scroll down to the GIFs folder. You can click on any of these GIFs to add them to your canvas.

To upload a GIF that you found somewhere else or one that you created yourself, make sure the GIF file is saved to your desktop files. Then, you can upload it just like you upload your own images. In your VideoScribe, click the Add Image icon and then click the Upload icon in the top right of the Add Image window. This will allow you to browse your desktop files and select your saved GIF. Click Open to add it to your canvas.

Already using animated GIFs in your scribes? We'd love to see how they're looking. Share them with us on Facebook and Twitter.

Ready to put your GIFs to the test? Get started with VideoScribe for FREE with a 7-day trial. No need to enter any credit card details, just create a free account with your name and email address and get creating 🎉👇