Make a shortcut that makes GIFs
Open the Shortcuts app and click the Add button in the toolbar. An untitled shortcut opens in the shortcut editor. Click Shortcut Name and type a name, such as Make GIF.
In the action list on the right, find Make GIF and double-click it. It makes an animated GIF from the images or video it’s given. Then add Save File, so the GIF is saved. With Ask Where to Save on, you choose the place each time.
Make GIF’s options let you choose whether it loops forever or a number of times, and its size: Auto Size, or a width and height of your own.
Run it from Finder
In the shortcut editor, open Shortcut Details and select Use as Quick Action. A new action appears at the top of the shortcut, for what it receives, and Make GIF uses that as its input.
Choose Apple menu › System Settings › Privacy & Security › Extensions › Finder, and turn on your shortcut. Then Control-click a video in Finder and choose Quick Actions › Make GIF. The same Quick Action is in the Preview pane of a Finder window.
From a Live Photo, in Photos
A Live Photo from your iPhone can become a GIF in Photos. Double-click it, then click Edit in the toolbar. Click the pop-up menu at the bottom right of the photo, choose Bounce, and click Done.
Choose File › Export › Export GIF, choose where to save it, and click Export.
By dropping it on the notch, with Tilora
With Tilora, drag the video to the top of the screen and let go on Transform. Choose Make GIF, and the GIF appears beside the video, on the Shelf, ready to drag into a chat or an email. Trim is there too, to cut the video first.
It all happens on your Mac; nothing is uploaded. More about the file shelf. Tilora is $9.99 once, for three Macs, and free for 7 days. It needs macOS 14 or later.
Not at your own Mac? Tilora’s free video to GIF maker makes a GIF of up to 10 seconds in any browser, and the video never leaves the device you’re on.
Questions
Why is my GIF so large?
A GIF stores every frame as a picture, so it grows quickly. A shorter clip or a smaller width makes it much smaller. For anything long, a video is the better file.
Can I make a GIF from photos instead?
Yes. The Make GIF action takes images as well as video, and Seconds Per Photo sets how long each one shows.