GIFs are special things. Existing somewhere between the realms of photo and video, these moving images capture the essence of the internet. Importantly, they’re also one of the most popular visual formats on the web – according to GIPHY, 2019’s most popular GIF was viewed more than 419 million times.
GIFs capitalise on trends and capture iconic pop culture moments, making them an excellent tool for connecting with your viewers. A great way to use GIFs is adding them to your videos. Not sure how that works? We’ve added a new GIPHY integration to our free online video editor and this blog will explain how you can use it. In it we’ll cover:
What are GIFs?
Why add GIFs to videos?
How to add a GIF to a video
How to create a looped GIF
What are GIFs?
GIF stands for Graphic Interchange Format. Put simply, they are animated images. A lot of people compare the way GIFs work to a flip book – it’s a stack of images grouped together that when watched in the correct order gives the appearance of a moving image.
Why add GIFs to videos?
GIFs, like videos, are an excellent visual communication tool. But what makes them unique is their ability to speak the language of the internet. GIFs are hugely popular online, so when you add one to your video – you’ll likely be adding content that your viewers can already relate to. It’s a simple method to make your content resonate.
At the same time, adding GIFs is an excellent way to fill any gaps in your footage. If there’s something you couldn’t quite capture on film, there’s probably a GIF that’ll do it for you.
How to add a GIF to a video
Step 1. Create an account
Log into your Clipchamp Create account, or sign up for free to get started.
Step 2. Create a new project
Select the Create a video button on the left side bar. We offer five different formats to choose from. Select the video ratio that best suits your project. We recommend using widescreen 16:9 if you are wanting to upload to YouTube.
Step 3. Add GIFs
Select the Stock button on the left sidebar and when that window opens, select the GIPHY button on the left side. Enter your search terms and look through the results to find the GIF you’re after. Then select it, click the Add to Library button and exit the stock library to access it in the editor.
Step 4. Add GIFs to editing timeline
Once you’ve selected your GIFs and they’ve appeared in the editor, you can start to drag and drop them to the editing timeline.
Step 5. Check and correct aspect ratios
One thing to note about GIFs is they come in a whole range of aspect ratios. This means you’ll often need to adjust them to edit them seamlessly with your other footage.
One option you have is to crop your videos to fill the screen, To do this, select your GIF from the timeline, click the Transform button and then the Crop to Fill option that appears.
Your other option is to use our newly added Blur Fill filter. This is an excellent choice if you’ve tried Crop to Fill and found that it cuts off integral parts of your GIF. Blur Fill will replace any black space behind your GIF with a blurred and dimmed version of it. To add Blur Fill, select your GIF on the editing timeline, then from the menu that appears above, select the Filters button. Finally, scroll down to find the Blur Fill filter and select it to apply it to your GIF.
Step 6. Edit the rest of your video
From here, continue to edit the video as you like. You can add filters, text and edit your clips together using transitions. Interestingly, because they’re basically a collection of images, all GIFs are silent. This gives you a great chance to use our large library of stock audio.
Step 7. Export your video
Now it’s time to get your video off the editor and on to your computer. To export, click the purple Export button in the top right hand corner of the editor. From here, choose your resolution settings based on the destination for your video and whether or not you want to compress the file. Finally, click the Continue button and wait for your video to export.
Step 8. Review the video
Now is the time to review your exported video. Take a look at how we used some Seinfeld GIFs to advertise a day spa sale in our video below.
How to create a looped GIF
We get asked quite often about how to create a looping GIF so, here’s how to do it. Modern “GIF” files you see online are technically small video files, most often in MP4 format. This makes them easier to create, share and host online and the looped playback of these clips happens when playing them. The two best options to get the look of a looping GIF are as follows.
Using a video or GIF hosting platform
The first way to create a looping GIF actually happens outside of Clipchamp Create. Simply upload the video you’ve created in Clipchamp to your chosen platform. It will either loop your GIF automatically or will offer it as a setting option before publishing the clip.
Using Clipchamp Create
If automatic looping or a loop option aren’t available on your chosen platform, you can create a looped GIF manually in Clipchamp Create. To do this, select your GIF in the editing timeline and select the Copy button above it. From here you can click the Paste button as many times as you need to create the effect of a loop – the more you paste, the longer your GIF video will play and loop.
Bonus tip – make your own gifs!
If you can’t find the right GIF for your video project, consider making your own! GIPHY has its own GIF Maker, where you can upload images and videos to produce your own GIFS.
Alternatively, you could use the GIPHY GIF Maker to turn a finished video project into GIFs, enabling you to share it on platforms your video might not work on.
