GIF to FLV converter
Convert GIF to FLV in your browser. No upload and no account: the file never leaves your device, so the only size limit is your device’s memory.
Fit Meter
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Video has no transparency, so see-through parts of the GIF are filled with this color.
Bytes of your files sent anywhere: 0 B · nothing leaves this tab
Every request this page makes is listed as it happens. You’ll see our own code loading, and for some formats a codec engine, but never your file going out.
- Waiting for network activity…
Check it yourself: open your browser’s developer tools on the Network tab, or turn off Wi-Fi once the page has loaded. The tools keep working.
Related conversions
Other ways to convert GIF
Read more about the GIF format and the FLV format, or see every video tool and all video conversions.
Should you convert GIF to FLV?
Almost always. The same animation as FLV is typically a tenth of the size of the GIF, plays smoothly, and keeps full color. Choose it wherever video is accepted.
GIF is a 256-color image format best known for short looping animations; FLV is the video format of the Flash-era web. You only need FLV for streaming software or an old system that asks for it.
| Property | GIF | FLV |
|---|---|---|
| Usually contains | — | H.264 or Sorenson Spark video with AAC or MP3 audio |
| Support | Opens everywhere | A legacy format |
| Plays on | Every browser, chat app, phone and computer | VLC and some streaming software; no browser or phone plays it any more |
| Best for | Short, silent loops and reaction images | RTMP live-streaming pipelines that still expect it |
| Introduced | 1987 | 2002 |
How to convert GIF to FLV
- 01
Add your GIF
Drop your GIF video onto the box, or click to choose it. It is read from your disk and stays there.
- 02
Check the settings
The output is already set to FLV. Change the quality if you want to; the defaults suit most files.
- 03
Save the FLV
Press convert and save the FLV. Several files come back together as a ZIP.
What changes when GIF becomes FLV
Much smaller, same motion
GIF compresses each frame on its own; FLV stores only what changes between frames. A 10 MB GIF often becomes a 1 MB video with no visible difference.
No sound to carry
GIFs are silent, so the FLV has a picture track only. Loops don’t repeat inside a video file; most players and sites loop short clips themselves.
Expect a much smaller file
GIF: A five-second animation can easily pass 10 MB. FLV: Usually low resolution and modest size. Shrinking the file is often the main reason to make this conversion.
This page is put together from our notes on each format, choosing only what is true of GIF and FLV, so every pairing states the same facts the same way. How these pages are made.
Why it doesn’t upload
Your browser can already decode GIF frames and encode video with your device’s hardware. Uploading the GIF would only add a wait, so it stays on your device.
How to check for yourselfWorth knowing
- About the GIF. A few seconds of video as GIF is often ten times the size of the same clip as MP4, because GIF compresses each frame as a separate picture.
- About the FLV. Old FLVs often use the Sorenson Spark codec, which nothing modern decodes, so they must be re-encoded rather than just renamed.
- Browsers with WebCodecs convert to MP4, WebM, MOV and MKV instantly. Other formats, and older browsers, use the FFmpeg engine, a one-time 31 MB download.
Questions
Will the FLV loop like the GIF?
Video files don’t store a loop setting. Websites, chat apps and players loop short clips themselves, and video players have a repeat option.
Will a FLV play on my phone?
FLV a legacy format: VLC and some streaming software; no browser or phone plays it any more. VLC and mpv play FLV files.