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API GUIDE

How to convert a video to a GIF with an API

A good GIF needs a generated colour palette, or it looks banded and huge. In FFmpeg that is a two-pass palette dance. With an API you set an fps and a width and get a clean GIF back.

Try convert video to gifRead the docs

The manual FFmpeg way

Two passes, a temporary palette file and matching filters on each pass. A typed tool takes fps and width and produces the optimised GIF in one job.

ffmpeg -ss 3 -t 5 -i input.mp4 -vf "fps=15,scale=640:-1:flags=lanczos,palettegen" palette.png && ffmpeg -ss 3 -t 5 -i input.mp4 -i palette.png -lavfi "fps=15,scale=640:-1:flags=lanczos[x];[x][1:v]paletteuse" out.gif

Do it with one API call

  1. 1

    Provide the source clip

    Give a public URL or upload the file and use the returned media URL as "main".

  2. 2

    Call the GIF tool

    Set fps and width, and optionally a start time, to control size and smoothness.

  3. 3

    Download the GIF

    Poll the job and download the finished GIF from the signed output URL.

REST
curl https://kinopipe.com/api/v1/tools/convert-video-to-gif \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer kp_live_..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "inputs": [ { "id": "main", "url": "https://example.com/input.mp4" } ],
    "options": { "start": 3, "fps": 15, "width": 640 }
  }'
Or just ask your agent
Connect the KinoPipe MCP server and say it in plain language:

“Turn the first five seconds of input.mp4 into a GIF at 15 fps, 640px wide.”

Connect MCP

FAQ

Does the GIF use an optimised palette?

Yes. KinoPipe generates a per-clip palette so the GIF looks clean without banding, and keeps the file reasonable.

How do I keep the file small?

Lower the fps and width, and trim to a short start range. Both options are set on the request.

Open the convert video to gif tool ← All guides