# Gif to Video

> Convert an animated GIF into an MP4 for free, loop short GIFs to a usable length, and use the clip as a motion reference for video models that refuse GIF files.

Source: https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/video/gif-to-video

The **Gif to Video** node converts an animated GIF into an MP4 video. Its main job is to let you use a GIF as a **motion reference** for video models that reject GIF files, such as [Seedance 2](https://nodaro.ai/docs/models/video/seedance-2). The conversion runs without an AI model and costs no credits.

- Found in: Video › Format & Export
- Output: video
- API type: `gif-to-video`

## When to use it
- You want a reaction GIF to drive the motion of a new clip in [Generate Video](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/video/generate-video).
- You want a looping animation as an MP4 for editing, for an overlay or for an upload.
- You want a GIF with uneven frame timing as a clip with a constant frame rate.

## Quick start
### Add the node

Press Tab on the canvas and choose **Video › Format & Export › Gif to Video**.

### Add the GIF

Drop a GIF on the node's own upload area, or connect an image node that holds a `.gif` file, such as [Upload Image](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/image/upload-image), to the **GIF** input.

### Check the settings

The defaults suit most motion references: the GIF is looped to 3 seconds and smoothed to 24 fps. Change them in the settings panel if needed.

### Run it and use the MP4

Click **Run**. Connect the **Video** output to the **Video Refs** input of [Generate Video](https://nodaro.ai/docs/nodes/video/generate-video).

Workflow: A GIF becomes an MP4 motion reference for a Seedance 2 generation.

- Upload Image → Gif to Video (GIF)
- Gif to Video → Generate Video (video refs)
- Text → Generate Video (prompt)

## Inputs
| Input | Accepts | What it does |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **GIF** | Image nodes that hold a GIF, such as Upload Image | The animated GIF to convert. You can upload the GIF on the node instead. |

The output, **Video**, is an H.264 MP4.

## Settings
| Setting | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| **Extend short GIFs to a target length** | On by default. Loops the GIF up to **Target Duration**, so the clip is long enough to work as a motion reference. |
| **Target Duration** | A slider from 2 to 8 seconds. The default is 3 seconds. Shown while the option above is on. |
| **Motion smoothing** | **Smooth (interpolate to 24fps)**, the default, adds in-between frames for smooth motion. **Preserve original timing** keeps the GIF's stepped, choppy character. |
| **Transparent background** | **White** (the default) or **Black**. MP4 cannot store transparency, so transparent pixels are filled with this color. |

## How the node loops and trims a GIF

Most GIFs are shorter than the roughly 2 seconds a motion reference needs. The node loops them in a way that does not add a false motion:

- **A GIF that loops cleanly**, whose last frame matches its first, repeats end to end.
- **A GIF that does not loop cleanly** plays forward, then backward. A hard jump back to the start would look like a sudden movement, and the video model would copy it.

Two rules apply whatever the settings are:

- A GIF shorter than about 2 seconds is always looped.
- A GIF longer than 8 seconds is trimmed to between 3 and 8 seconds. A long reference makes a model choose the motion inconsistently from run to run.

## Credits
Gif to Video costs 0 credits. Results are saved, so running the same GIF again with the same settings returns the result at once.

## Tips
- **Match smoothing to the source.** Keep **Smooth** for real footage. Choose **Preserve original timing** for pixel art and hard-edged graphic loops.
- **Keep references short.** A clip of 3 to 8 seconds gives the model one clear motion to follow.
- **Describe heavy effects in the prompt.** Double exposure, ghosting and trails in a GIF are often read as camera motion. Say in the video prompt that the effect is a style.

## Troubleshooting
**The result is a still clip and the run shows a warning.** The GIF has only one frame, so there is no motion to transfer. Use an animated GIF.

## Frequently asked questions

### Why do I need to convert a GIF before using it as a motion reference?

Some video models, for example Seedance 2, accept only MP4 or MOV files as a reference video and reject a GIF. Gif to Video turns the GIF into an MP4 that you can wire into the video node like any other clip.

### Does Gif to Video cost credits?

No. The conversion runs inside Nodaro without an AI model, so it costs 0 credits. Running the same GIF again with the same settings returns the saved result at once.

### What happens to a GIF that is shorter than 2 seconds?

The node loops it up to the Target Duration, because a motion reference needs about 2 seconds. A GIF below that length is looped even when Extend short GIFs to a target length is off.

### How do I keep the choppy look of a pixel-art GIF?

Set Motion smoothing to Preserve original timing. The default, Smooth, adds in-between frames at 24 fps, which suits real footage but can smear hard-edged graphics.

### What happens to transparent pixels in the GIF?

MP4 cannot store transparency, so transparent areas are filled with the Transparent background color, white or black.