WEBM to GIF Converter

VP8, VP9, and AV1 — the three codecs inside WebM files

WebM is a container format developed by Google and released in 2010 alongside the VP8 codec. A WebM file can contain video encoded with VP8, VP9, or AV1, plus audio in Vorbis or Opus. Knowing which codec is inside your WebM file tells you what to expect from the GIF conversion in terms of speed, quality, and decode support.

VP8

The original WebM codec, released with Chrome 6 in 2010. Used by default in OBS Studio recordings when WebM output is selected, and in Loom recordings before 2022. Decodes quickly in the browser. GIF quality from VP8 source material is generally clean because VP8 applies relatively mild temporal filtering at typical screen recording bitrates (800 kbps to 3 Mbps). Identifying VP8: file size under 100 MB for a 5-minute recording usually means VP8.

VP9

Released in 2013, used by YouTube (1080p and above), Google Meet recordings, and newer OBS configurations. VP9 at high quality (CRF 24 or lower) produces sharper source material than VP8 at the same bitrate. The decoder is 30–50% slower than VP8 decode in WASM, so large 1080p VP9 clips will take longer to process. GIF output from VP9 source captures more fine detail in high-motion scenes such as game footage.

AV1

Released in 2018 by the Alliance for Open Media. Used in Firefox screen recordings, newer Chromium-based screen recorders, and YouTube (8K streams). AV1 achieves 30–50% better compression than VP9 at the same quality, but WASM decode is the most CPU-intensive of the three. A 1080p60 AV1 WebM clip may take 2–4× as long to process as equivalent H.264. Output GIF quality from AV1 source is excellent; the codec uses film-grain synthesis and advanced intra prediction that preserves fine texture in each frame.

Common WebM sources and their typical codec

• OBS Studio (default WebM profile) — VP8 at 2500 kbps; 30 or 60 fps
• Loom (before 2022) — VP8; after 2022 uploads use H.264 MP4
• Firefox screen recorder (about:recording) — VP8 or AV1 depending on Firefox version
• YouTube downloaded via yt-dlp — VP9 at 1080p and above; VP8 at 720p and below
• Google Meet cloud recording — VP9 typically; check file size vs. duration to confirm