GIF to WebP Converter
You have a GIF and want a modern still image for a web page. This converter takes the first frame and saves it as WebP on your device, with a quality setting you control. It does not create an animated WebP, so any movement in the GIF is dropped. Nothing is uploaded.
How to convert GIF to WEBP
- Add your GIF files by dropping them, clicking the drop zone or pasting.
- The output format is already set to WEBP. Adjust quality or size if you need to.
- Press Convert and compare the original and new size for each file.
- Download each file or all of them as a ZIP.
When to convert, and when not to
- You want a still preview or thumbnail for a web page from a GIF.
- Your site already uses WebP and you want consistent formats.
- You need transparency kept in a modern format.
- Do not use this if you want to preserve a looping animation. This tool outputs one frame only.
What changes
- Only the first frame is converted, so the WebP is a still image.
- Transparency is preserved, and WebP can also hold soft edges if you later edit it.
- The quality slider applies, because WebP here is written in lossy form.
- The GIF's colour limit is not reversed, so any banding in the source stays visible.
- Metadata is not copied.
When a still WebP is the right result
Animated GIFs can be heavy, and some pages only need a still preview until the visitor chooses to play something. A single WebP frame can serve as that placeholder. The converter extracts the first frame and encodes it with your chosen quality.
If your goal is to replace a whole animation with a lighter animated format, this page is not the right tool. It deliberately produces a single picture and says so in the title and description.
A common setup is a still WebP placeholder that loads first, with the full animation fetched only when a visitor clicks. The converter on this page produces the placeholder. Convert your GIF, upload the WebP to your site as the thumbnail, and keep the original GIF or a video file for the interactive part of the page.
Choosing a quality value for a flat graphic
Many GIFs are cartoons or flat graphics. Lossy compression can leave faint smudges around hard edges and text, so use a high quality setting for those. Photographic first frames tolerate lower values better.
Convert one file, zoom in at full size, and compare the size shown beside it with the original. Adjust the slider until you find the balance that you are happy with for your own pictures.
Remember that the same slider value can look different on different pictures. A flat cartoon at a moderate value may show ringing around its outlines, while a busy photographic frame at the same value looks fine. That is why the better habit is to preview each type of image once instead of applying one number to everything.
Why the colours still look limited
The GIF format can only use a small palette, and that reduction happened when the GIF was created. Converting to WebP cannot add the lost colours back, so a posterised look remains in the new file.
WebP will not make the picture worse in that respect, but it will not repair it either. If you have the original source image, converting that directly will give a better result.
If a banded sky or skin tone in the GIF is a problem, there is no setting on this page that fixes it. The choices are to find a better source file, or to accept the look. When you do have the original, convert it directly and the result will be noticeably smoother than anything derived from the GIF.
Privacy: your files stay on your device
- The tool decodes, resizes and encodes your pictures with your browser. The files are never sent to a server.
- To check it yourself: open the browser developer tools (F12), open the Network tab, convert a file, and look for any request that carries your image. You will see none.
Frequently asked questions
Does the output animate?
No. The WebP is a still image built from the GIF's first frame.
Is transparency supported?
Yes. Transparent areas of the GIF stay transparent in the WebP.
Can I control the quality?
Yes. Use the quality slider, then compare the sizes shown for your files.
Will the WebP be smaller than the GIF?
It depends on the picture. Convert one of your own files and read the sizes in the list.
Does my browser need to support WebP?
It needs to be able to write WebP. The page tests this and disables the option if it cannot.