You can make a GIF on your iPhone or Mac out of any Live Photo or video you have in your photo library or saved to your computer. You don’t need to download any apps — simply add a shortcut, and you can do it directly from the share sheet.
Of course, not all looping animated images are GIFs. A faster way to animate your Live Photos is with the iPhone’s built-in Loop effect. In the Photos app, just tap on the “Live” tag in the upper left and select “Loop.” This will produce higher-quality results, but might not be compatible with third-party apps like Snapchat or Discord.
If you need an actual GIF file, there’s still a pretty easy way to make them on your phone or Mac. I’ll show you how.
Make a GIF on iPhone or iPad
Screenshot: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
You can convert a Live Photo or a video into a GIF using a really simple shortcut. Download it here and tap Add Shortcut on the pop-up screen.
Next, you need a short video or Live Photo on your phone. It works best from the Photos app. Just hit the share button ( 
), then tap Convert to GIF. A GIF of the image will be added as the most recent item in your photo library.
Screenshot: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
If you need to adjust any settings, like the GIF’s speed or the image resolution, you can do so by editing the shortcut. Open the Shortcuts app and tap the ⋯ button in the corner of the Convert to GIF shortcut. Inside the Make GIF from Shortcut Input block, tap the arrow to expand the options.
- You can adjust Seconds Per Photo to a larger number like 0.2 to make it slower or 0.05 to make it faster.
- Uncheck Auto Size and type in your own width and height to specify an image resolution. Larger resolutions will result in much larger files; try not to exceed 1,200 pixels in either dimension if you want to use this GIF on the web. You can always check the size of the image inside the Photos app; swipe up on the image to see.
If the video you want to turn into a GIF is too long, you can always trim it down. Tap Edit in the upper right, then drag the beginning and end points using the timeline on the bottom. Tap Done, then tap Save Video as New Clip.
Make a GIF on a Mac
Screenshot: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
If you want to make a GIF on your Mac instead of your iPhone, you can use the same shortcut described above on the Mac, too. Download it here and click Add Shortcut to install it.
On the Mac, the Shortcut works inside the Finder. Right-click on a video and click Quick Actions > Convert to GIF. You’ll be asked where to save the result. Select a folder and click Open (or hit Enter).
You can run the shortcut from inside Photos on the Mac, too. Select a photo or video. In the menu bar, click Photos > Services > Convert to GIF (or right-click on the item, hit Share, select Shortcuts, then select Convert to GIF).
If you’re making a GIF out of a video, you can quickly trim it down to the part you need on your Mac, too. Hit the Space bar to preview the video, then click the Trim icon on top of the window. Edit by dragging the start and end points on the timeline at the bottom, then click Done in the upper right.
