---

name: gif-creation description: Create optimized GIFs from videos or image sequences using 2-pass palette generation. Use when users ask to create GIF, video to GIF, optimize GIF, animated GIF, GIF from images, or reduce GIF file size. Supports quality presets and custom timing.

GIF Creation

Create high-quality, optimized GIFs from videos or image sequences using FFmpeg's 2-pass palette generation technique.

Quick Start

Create a GIF from video:

Copycd ~/.claude/scripts/media-tools
bun run gif video.mp4 --Width 480 --FPS 15

Intelligent Behavior

Automatically detects source type and uses appropriate method:

CLI Options

Features

2-Pass Processing:

• Pass 1: Generate optimized color palette
• Pass 2: Create GIF using palette
• Result: Better quality and smaller file size

Optimization Presets:

Loop Options:

• infinite - Loop forever (default, best for web)
• once - Play once and stop
• custom - Specify loop count

Usage Examples

Video to GIF - basic

Copybun run gif video.mp4

Default settings: 480px width, 15 FPS, full duration, infinite loop, balanced optimization.

Video to GIF - first 5 seconds

Copybun run gif video.mp4 --Duration 5

Video to GIF - custom clip

Copybun run gif video.mp4 --Start custom --Duration custom --Width 640

Prompts for timing:

CopyEnter start time (HH:MM:SS or seconds): 00:00:30
Enter duration (seconds or HH:MM:SS): 10

Video to GIF - small file size

Copybun run gif video.mp4 --Width 320 --FPS 12 --Optimize size

Video to GIF - high quality

Copybun run gif video.mp4 --Width 800 --FPS 24 --Optimize quality

Image sequence to GIF

Copybun run gif ./frames/ --FPS 24 --Width 640

Image sequence - specific pattern

Copybun run gif "frame_*.png" --FPS 15 --Loop once

Size Estimation

Approximate file sizes for different settings:

Factors affecting size:

• Width: Larger = bigger files
• FPS: More frames = bigger files
• Duration: Longer = bigger files
• Content: Complex scenes with motion = bigger files
• Optimize: quality > balanced > size

Processing Preview

Before creating GIF, shows preview and confirmation:

CopyCreating GIF from: video.mp4

Source:
- Duration: 0:15
- Resolution: 1920x1080
- FPS: 30

Output settings:
- Width: 480px (auto height: 270px)
- FPS: 15 (half source FPS)
- Duration: 5 seconds (from 0:03)
- Loop: infinite
- Optimize: balanced

Estimated size: ~3-5 MB
Processing time: ~10-15 seconds

Proceed? [Yes/No]

2-Pass Processing

From Video

Pass 1 - Generate palette:

Copyffmpeg -ss 00:00:03 -t 5 -i video.mp4 \
  -vf "fps=15,scale=480:-1:flags=lanczos,palettegen=stats_mode=diff" \
  -y /tmp/palette.png

Pass 2 - Create GIF:

Copyffmpeg -ss 00:00:03 -t 5 -i video.mp4 -i /tmp/palette.png \
  -lavfi "fps=15,scale=480:-1:flags=lanczos[x];[x][1:v]paletteuse=dither=bayer:bayer_scale=5" \
  -loop 0 \
  output.gif

From Image Sequence

With FFmpeg:

Copyffmpeg -framerate 15 -pattern_type glob -i "frames/*.png" \
  -vf "scale=480:-1:flags=lanczos,split[s0][s1];[s0]palettegen[p];[s1][p]paletteuse" \
  -loop 0 \
  output.gif

With ImageMagick (alternative):

Copymagick -delay 6 frames/*.png \
  -resize 480x \
  -layers optimize \
  output.gif

Note: Delay calculation: 100 / FPS (e.g., 15 FPS = 6.67ms ≈ 6)

Additional Optimization

For even smaller files, use gifsicle (optional):

Copygifsicle -O3 --lossy=80 output.gif -o output_optimized.gif

Lossy compression levels:

• --lossy=30 - Minimal quality loss
• --lossy=80 - Good balance
• --lossy=200 - Maximum compression

Processing Results

Copy✓ GIF created successfully

Output: video.gif
- Size: 4.2 MB
- Dimensions: 480 x 270
- Frames: 75 (5s @ 15fps)
- Duration: 5 seconds
- Loop: infinite

Performance:
- Pass 1 (palette): 2.1s
- Pass 2 (encoding): 8.4s
- Total time: 10.5s

Tip: Use --Optimize size for smaller files or --Width 320 to reduce size further

Best Practices

1. Reduce file size:

   • Lower FPS (12-15 works well for most content)
   • Smaller width (480px or less)
   • Use "size" optimization preset
   • Trim to shortest necessary duration

2. Better quality:

   • Higher FPS (24-30 for smooth motion)
   • Larger width (640-800px)
   • Use "quality" optimization preset

3. Smooth motion:

   • Use 24+ FPS for fast action
   • Use 12-15 FPS for simple content or talking heads

4. Social media:

   • Most platforms compress GIFs automatically
   • Upload slightly higher quality than needed
   • Test file size limits (Twitter: 5MB, Discord: 8MB)

5. Performance:

   • Shorter clips process faster
   • Lower resolution = faster encoding
   • 2-pass method is slower but produces better results

Platform Limits

Requirements

• FFmpeg - Required for video processing
• ImageMagick 7+ - Optional for image sequences
• gifsicle - Optional for additional optimization

Install all:

Copybrew install ffmpeg imagemagick gifsicle

Verify FFmpeg:

Copyffmpeg -version | head -n 1

Related Files

• Command: plugins/media-tools/commands/gif.md
• Video Processing: plugins/media-tools/skills/video-processing/
• Media Processor: plugins/media-tools/skills/media-processor/