If you’ve been following Slate’s guide to loving and sharing GIFs, but what you really want is an easy way to make your own, GIF YouTube has you covered. The service has a quick trick for converting any clip.
All you have to do is add “gif” to any youtube URL between “www.” and “youtube.com.” So when you’re on a YouTube video and you have the sudden urge to make it a GIF, you make your URL look like www.gifyoutube.com/xyz and you’ll be transported to another world.*
TechCrunch reports that GIF YouTube is made by the developers of the all-GIF messaging app Glyphic, so you know you’re in the hands of true GIF devotees. But it also points out that since GIF YouTube isn’t sanctioned by real YouTube, the service could hear from YouTube legal any time and disappear. Better enjoy it now.
GIF made by GIF YouTube
GIF YouTube has a simple interface. You click on the point in the video where you want your GIF to start (you can’t control it down to the frame), and then you adjust the length of your GIF in one-second increments from one to 10—the default is five. Then you name your GIF and hit “Create GIF.” You approve a proof and then the magic happens. Intuitive!
Once your GIF is ready (they can take a few seconds to load), you can share it on social media or download it for future use. GIF YouTube is nice because it doesn’t add a watermark or any type of branding to the GIFs it spits out.
For now, you wield all the GIF power. Share responsibly. Or recklessly.
*Correction, Aug. 26, 2014: This blog post originally included an incorrect sample URL for using GIF YouTube.
