GIF to WebM Converter

Convert GIF to WebM online, free. This GIF to WebM converter re-encodes an animated GIF as VP9 video in a WebM container: the motion is kept, the 256-colour palette gives way to full colour, and the file is a fraction of the GIF's size. Keep the default Very High preset or set a target size, bitrate or CRF, choose the frame size and background colour, then download a silent WebM.

How to convert GIF to WebM

1. Upload the GIF: Drag a .gif file onto the page or click Add Files.
2. Choose the size and quality: File Compression is on the Quality Preset Very High by default. Switch to Target file size (%), Specific file size, Constant or Variable Bitrate, or Constant Quality to set a VP9 CRF yourself. Leave Video resolution on Keep original or pick a smaller preset.
3. Convert and download: Click Convert and download the .webm. The Background Color setting only matters when the GIF has transparent areas.

Quality Preset, bitrate and CRF

The Quality Preset ladder runs from Highest to Lowest; Very High, the default, encodes VP9 at CRF 20 for 1080p material, adjusted slightly for other frame sizes. Target file size (%) asks for a share of the GIF's size (80 % is pre-filled) and Specific file size for a figure in KB or MB (24 MB is pre-filled); with Auto Scale on, the converter may also reduce the frame size when the budget cannot be met at full resolution. Constant Bitrate takes a rate in Kbps or Mbps (4 Mbps by default), Variable Bitrate adds a minimum and maximum (2 and 8 Mbps), Constant Quality exposes the VP9 CRF directly on a 16 to 63 scale where lower is better, and Constraint Quality combines a CRF with Qmin and Qmax limits (0 to 63) and a Max bitrate.

Video Codec

VP9 is the default and the right choice for the web. VP8 and AV1 are also offered under Advanced Options: VP8 is older and decodes in any software that plays WebM, while AV1 produces smaller files than VP9 at the same quality but takes longer to encode and is not decoded by every device. The Audio Codec group (Opus, Vorbis) has no effect on this page: a GIF carries no sound, so the WebM is silent.

Video resolution

Keep original, the default, uses the GIF's own pixel size. Preset Resolutions runs from 144p to 4320p, Resolution Percentage scales to 1 to 100 % of the source (80 % is pre-filled), and Width, Height or Width x Height take exact values in pixels or percent; a single dimension keeps the aspect ratio. After the codec change itself, downscaling a large GIF is the quickest way to cut the file further. Trim and Drop Frames are not offered for GIF input.

Background Color

The WebM written here is opaque. When the GIF's header declares transparency, those pixels are filled with the Background Color before encoding; Black, White and 23 other named colours are available. A GIF without transparency is encoded as it is. If the clip will sit on a coloured page, set the Background Color to match.

When to convert GIF to WebM

• A page full of animated GIFs loads slowly; a muted, looping video element shows the same motion in far fewer bytes.
• The GIF shows colour banding in gradients, skin tones or photographs; WebM keeps full colour.
• A chat, forum or project-hosting upload limit rejects the GIF.
• A platform accepts WebM with VP9 and nothing else — Telegram's video stickers are the common case.

Output: what to expect

GIF stores every frame as a complete palette image with no prediction between frames; VP9 encodes only what changes, so the WebM is normally a small fraction of the GIF's size, with the largest savings on photographic or smooth-motion clips and the smallest on tiny pixel-art loops. The converter applies the frame timing browsers really use for GIFs, so the WebM runs at the speed you saw on screen. WebM has no loop flag of its own: add the loop attribute to the video element, or rely on the player, to repeat it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will the WebM loop like the GIF?

Only if the player loops it. In HTML, add the loop attribute (and muted plus autoplay for GIF-like behaviour); chat apps and sticker players usually loop short videos themselves.

Does the WebM keep the GIF's transparency?

No. Transparent areas are filled with the Background Color before encoding. Keep the GIF, or use GIF to WebP, if the animation must stay transparent.

VP9 or VP8?

VP9 unless a specific piece of software asks for VP8. VP9 gives smaller files at the same quality and is what sticker platforms require.

Can I make a Telegram video sticker here?

The format is right: WebM with VP9, no audio. Telegram sets its own size, duration and dimension limits; use Specific file size and a Width x Height to meet whatever its current documentation asks for.

Does XConvert keep my files?

Files are processed on our servers and deleted automatically after a few hours.

Related tools

• GIF to MP4 — H.264 video for players and platforms that do not take WebM
• WebM to GIF — the reverse direction
• GIF to WebP — an animated image that keeps transparency
• MP4 to WebM — the same VP9 settings for video sources
• Compress GIF — make the GIF itself smaller instead

References

• WebM container guidelines (The WebM Project): https://www.webmproject.org/docs/container/
• VP9 bitstream and decoding process specification (The WebM Project): https://www.webmproject.org/vp9/
• GIF89a specification (W3C mirror): https://www.w3.org/Graphics/GIF/spec-gif89a.txt