The 7 Best GIF Editors for Social Media in 2023

GIFs (Graphics Interchange Format) have become one of the most popular ways to share emotions, humor, and ideas on social media. According to HubSpot, TikTok videos using GIFs generate over 11 million more views than videos without them. It‘s clear these bite-sized animated clips captivate audiences.

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But where do GIFs come from and how are they made?

A Quick Introduction to GIFs

GIF stands for Graphics Interchange Format. It is an image container that can hold multiple pictures and display them in quick succession as a short, looping video.

Here are some key advantages of GIFs:

  • Compact file size makes them easy to share
  • Animated nature grabs attention
  • Looping playback emphasizes emotions/reactions
  • Supported across social media platforms

Common use cases for GIFs include:

  • Communicating emotions and reactions
  • Telling jokes or humor
  • Expressing ideas visually
  • Creating memes
  • Enhancing social media engagement

GIFs are most often created from short video clips. You can take an existing video and use a GIF editing tool to extract the perfect animated moment.

There are also advanced tools like Adobe Photoshop that allow you to create GIFs completely from scratch.

Here are 7 of the most powerful GIF editors to help you make high-quality, engaging GIF content.

1. Veed – The All-in-One GIF Maker

Veed is an intuitive online GIF editor perfect for creating great looking animations. With a simple drag and drop interface, you can upload a video or GIF and trim, crop, rotate, and tweak it.

Key Veed Features:

  • Trim videos into short GIFs
  • Crop and rotating editing
  • Change GIF speed and direction
  • Add subtitles and stickers
  • Access 100M+ GIFs via Giphy
  • Create square GIFs for Instagram

Let‘s see how easy it is to make a GIF with Veed:

  1. Go to Veed.io and click Try for Free
  2. Upload your video file to Veed
  3. Use the timeline editor trim it to 6 seconds
  4. Crop and rotate to frame the perfect moment
  5. Change the GIF speed if needed
  6. Click Export and download your new GIF!

Veed has a free forever plan allowing unlimited exports. Paid plans start at $9 per month and add features like longer GIFs, video stock, and better quality exports.

Pros

  • Very user-friendly editor
  • Tons of editing features
  • Direct Giphy integration
  • Free plan available

Cons

  • Maximum 6 second GIFs for free users
  • Limited video resolution on free plan

2. Flixier – Spice Up Your GIFs

Flixier is a free online creative platform made for editing videos and GIFs. It has unique tools to take your GIF game to the next level.

Key Flixier Features:

  • Import GIFs from Giphy and Tenor
  • Easily add animated text
  • Customizable templates
  • Layer multiple GIFs
  • Attach audio tracks
  • Export square GIFs for Instagram

Let‘s see how to remix a GIF with Flixier:

  1. Go to Flixier Editor
  2. Click Elements tab to browse Giphy trending GIFs
  3. Drag your chosen GIF to the center
  4. Get creative adding text, templates, music etc
  5. Preview until satisfied
  6. Export your unique GIF!

Flixier lets you make pro-level GIFs completely free. It‘s advertiser supported rather than a paid subscription.

Pros

  • Import GIFs from major libraries
  • Cool premade templates/designs
  • Fun audio attachment
  • Easy animated text
  • Completely free

Cons

  • Must watch ads
  • Exports can lack polish

3. Kapwing – Feature-Packed GIF Creator

Kapwing is an online creative suite tailored for GIFs, memes and more. It packs a ton of options to help you remix existing GIFs or craft new masterpieces.

Key Kapwing Features:

  • Frame-by-frame GIF trimmer
  • Resize canvas up to 50MB
  • Adjust GIF speed
  • Animate imported images
  • Add subtitles, stickers and effects
  • Kapwing Slides plugin to access GIF templates

Let‘s see how to liven up a stale GIF with Kapwing:

  1. Go to Kapwing and click Create GIF
  2. Upload your GIF or use Slides plugin to browse
  3. Trim the start/end frames
  4. Resize canvas and adjust speed as needed
  5. Get creative adding overlays, text, effects!
  6. Click Export GIF and download

Kapwing has both free and paid plans. The Plus plan is $20 per month and adds features like unlimited exports, uploads, and gallery templates.

Pros

  • Robust editing and customization tools
  • Video/image converter built-in
  • Feature-packed Slides plugin
  • Paid plans still affordable

Cons

  • Interface less intuitive than simpler tools
  • Steeper learning curve

4. Descript – The Fastest GIF Maker

For quick and painless GIF creation, Descript is the best fit. It‘s made specifically for converting existing videos into perfectly-looped GIFs.

Key Descript Features

  • Upload video to auto-extract GIF
  • Easily customize start/end points
  • Add stylish captions
  • Export properly sized GIFs for each platform
  • Schedule videos and GIFs

Here‘s how to rapidly generate share-worthy GIFs with Descript:

  1. Install the Descript app
  2. Click Upload video and choose clip
  3. Edit start/end points with handy previews
  4. Add colorful text overlays
  5. Select desired platform e.g. Twitter, Instagram
  6. Export polished GIF straight to app!

Descript offers a permanently free version. Paid plans start at $10 per month and add features like publishing control and storage.

Pros

  • Quickest video-to-GIF turnaround
  • Handy pre-sized platform templates
  • Schedule videos and GIFs
  • Straightforward editor

Cons

  • Less customization options
  • Must download desktop app

5. Adobe Photoshop – Craft Pixel-Perfect GIFs

For professionals, Adobe Photoshop remains the gold standard for design work – including GIFs. The animation toolset allows you to create frame-by-frame animations just like mini movies.

Key Photoshop Features:

  • Customize timeline with frames
  • Tweak frame delay down to centiseconds
  • Draw each frame individually
  • Add overlays frame-by-frame
  • Rearrange or duplicate frames
  • Export for web or presentations

Let‘s run through a basic GIF creation workflow in Photoshop:

  1. Build your animation frames as layers
  2. Open Timeline panel to view frames
  3. Customize frame timing as needed
  4. Click Convert to GIF
  5. Select desired loop settings
  6. Export your polished GIF!

Photoshop is available only as part of Adobe‘s Creative Cloud plans, starting at $9.99 per month.

Pros

  • Unparalleled creative control
  • Animation-specific toolkit
  • Integrates with other CC apps
  • Industry standard tool

Cons

  • Steep learning curve
  • Monthly subscription
  • Overkill for basic GIFs

6. Ezgif – Simple GIF Editor

If you want a straightforward editor for basic GIF modifications, Ezgif is a slick online utility. While options are limited, it nails the fundamentals like cropping, resizing and optimization.

Key Ezgif Features:

  • Crop and resize GIFs
  • Rotate and flip
  • Alter image quality
  • Change speed
  • Reverse GIF playback
  • Basic sticker/caption addition

Here is a quick run-through of Ezgif‘s editing process:

  1. Go to EzGif and click Upload a GIF
  2. Perform cropping and resizing as desired
  3. Rotate or flip orientation if required
  4. Click Save Changes and download edited GIF!

Ezgif is fully free with no paid tiers. Users must contend with ads and daily usage limits.

Pros

  • Easy to pickup and use
  • Handles GIF fundamentals
  • Completely free

Cons

  • Very limited feature set
  • Daily usage limits apply
  • Must work around ads

7. GIF Maker (iOS) – Mobile GIF Editor

For iPhone users, GIF Maker by Float Tech LLC is a handy mobile editor. It makes turning videos into GIFs simple, even on your phone.

Key GIF Maker Features:

  • Import videos from camera roll
  • Intuitive editing tools
  • Customize start/end points
  • Add text captions
  • Personalize with filters
  • Share directly to social apps

Here‘s how to quickly create a GIF on your iPhone:

  1. Download GIF Maker from the App Store
  2. Tap ‘+‘ to selectdesired video
  3. Drag sliders to set start/end points
  4. Enter text overlays if needed
  5. Choose filter look and emoji art
  6. Tap Export to save GIF

GIF Maker is free to download but limits exports. A $2.99 upgrade unlocks unlimited use and stickers.

Pros

  • Streamlined mobile interface
  • Directly access device videos
  • Integrates with iOS sharing

Cons

  • Limited features without upgrade
  • iOS only

Takeaways – Choose the Best GIF Editor for You

GIFs can transform social media engagement when used strategically. With the right editing tools, you can source great GIF content or create eye-catching animations from your own videos.

For simplicity, Veed, Flixier and Descript offer easy-to-use tools for basic GIF editing needs.

For customization, Kapwing and Adobe Photoshop provide advanced options for crafting professional level GIFs.

For mobile, GIF Maker makes editing GIFs on iPhone a breeze.

As you venture into the world of GIF creation, experiment with different apps and find an editor that aligns with your needs. With high-quality, purpose-driven GIFs, you are sure to boost audience interaction across all major platforms.

Have you created any awesome GIF content? Share your favorites or recommendations in the comments below!

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