GIFs

Screen recording to GIF, sharp and small

GIFs autoplay everywhere: READMEs, docs, pull requests, Slack. ScreenRecordii makes them from your recording with zooms on each click, so a 720-pixel GIF still reads.

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In short

Record as usual, then export as GIF. The README preset makes a 720-pixel GIF at 12 frames per second that loops. Frames that don’t change are merged, which keeps files small, and zooms make the text readable at GIF sizes. Without sound, captions carry what you said.

Preset
README GIF: 720 px, 12 fps, loops
Sizes
320 to 1080 px wide, 5 to 30 fps
Smaller files
Identical frames are merged into one
Also
MP4 for anywhere a video plays

Why GIFs of screens are usually blurry

A GIF has at most 256 colours per frame and no real compression for motion, so full-screen recordings get shrunk until the text is unreadable, or they get huge. The fix is to show less of the screen: zoom on the part that matters, and keep the GIF short.

Making the GIF

  1. Record a short take

    One action, a few seconds. Crop to the window or area that matters.

  2. Let the zooms work

    Every click is zoomed, so the control is big enough to read at GIF size.

  3. Export as GIF

    Pick the README preset, or set the width and frame rate yourself. Long GIFs get large: trim or Tighten first.

Questions

How do I make a GIF on a Mac without extra apps?

macOS can’t save a screen recording as a GIF on its own. Its tools save MOV video. You need an app that exports GIF, such as ScreenRecordii.

How big will the GIF be?

It depends on how much moves on screen. Mostly static interfaces with a few changes stay small, because identical frames are merged. Over about 30 seconds, an MP4 is usually a better choice.

Can I copy the GIF straight to the clipboard?

Yes. Export to the clipboard and paste it into a chat, an issue or an email.

Keep reading

Hit record.

ScreenRecordii is in early access for macOS 14 and later.

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