Want to download animated GIFs and reuse them on social media? Here’s a complete guide with all the methods and useful solutions for finding animated images.
Animated GIFs are a special image format composed of a sequence of frames played in a loop. They have no sound, are lightweight, and above all, perfect for use on social media.
You can share them on WhatsApp with your contacts, post them in an Instagram Story, add them in a comment on TikTok, and much more. A different, more direct, and fun way to communicate.
Want to expand your GIF library or find the one that best expresses the message you want to convey? In this guide, we’ll explain all the best and fastest ways to find them.
How to download animated GIFs
Downloading new animated GIFs is super easy. The method varies slightly depending on the device and platform you’re using.
For example, if you use a specialized site like Giphy, Tenor, and Pixabay, on a computer, simply click on a GIF, right-click, and then select Save image as..., making sure the extension is .gif. On a smartphone, simply hold down on a GIF and then tap Download image or Save to photo.
If you want to save them from social networks, the method is slightly different. From X (Twitter), for example, there’s no button to save them directly as a GIF. You’ll need to copy the post link and then paste it into third-party sites like Twitter Video Downloader (both on a PC and smartphone). On Facebook, however, you’ll need to click the source link and then download the GIF from the original site.
Finally, you might consider downloading a GIF from a messaging app. On WhatsApp, if you receive a GIF, you can save it to your Favorites by tapping the star that appears when you long-press on the file. If you want to download it to your phone’s gallery, you must have automatic media downloading enabled in your settings.
From Telegram, click the three dots in the corner of the received GIF and then tap Save to GIFs to make it available in the dedicated panel.
How to use animated GIFs
Once you’ve downloaded one or more animated GIFs, it’s time to use them. You can do this in a variety of contexts, from professional presentations to messaging apps.
If you need it in a Powerpoint or Word file, simply insert the GIF like a traditional image file. Then go to Insert > Pictures > This device and click on the .gif file.
If you want to insert it into an email, you can directly drag the GIF into the body of the message or use the Insert Photo icon.
You can also insert them into websites or WordPress/HTML blogs. To do this, simply use the Image Block or GIF Block in the Gutenberg editor or use the HTML code tag.
Finally, we come to the two most common methods: messaging and social media. On apps like WhatsApp and Telegram, you can upload them from the gallery or use the GIF key on your keyboard to search for them from the GIPHY and Tenor databases. On Facebook or X, you must paste the direct link to the GIF to make it play in the feed.
Where to download animated GIFs
Now that you know how to download and use animated GIFs, there’s just one last step left: where to download them?
In the following chapters, we’ll list the main and most popular methods for getting GIFs for every need.
Specialized Sites
First, you can’t help but start with specialized GIF sites like GIPHY or Tenor. These are very popular platforms, offering nearly endless databases of content from movies, TV series, and web trends.
GIPHY is the absolute global benchmark, so much so that it’s even integrated into social networks and messaging platforms. There’s a search bar where you can enter keywords to find what you’re looking for.
The same goes for Tenor, which is very similar to GIPHY in terms of usage and popularity. You may have already seen this name: many smartphone keyboards use it as a search engine.
Finally, you might also consider trying Pinterest. It’s an excellent portal, especially for designer or artistic GIFs.
Stock Sites
Another source for downloading high-quality GIFs are free stock sites. There are several that offer copyright-free elements for creative projects, blogs, and presentations.
Starting with Pixabay GIF, which offers thousands of animated images and stickers that can be downloaded for free and reused, even for commercial purposes.
Pexels is also very useful, another portal that offers short videos and high-quality GIFs, ideal especially for websites.
Other tools
There are other tools that, beyond simply downloading GIFs, can also be useful for editing projects and graphic creations for publication.
The king of this category is Canva, which, in addition to allowing you to download ready-made GIFs, also lets you create your own from animated graphics or text.
And then there’s gifanimate.com, a more traditional website that contains hundreds of animated GIFs organized by category.
There’s also Google Images, which, thanks to its search filters, allows you to find a good selection of GIFs. Just enter a keyword, go to Tools > Type > GIF. If you want to use them for public purposes, we recommend checking the license first.
Social networks
Finally, there are social networks, which allow you to access selections and download animated GIFs.
The best one for this is X (Twitter). If you copy the link to a post and paste it into third-party websites like Twitter Video Downloader, you’ll get it as a .gif file.
From Facebook, just click on a GIF to open it in full screen, go to the original website (e.g., GIPHY), and then save it.
For Instagram, the GIF format is not natively supported. However, you can insert them using the Stickers button in your stories and then save the content to convert it to .gif. Or you can create custom Reels, which you can also save and convert.
How to create animated GIFs
Want to create personal GIFs from a video on your phone? Or do you want to add text to an existing GIF? Nothing could be simpler.
For example, you can use sites like GIPHY Create and EZGIF that allow you to upload a video or paste a YouTube link, mark the start and end points, add text or stickers, and then save.
If you’ve taken multiple photos in sequence, you can combine them and play them as a GIF via Google Photos or Canva. In both cases, go to Create and add the transition. When saving, choose the .gif format for export.
There are also dedicated apps on smartphones like ImgPlay, a very intuitive service for combining photos, videos, and Live Photos. On WhatsApp, if you upload videos shorter than 6 seconds, you can press the GIF button in the top right to convert them.
Finally, there are professional solutions like Photoshop, where you can import frames by going to File > Scripts > Load File into Batch, then opening the Timeline, clicking Create Frame Animation, and finally exporting from File > Export > Save for Web and selecting the .gif format.
Original article published on Money.it Italy. Original title: Come scaricare GIF animate e dove trovarle gratis
