Sharing GIFs is easy. Making GIFs is a bit harder — but only a bit. There are lots of great tools you can use to enter our GIFy Valentine challenge, and you don't need any special equipment. Many of the apps are free, and the ones that aren't cost a couple bucks at most.
We've listed our go-to tools below, but if you don't see your favorite, share it in the comments. You might need to use a few different apps to get the perfect GIF: one to create the right animation, and another to add the ultimate caption. Play around and let us know how it goes — we're excited to see what you make!
If You're Using a Smartphone
Giphy Cam: add stickers and filters to new or existing photos and video
- make a GIF on the go
- add unicorns, pizza, and cats
- good if you have preexisting video and want to add some funny effects/text to it
GifBoom: make GIFs on your phone and share them directly on social media
- make new GIFs from new or existing media
- share easily on any social network
Legend: animate text in your existing GIF
- when you've already made a GIF with your photos, but need to add an extra bit of sparkle
Photo Candy: add filters, patterns, and text to your existing GIF
If You're Using a Laptop or Desktop
GIFMaker: good for stitching together photos
- upload and stitch together a series of images
- preview the final version
- adjust size and speed
- reverse the direction of your GIF
Giphy GIF Maker: upload your own videos or pull video from online clips
- use on a YouTube or Vine video that contains a perfect GIF moment
- upload a short video clip already on your computer
- add a simple caption to a GIF you already have
Giphy Slideshow: stitch together still images to make a GIF
- great for the total GIF novice
- bare minimum materials: all you need are two still images
- add two GIFs together to make a funny mashup
- combine a sequence of photos to show action
Giphy GIF Caption: add a caption to an existing GIF
- personalize an existing GIF
- put a different spin on a GIF
- or just add a bunch of stickers
MakeGIF Video Capture: pull video from YouTube or Vimeo
- browser extension for Chrome
- allows you to capture sections of a longer video and translate it into a GIF
- choose the number of frames, speed and quality
GIF Paint: like MS paint, for GIFs
GIF Brewery: advanced editing without knowing Photoshop
- more advanced subtitles (maybe two people are going to talk in the same GIF and you want subtitles to alternate)
- fine-tune the size and frame count of the GIF
Giffing Tool: screen-grab anything on your PC and turn it into a GIF
- PC-friendly
- customize the frame of your GIF
GIF Grabber: screen-grabbing for Macs
- Mac-friendly
- customize the frame of your GIF