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Convert MP4 to GIF using FFmpeg

ffmpegvideoconvertermp4-to-gif

FFmpeg is a powerful command-line tool for handling multimedia files. One common use case is converting video files to GIF format. This guide will show you how to do this easily.

Prerequisites

Before starting, make sure you have:

  • FFmpeg installed on your system
  • An MP4 video file you want to convert to GIF

Basic Command

The basic command to convert MP4 to GIF is:

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 output.gif

This command will convert the input.mp4 file to output.gif. The -i option specifies the input file, and the output file is specified as output.gif.

Advanced Options

If you need more control over the output, you can use additional options. For example, you can specify the frame rate, scale, and palette:

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vf "fps=10,scale=320:-1:flags=lanczos" -c:v gif output.gif

This command will convert the input.mp4 file to output.gif with a frame rate of 10 frames per second and a width of 320 pixels. The -vf option specifies the video filter, and the -c:v gif option specifies the GIF codec.

Conclusion

This guide has shown you how to convert an MP4 video file to GIF format using FFmpeg. With these commands, you can easily handle video conversion tasks in your multimedia projects.