Sometimes you may watch interesting clips and record it to share with your friends. while watching movies. However, most screen recorders create big files format *.MP4 or *.MOV, therefore it is heavy to use on the Internet. Then how to do it? An easy solution is to record the screen as GIF. GIFs files are smaller, and you can send them via email or post them on social media sites. This article has collected the top 9 GIF recorder, supported by major desktop OS – Windows and macOS, as well as some online variants of GIF recording services.
Delightful GIF Recording and Sharing App. Free Download Buy for $ 14.99. Gifox 2 for Mac. Delightful GIF Recording and Sharing App. Buy for $ 14.99. Also available on the Mac App Store and Setapp. Works on macOS 10.12 Sierra & higher. Original version of Gifox is available here. GifCam by BahraniApps is a free to use piece of software that was designed to allow users to record. Captor by Fox Magic Software is a piece of software designed to help you capture images. Know of any alternatives we haven't found yet?
Top 1. EaseUS RecExperts
Some free Windows software allows you to record your screen to a GIF file, but most of them have only basic functionality. If you want a powerful and versatile, but cost-effective software, you have to try EaseUS RecExperts.
This multipurpose screen recording software will help you to record the full screen or to select exactly a region of the screen with the video or picture you want to convert to GIF. Besides, it helps you to create recording tasks with 'Task Scheduler', setting many parameters of your recording, including the start time (date and hour), the duration of the video or the stop time.
You can use EaseUS RecExperts to:
- Add some Intro and Outro to your video
- Use the 'Zoom' to enlarge the recording zone
- Use the special game mode to record your best gameplay
- Use the special game mode to record your best gameplay
- Offer annotation tools to add lines, texts, arrows, and serial numbers on the recorded screen as well
How to record a GIF with EaseUS RecExperts:
Step 1. Start the software and click the Setting on the top right of the menu. Then choose the output folder and the video format – GIF (selecting appropriate bitrate and quality), select the audio output format, and the format of the screenshot.
Step 2. Select the hotkeys, which will help you during the recording, like start/stop recording (F7 + Ctrl/Shift/Alt), to hide or not the floating toolbar when recording, etc.
Step 3. Select the region of your screen, covering exactly the video. Then start the video player and click on the big red button 'REC' to start recording the GIF. You can also switch on the autostop function.
Step 4. When the recording is finished, you can start the advanced editor, which will start the EaseUS Video Editor (if you have this application).
Step 5. Share your GIF to YouTube or Vimeo, or upload it to your Gdrive/Dropbox account.
Top 2. Gyazo
Gyazo is a simple free app to take screenshots, capture action, and animation and share them like gifs instantly. The free version allows unlimited screen capturing, but you can create only 7 seconds HD GIF. You can share it with automatic uploading.
Pros:
- The software lets you create GIFs by capturing videos
- It has an editing tool, inserting notes, arrows, texts
- Capture the entire screen, a window or a specific area
Cons:
- Only 7 seconds GIF with the free version
- There is no image editor available with the free version
- There is no flexibility in terms of output: everything is uploaded
Platform: Windows
Top 3. LICEcap
LICEcap is GPL free software, which can record screen directly to.GIF file. LICEcap saves your work as a GIF, which you can embed online just like you would any other image. You can move the screen capture frame while recording, pause /restart the recording. There are options for the basic title frame (with or without text).
Pros:
- Simple and minimalistic application
- Compatible with Windows XP and Vista, as well as Win 8 and 10
- Creates GIFs with good quality
Cons:
- No editing capabilities
- Resulting GIFs are relatively big (7-sec animation can be almost 0.5MB)
- It requires a lot of disk space for it to function
Platform: Windows XP/Vista/7/8/8.1/10
Top 4. Gifcam
This is a fun animated app to record GIFs. It's simple to use, combining a screen capture tool with an animated GIF maker. It automatically records frames, inserts spaces, and saves the clip as a GIF. It provides some editing features, including to remove frames, there are 5 color reduction schemes. GifCam is portable, so you only need to extract its program file to run it.
Pros:
- Small and well-configured user interface
- GifCam is a clever tool for creating animated GIFs
- Basic editing features
Cons:
- The last update occurred in 2016
- Compatibility issues with new OS versions
Platform: Windows 8,7, Vista, XP.
Top 5. Gifox.io
A wonderful application to create GIFs, capturing whole or part of your screen. It's a good companion for micro screencasts and product demos, animated instructions, and bug reporting, selecting the on-screen video capturing. You can share the GIF to whoever you want. Gifox gives you control over how fast your GIF plays, how many times it repeats. You can control the quality of your captured video and the size of the output file.
Pros:
- Well designed easy to use application
- Window capturing is very useful to capture iOS simulator
Cons:
- Unable to trim captured GIF
- Random crushes are reported
Platform: macOS
Top 6. Recordit
Recordit is a light tool to make screencasts on Mac computers, to capture screen and create demonstrations, app tutorials, and record sound. It's a fast screen recording program and allows you to record any part of your screen. You can make a GIF out of the recorded video. It has a free version that you can easily download.
Pros:
- Easy to use and provides a preview of the recorded file
- Can record a screencast at a low frame rate without sound
- Easily share the GIF to various social media sites
Cons:
- The free utility doesn't offer any editing tools
- You can record for free a desktop screen for as long as 5 minutes
- Recordit automatically uploads your video to the cloud where it becomes public
Platform: macOS
Top 7. GIPHY Capture
GIPHY Capture is a simple and free tool to create GIFs on your Mac with a few clicks. You need just click 'Start' > 'Stop', and the GIF file is ready. It allows you to adjust the frame rate, to add animations. There's a limitation for the GIF duration – you can capture a GIF up to 30 seconds long, but rarely GIFs are longer (nobody will watch them).
Pros:
- Super simple editing tool
- Easy upload to Giphy
- Share your GIF on Facebook, tweet it to Twitter, or send it in Facebook Messenger
Cons:
- 30 seconds limit of the GIF file
- It is not a video recorder in itself
- You have to create a GIPHY account before using the online GIF maker
Platform: macOS
Top 8. Capture to a Gif
Capture to a Gif is an easy browser extension, which can record the content of whole page to an animated GIF. The tool supports recording animation, video, or any graphic and text, displayed on the browser page. There are a few parameters, you can change like FPS (from 4 to 24) and quality (from 5 to 50). The captured GIF can be saved to the folder Download (set by default). Two seconds long GIF file is almost 16 MB with a maximum refresh rate and quality. To edit this GIF file you can use the Photos app, integrated in Windows 10.
Pros:
- Easy to use a plugin for Chrome browser, able to capture full-screen GIF
- You can save the recorded GIF directly to your PC folder
- Cropping the desired zone and just press 'enter'
Cons:
- Not able to pause the recording
- The GIF quality is not so good and the file size is too big
Try:https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/capture-to-a-gif/eapecadlmfblmnfnojebefkbginhggeh
Top 9. Animated Gif Capture
This Google Chrome extension can capture the content of the active browser, the whole screen, or the selected application window. The screen recording will be converted into a GIF file. It is very easy to use, just add to your plugins. To record the screen, click the small video camera icon on the upper right part of your browser. When the capture is completed, the software starts the process to convert to the animated GIF. The icon shows also the time remaining of this conversion. Then the readyGIF file will be downloaded instantly.
Pros:
- Adds a browser action to capture a screen
- Easy to use and offers the option to modify the settings of the recording
- Configurable through an options page
Cons:
- It's not very responsive at times
- As an online tool, it cannot be used offline
Try:https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/animated-gif-capture/aecmckhhfknljgicfkpbinfkpnijehcm
Conclusion
On this page, we have introduced the top 9 GIF recorder. Depending on your favorite OS, you can choose specific Windows or macOS software to record your screen to GIF.
If you're going to make GIF project (for fun, school, or work presentation), you will need more versatile software like EaseUS RecExperts. This brand new software can record your screen and turning it into a GIF with just a few clicks, it can turn the grimaces you make on the webcam into a GIF file. There is a general editor you can use to make some changes on the existing files (MP4 or MOV videos). It's a useful software for any web design project.
FAQs About GIF Recorder
1. How do you record your screen as a GIF?
The GIF animations can be easily created by applications, called Screen Recorders and any Video Recorder. You have to check if the software supports GIF output, as many of them work only with popular video formats like AVI, MP4, etc.
2. What is GIF capture?
Practically, the operation of a screen recorder tool, which lets you record, edit, and save the screen as a GIF, video, or other formats.
3. How do I record a GIF in Windows 10?
There are tons of screencast tools for the Windows 10 platform, but most of them record in MP4 format. While people may prefer to record GIF screencasts, few apps offer high quality and are not expensive. EaseUS RecExperts is a newcomer to the world of easy-to-use professional-grade tools.
Gifcam Download
4. How do I capture in Chrome?
Best Gif Screen Recorder
Chrome browser provides free extension, which can capture and edit screenshots, GIFs, and videos of a selected area. A cropping tool allows you to capture exactly what you want - you can select, move, resize, or snap. But there is no sound recording yet.