GIPHY Create vs LICEcap

GIPHY Create is a free GIF maker for turning images and videos into GIFs. It accepts JPG, PNG, GIF, MP4, MOV, and WebM files, and can also bring in media through URLs from GIPHY, YouTube, Vimeo, and other sources. Users can add captions and stickers, apply filters, edit layers, and crop their creations; the sticker tool accepts JPG and PNG images. Desktop source videos must be under 100 MB and shorter than 15 seconds, and finished GIFs can be up to 15 seconds long. The desktop maker requires users to sign in to a GIPHY account. During creation, a GIF can be set to private, visible only to its creator while logged in and not shareable. GIPHY says creations can also be shared through social platforms, text message, and email. The mobile GIFMaker app can record GIFs and offers captions, effects, stickers, and trimming. GIPHY also provides an API and SDK for integrating its content into apps.

LICEcap captures a selected area of a Windows or macOS desktop and saves animated recordings as GIF or LCF files. During recording, the frame can be moved, recording can be paused and restarted, and an optional text message can be inserted when pausing. Shift+Space provides a global pause toggle. Capture settings include a maximum frame rate, a basic title frame, mouse-button recording and elapsed-time display. LCF is the native format; the maker says it offers higher compression than GIF, more than 256 colors per frame and more accurate timestamps. LCF recordings can play in REAPER, where they can be converted to GIF or another video format. LICEcap is GPL free software, and download packages include source code. Version 1.32 downloads for Windows and macOS are dated June 8, 2022. Listed Windows support spans XP through 11, while macOS requirements cover 10.7–12.x on Intel 64-bit or M1. The maker recommends a reasonably fast CPU and at least 1GB of RAM, especially for LCF encoding. Discussion is directed to Cockos Forums.