Can I upload my GIF to GIPHY afterwards?

Yes. Export the GIF from smooth.video, then upload it to your GIPHY channel like any other GIF.

Can I make a GIF from a YouTube video?

Not from a link. Add a video file from your computer to the scene and export it as a GIF.

No. Nothing is uploaded: the GIF is made in your browser and saved to your computer.

Can I generate many videos from a spreadsheet?

Not automatically. A script or an AI assistant can write one .smooth file per row, but each one is opened and exported by hand in the editor.

Can an AI assistant make the video?

Yes. The whole format is published at smooth.video/llms.txt: point ChatGPT, Claude or another assistant at it, describe the animation, and open the file it gives you.

Do I need to install anything?

No. The editor and the export both run in your browser.

GIPHY GIF Maker vs Remotion

GIPHY GIF Maker and Remotion side by side, as of September 2026: what each one costs, what it's made for, and when smooth.video, a free animation tool that runs in your browser with no account, does the job instead.

Open the editorFree, no signup, nothing to install

GIPHY GIF Maker vs Remotion at a glance

	GIPHY GIF Maker	Remotion	smooth.video
Price	Free, with ads	Free for individuals and companies of up to 3 people, then a company license	Free

As of September 2026. Plans change, so check those of GIPHY GIF Maker and Remotion before you decide.

GIPHY GIF Maker

Account: Required to create a GIF
What you get: A GIF uploaded to your GIPHY channel, public unless you set it to private
Starting point: A video under 15 seconds, images, or a YouTube link
Motion: Captions and stickers that appear and disappear
Sticker library: The whole GIPHY sticker library
Other exports: No

When GIPHY fits better

You want your GIFs out in the world: reaction GIFs or brand stickers on a GIPHY channel people can share from, with GIPHY's sticker library at hand while you make them.

GIPHY GIF Maker vs smooth.video

Remotion

How you make a video: React code
What you need: Node.js, a code editor and some React
Rendering: On your machine, a server or AWS Lambda
Transparent video: WebM or ProRes 4444
Videos generated from data, at scale: Yes
AI assistants: Agent skills and a Claude Code plugin

When Remotion fits better

You generate videos from data, personalize them for each user, render them on servers, embed a player in your app, or build your own video product. smooth.video has no API and no server rendering.

Remotion vs smooth.video

When smooth.video fits better

You need a GIF for an email, a website, a README or a slide, built from your own text and images, and you'd rather keep it off a public platform and skip the account.

You want one video, not ten thousand: you'd rather see it and drag things into place than write components, or the person making it doesn't code.

Open the editor

Start from a template

See all 172 templates

Logo reveal

1080×1080

A name that pops into place

Lower third

1920×1080

Name and title, on cue

Bold statement

1080×1920

Three lines, one point

Product drop

1080×1350

An announcement that lands

Count-up stat

1080×1080

A number that climbs

Quote card

1200×630

A line worth sharing

Questions

Can I upload my GIF to GIPHY afterwards?: Yes. Export the GIF from smooth.video, then upload it to your GIPHY channel like any other GIF.
Can I make a GIF from a YouTube video?: Not from a link. Add a video file from your computer to the scene and export it as a GIF.
Is my GIF public?: No. Nothing is uploaded: the GIF is made in your browser and saved to your computer.
Can I generate many videos from a spreadsheet?: Not automatically. A script or an AI assistant can write one .smooth file per row, but each one is opened and exported by hand in the editor.
Can an AI assistant make the video?: Yes. The whole format is published at smooth.video/llms.txt: point ChatGPT, Claude or another assistant at it, describe the animation, and open the file it gives you.
Do I need to install anything?: No. The editor and the export both run in your browser.