How to turn an iPhone screen recording into a GIF
Screen recordings from an iPhone are MOV files at full screen resolution. How to make a small, sharp GIF from one for a bug report, a README or a chat.
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In short: Trim the screen recording to the few seconds you need, then convert it with Video to GIF at about 320 to 480 pixels wide and 10 to 15 frames per second. That keeps text readable and the GIF small enough for chat apps and documentation.
Why a straight conversion is huge
An iPhone records the screen at its full resolution, over a thousand pixels wide, and often at 60 frames a second. A GIF stores every frame as a picture, so converting that directly produces tens of megabytes for a few seconds.
Settings that work
Width: 320 to 480 pixels. A phone screen is tall and narrow, so this still gives legible text.
Frame rate: 10 to 15. Screen content changes in steps, not continuous motion, and nobody sees the difference.
Colours: 128 is usually enough for interface screenshots and halves the size again.
When a GIF is the wrong format
GitHub, Slack and most chat apps also play short MP4s inline, at a fraction of the size. If the destination accepts video, Compress Video gives a clearer result.
Questions
How do I make a GIF from a screen recording on iPhone?
Save the recording to Files, open Video to GIF on this site in the phone's browser, and add it. Set the width to 320 or 480 and the frame rate to about 12.