How to Resize an Animated GIF (and Make It Smaller)

Resize an animated GIF to exact pixel dimensions while keeping the animation, and shrink its file size for chat, email and the web, with a free GIF resizer.

Published

Free tool: GIF Resizer

Animated GIFs are often far bigger than they need to be, both in pixels and in megabytes. Resizing a GIF to the width it will actually be shown at makes it load faster and fit under upload limits, without stopping the animation. This guide explains how GIF size works, which dimensions to choose and how to resize one with the free GIF Resizer.

Why GIFs get so large

A GIF stores every frame as a separate picture. Its file size grows with:

  • the number of pixels in each frame (width × height),
  • the number of frames (length × frame rate),
  • how busy the image is, since detailed, fast-changing scenes compress poorly.

Halving the width also halves the height, so each frame has a quarter of the pixels, which usually cuts the file size dramatically.

Choosing a size

  • Chat apps and messages: 320 to 480 pixels wide is plenty.
  • Inside a blog post or documentation: match the width of the text column, often 600 to 800 pixels.
  • Email: around 600 pixels wide fits most email layouts.

There's little point in a GIF larger than the space it's shown in: the browser shrinks it anyway, and you pay for the extra pixels in loading time.

How to resize a GIF with Graph Maker

  1. Open the GIF Resizer and click to upload a GIF (up to 50 MB), or paste a direct link to one.
  2. Enter the target width in pixels, such as 300.
  3. Leave the height empty to keep the proportions, or enter both numbers for an exact size. Entering only a height also works; the width then follows.
  4. Click Resize GIF! The processing engine loads the first time you use it.
  5. Check the resized GIF, which plays in the page, and download it.

Every frame is resized in your browser, so the animation is kept and your file isn't uploaded.

Tips

  • Keep the proportions unless you need an exact shape; setting both width and height to new values can stretch the picture.
  • Make GIFs smaller, not bigger. Enlarging a GIF doesn't add detail; it makes the file bigger and the image blurrier.
  • Crop before resizing to remove borders or empty space with the GIF Cropper.
  • Still too big? Make a shorter clip or a lower frame rate from the original video with the Video to GIF Converter.

Frequently asked questions

How do I make a GIF smaller in file size?

Reduce its dimensions with the GIF Resizer; a GIF at half the width has a quarter of the pixels in each frame. Cropping away unneeded areas and shortening the clip help too.

Can I resize a GIF without losing the animation?

Yes. The GIF Resizer resizes every frame, so the result plays just like the original, only smaller.

How do I resize a GIF without stretching it?

Enter only the width (or only the height) and leave the other box empty. The other dimension is calculated to keep the original proportions.

Share this post :
Go to Articles