Top 9 Windows GIF Capture Tools: Perfect Animation Preservation

Best GIF Recorders for Capturing Animated GIFs on Windows

Max Wales

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Screencasting on any version of Windows 7/8/10 is a simple task, and countless software products enable you to record your desktop activities.

Most screen recorders create MP4 or MOV files that can get quite large, making them hard to send or easily distribute over the Internet.

On the other hand, GIFs are small in size, and sending them via email or posting them on social media networks won’t require you to wait for a long time until the file is uploaded to the web.

However, there aren’t that many screen recorders for Windows OS that let you save screen recordings as GIF files, and for that reason, we’ve composed the list of best GIF Recorders for PCs. Let’s have a look at some of the most powerful software products for creating animated GIFs on Windows.

Best GIF Recorders to Capture Animated GIFs on Windows

Here are the 8 best recorders to have gifs for you to look at.

• Filmora GIF Recorder
• GIF Screen Recorder
• LICEcap
• Fraps
• VClip
• ShareX
• ScreenToGif
• Gyazo
• Recordit

1.Filmora GIF Recorder

Compatibility: Windows 11/10/8/7 and Mac

Filmora is known as a great video editor, but it’s also a screen recorder to make video gifs. It allows you to capture any videos online or from your computer screen with only simple click, and export the files with high quality. You are able to customize the area of recording to make a perfect gif.

Moreover, Filmora helps you to make your GIFs creative and interesting. With the editing toolkit, you can add text, titles, stickers to your animated gifs. Besides, it also comes with advanced features like AI portrait, green screen, which can help you easily change the background or people’s face in a video.

Free Download

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

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Free Download

For macOS 10.14 or later

Secure Download

2. GIF Screen Recorder

Price: $ 29,95

Compatibility: Windows XP (SP3) or later

If you are looking for a powerful screen recorder that offers easy-to-use screencasting tools, then this software is the right choice for you.

You can easily create GIFs that can be used in PowerPoint presentations, posted on blogs and websites, or sent via email.

GIF Screen Recorder lets you customize the region of the screen you’d like to capture, and it enables you to select the length of the preferred frame rate of the recording.

Starting a new screencast requires you to designate the screen area by dragging a corner of a large red rectangle that appears on the screen when you launch the GIF Screen Recorder and hit the Record button.

The software also features the editing mode to add subtitles to your animated GIFs or export image frames.

3. LICEcap

Price: Free

Compatibility: Windows XP or later, macOS 10.6 or later

This cross-platform application provides all the screencasting tools you’ll need to capture an animated GIF on your Mac or PC.

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Its users can move the screen recording frame, even while recording, choose the frame rate, or Start and Pause the recording using the Shift + Space keyboard shortcut.

The software’s main window is transparent, and it allows you to see a portion of the background beneath it. The LICEcap screen recorder will capture the amount of the screen over which it is located, so you’ll have to place it on the part of the desktop you want to record.

Click on the Record button to capture the animated GIF file and save it on your hard drive. LICEcap enables you to save your GIFs in LCF and GIF file formats, but its file-sharing capabilities are next to non-existent.

4. Fraps

Price: Free, Paid version: $37

Compatibility: Windows XP, 2003, Vista and 7

Fraps is probably one of the oldest screen recorders for gaming because it was released 18 years ago, and besides providing video capture features, it can also be used for benchmarking or displaying frame rates.

Fraps don’t offer support for GIF files, which means that you can only use it to create an MP.4 or AVI file that you can later convert to GIF file format. Capturing videos and still frames outside of a video game is not on the list of options the software offers.

The free version of this screen recording utility can only record 30-second videos, which limits your screencasting possibilities and makes it a perfect tool for generating short videos that can be easily converted to GIFs, at the same time.

Fraps works best with Nvidia and AMD Radeon graphics cards, and it is compatible with the most popular video games on the market.

5. VClip

Price: Free

Compatibility: Windows Vista and later

This basic screencasting tool lets you capture animated GIF files, but it doesn’t offer much more than that. Its users can produce GIFs that feature a full screen or select the area of the screen they want to record.

The Windows-based application allows you to select the frame rate and the output format. Besides, the GIF files VClip can also produce MP.4, AVI, OGG, or WebM files and it can capture videos at 30fps per second.

The VClip’s window is transparent, and you can drag one of its corners in any direction if you’d like to extend the area of the screen you want to capture.

Make sure that the GIF file format is selected in the Save menu, and hit the Rec button to start capturing your animated GIF file.

When you want to stop recording, click on the Save button and choose the destination on your hard drive where the file will be saved.

6. ShareX

Price: Free

Compatibility : Windows 7 or later

ShareX offers tools for screen capturing that are powerful enough to enable you to create GIF or video files. This open-source software provides many screen recording features, and it lets its users utilize the Freehand, Ellipse, and Rectangle region types.

The screen recording utility doesn’t allow you to change the frame rates or select the size of the video.

The annotation tools such as speech balloons or text outlines can be added to all types of screen recordings you produce with ShareX. You can choose from several different upload methods, and you can share the file on any popular social media network, including Flickr, Twitter, or Vimeo.

ShareX also offers photo editing features, but it doesn’t provide any video editing options, so making adjustments to the GIF you create with this application requires you to use another program.

7. ScreenToGif

Price: Free

Compatibility : Windows 7 or later

The ScreenToGif screen recorder offers three different methods of capturing a screen. You can take a screenshot, record a video, or use the sketch board. Making animated GIF files with this Windows-based application is a quick and fun process.

To start recording the GIF animation, you should adjust the size of the software’s transparent window and click on the Recorder icon. The Webcam option is also available to create PIP videos or GIF files.

You can save your files in GIF format, and you use the software’s editor to edit each frame you’ve captured. Editing animated GIFs created with other screen recorders is also an option that this remarkable screen capturing tool offers.

8. Gyazo

Price: Free version available, Pricing starts at $3,99 billed annually

Compatibility : Windows, Mac, iOS, Android…

Creating a GIF file with Gyazo is a straightforward process that takes a minimum amount of time and effort.

The free version of the app doesn’t offer any editing tools, but if you upgrade to Pro or Team plans you’ll be able to add annotations to your files or use the app without having to deal with ads. Up to five different people can use the Team plan, and it allows you to share files privately with the team.

Select the Capture GIF option in the software’s main window and then designate the area of your screen you’d like to turn into a GIF. After the screen recording session, you can edit the file by adding text elements or drawing with a free hand.

Gyazo provides powerful file-sharing options, and it enables you to share your animated GIF files with a single click.

9. Recordit

Price: Free

Compatibility: Windows 8 or later, Mac

There is nothing complicated about using this simple app the capture your desktop. Once you’ve installed the app, you can click on the icon that is located on the Task Bar or launch it from the Start menu.

You should hold and drag the left mouse button to select the portion of the screen you’d like to record, and then hit the Record button below the screen capturing frame you’ve created.

Click on the Stop button to finish the screen capturing session, and then wait for the video to be uploaded to Recordit’s server. Clicking on the notification that informs you that the video was successfully uploaded will take you to its online destination.

Play the file and click on the GIF button to convert the video file into a GIF. You can either download the file you’ve created or use its URL to share it on social networks.

FAQ: Find More about GIF Recorders

1. How do I record a GIF in Windows 10?

First of all, you need a Windows 10 screen recorder . You can choose to download LiceCap. First, open the software and click the “Record” button. Next, select the place you’d like to save it. Then, it has a countdown of 3 seconds before recording. Now it’s time to record gifs!

2. Can I turn a video into a GIF?

Definitely yes. All you need is an excellent tool. Here are some free tools that can help you turn a video into a GIF. Convertio is an online tool allowing you convert your mp4 files to gif for free. UniConverter is also a versatile tool that can turn your videos into gifs and convert images to gifs for free.

3. What is the best GIF recorder on Mac?

Lots of apps can record GIFs on Mac . I will recommend three software – Giphy Capture, GIF Brewery, and Smart GIF Maker.

Max Wales

Max Wales is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Max Wales

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