GIF to AV1 Converter

GIF to AV1 Converter

This tool re-encodes an animated GIF into an AV1 video stream, keeping every frame so the animation plays back the same — just with AV1's far more efficient compression instead of GIF's 1987-era 256-colour palette. AV1 is a modern, royalty-free video codec (not an image format), so the output carries millions of colours and no dithering. Note the output is AV1 video in a Matroska-wrapped file with a non-standard .av1 extension: it plays in ffmpeg-based players like VLC and mpv but not in most browsers or phone galleries (renaming it to .mkv helps extension-picky apps). If you want a clip you can actually share or embed, convert GIF to MP4 instead. If you wanted a still image on the AV1 codec, that is AVIF — use GIF to AVIF.

AV1 Codec at a Glance

GIF to AV1 Output at a Glance

How to Convert GIF to AV1

1. Upload Your GIF File: Drag and drop your animated GIF onto the page, or click "+ Add Files". Batch conversion is supported — every file uses the same settings.
2. Pick File Compression and Quality Preset: The default is Quality Preset at "Very High (Recommended)". Switch to Constant Quality to lock visual quality and let file size float, or Constraint Quality to cap the bitrate.
3. Set Resolution (Optional): Leave Video resolution on "Keep original", scale by Resolution Percentage, choose a Preset Resolution, or type a custom Width x Height. Aspect ratio is preserved automatically.
4. Convert and Download: Click "Convert" and save your .av1 clip. Files are uploaded over an encrypted connection, processed on our servers, and deleted automatically a few hours after conversion — no sign-up, no watermark, never shared or made public.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the AV1 output keep my GIF's animation?

Yes. Every frame of the animated GIF is encoded into the AV1 stream at the source frame timing, so the motion plays back the same — just with modern compression and full colour instead of GIF's 256-colour-per-frame palette. This is different from converting a still photo to AV1, where one frame is simply held on screen for a chosen duration.

Is the output an AV1 video or an AVIF image?

A video. This page produces an AV1 video stream (a .av1 file). AVIF is the separate still-image format built on the same AV1 codec — essentially one AV1 keyframe saved as a picture. If you want an image rather than a playable clip, use the GIF to AVIF converter instead.

Will a plain .av1 file play everywhere?

No. The AV1 codec itself decodes in current Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera and recent Apple hardware, but the .av1 extension is unusual — most browsers and phone galleries decide what a file is by its extension and expect .mp4, .webm or .mkv. The file inside is standard Matroska, so ffmpeg-based players such as VLC 3.0+ and mpv (which use the dav1d decoder) will open it, and renaming it to .mkv often helps. For something you can drop into a chat, a website, or a phone, convert GIF to MP4 or GIF to WebM instead.

Does the AV1 clip have any sound?

No. Animated GIFs cannot store audio, so the output is video-only — not even a silent track. That is fine for an autoplay-style loop. If you need narration or music, convert to a container that carries audio (for example MP4) and add the soundtrack in a video editor afterwards.

What happens to a transparent GIF's background?

GIF transparency is a 1-bit on/off mask, and the AV1 video produced here does not carry an alpha channel, so transparent areas become opaque. If you need to keep transparency, convert GIF to WebM instead — its VP9 codec supports a full alpha channel and renders smoother edges than GIF's hard mask.

Why is AV1 encoding slower than H.264 or VP9?

AV1 trades encoding speed for compression efficiency, so AV1 encoders are typically several times slower than H.264 or VP9 at comparable settings. For a short GIF the wait is brief; the slowdown is mainly noticeable on long, high-resolution clips. If turnaround matters more than codec choice, GIF to MP4 (H.264) encodes much faster and plays everywhere.

How much smaller is AV1 than the original GIF?

Substantially, in most cases. GIF re-stores a full 256-colour palette every frame with no inter-frame prediction, while AV1 exploits the redundancy between frames — so animation that ships as several megabytes of GIF often lands far smaller as AV1. In our testing, the savings are largest on photographic or gradient-heavy clips, where GIF's palette wastes the most bits, and smallest on tiny 2-colour pixel-art loops that are already cheap to store.

Should I just use GIF to MP4 instead?

For almost any practical use — sharing in chat, embedding on a page, posting to social, or playing on a phone — yes, GIF to MP4 is the better choice: H.264 plays on virtually every device and browser. Pick AV1 only when you specifically need the AV1 codec, for example feeding a pipeline that already decodes AV1, or testing an AV1 player. To keep the file a GIF but make it smaller, use Compress GIF.