FormatDrop
How-To Guide

How to Convert GIF to WebP

Animated WebP is a direct upgrade from GIF: 20-30% smaller file size, 24-bit colour (vs GIF's 256 colours), and proper alpha transparency. Browser support is excellent (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge). Converting GIFs to WebP for your website reduces bandwidth and improves page load speed.

Open GIF to WEBP Converter

Step-by-step instructions

  1. 1

    Method 1: Browser converter

    Go to formatdrop.com → Image Converter. Drop your GIF. Select WebP output. Download the animated WebP file. The converter preserves animation timing and frames.

    Go to converter
  2. 2

    Method 2: FFmpeg (with animation support)

    ffmpeg -i input.gif -vf 'scale=trunc(iw/2)*2:trunc(ih/2)*2' -loop 0 output.webp. The '-loop 0' flag makes the WebP loop infinitely (matching GIF behaviour). For a specific quality: add '-quality 85'. For lossless: add '-lossless 1'.

  3. 3

    Method 3: ImageMagick

    magick convert input.gif output.webp. ImageMagick converts animated GIF to animated WebP. For optimization: magick convert input.gif -quality 85 output.webp. For lossless: magick convert input.gif -define webp:lossless=true output.webp

  4. 4

    Use with <picture> for fallback

    Not all contexts support animated WebP: <picture><source srcset='animation.webp' type='image/webp'><img src='animation.gif' alt='animation'></picture>. This serves WebP to supporting browsers and falls back to GIF for others.

Why convert GIF to WEBP?

GIF's 256-colour limitation makes it particularly bad for animations with gradients, photos, or skin tones. WebP animation supports full 24-bit colour, so animations look better as WebP regardless of size. For websites: replacing GIFs with animated WebP (with MP4 fallback for best compression) is one of the highest-impact image optimizations available.

Your files never leave your device

FormatDrop runs the conversion engine entirely inside your browser using WebAssembly. No file upload. No server. Nothing stored. You can verify this by opening DevTools → Network tab and watching: zero upload requests.

Frequently asked questions

Does animated WebP work in all browsers?
Animated WebP is supported in: Chrome (since 2014), Firefox (since 2019), Safari (since 2022), Edge (since 2019). Older Safari (pre-2022) doesn't support animated WebP — use the <picture> element with GIF fallback. Email clients almost universally don't support animated WebP — stick with GIF for email animations.
Is WebP or GIF better for animations?
WebP is technically better: better compression (20-30% smaller), full colour support (GIF: 256 colours), better transparency. But GIF has better legacy compatibility. For web use where you control the environment: WebP or better yet MP4 (90%+ smaller than GIF). For email and chat apps: GIF for maximum compatibility.
Convert GIF to WEBP Now — Free

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