GIF Export palette-encodes the first 3–15 seconds of your owned clip into a looping animated GIF for Discord, docs, and lightweight social teasers.
What file does GIF export write?
GIF export writes a processed.gif at about 10 fps and ~480px wide using palettegen/paletteuse — not an MP4.
What does a 3–15s GIF change vs shipping a full MP4 teaser?
GIF export produces a 3–15s looping GIF teaser without a desktop encoder.
Concrete results of GIF export:
- Palette GIF at ~480px stays chat- and Discord-friendly.
- Duration control keeps file size predictable.
- Complements still/thumbnail when motion is the pitch.
What breaks when chat needs motion but only gets a still?
Without GIF export, teaser workflows fall back to shipping huge screen recordings as GIF or skipping teasers entirely.
What missing short motion teasers costs:
- Full-length MP4s fail in chat upload caps.
- Still frames miss the motion that sells the clip.
- Desktop GIF tools add another install for a 6-second loop.
How do lightweight GIF loops relate to Discord and docs?
A short looping teaser is lightweight motion teasers that travel in docs and Discord.
Why short loops still win in chat embeds:
- GIF still wins in places MP4 embeds break.
- Short loops communicate pace better than one thumbnail.
- Keeps teaser prep on the same owned master.
- Without GIF export, teams re-encode elsewhere just for chat.
GIF export starts from the clip beginning; stills remain better for covers.
When export a GIF vs a still or thumbnail?
Use still/thumbnail for covers and YouTube art; use GIF when motion in a short loop communicates the teaser better than one frame.
How long can the GIF be?
You choose 3–15 seconds (default 6). Longer loops grow file size quickly — keep Discord and chat uploads short.
What GIF export does not do?
It does not include audio, full-resolution 4K GIF, or mid-clip windowing — it always starts from the beginning of the uploaded file.
GIF export turns the first 3–15s of an owned clip into a lightweight looping teaser.