GIF file size for Etsy, email, and shop sections

A GIF is a bad video codec that happens to loop in places video still cannot go. A 5 second HD GIF at full frame rate can be tens of megabytes. Email and some listing fields will reject it, and a shopper on a phone will not wait for it.

What the export actually does

Motionframe renders the MP4 first, then builds the GIF at 10 frames a second with a 128-color palette. Standard exports are about 480 pixels wide. If the file is still over 6 MB, it encodes again narrower. That is why the GIF and the MP4 do not look identical. The MP4 keeps the color. The GIF keeps the loop.

Which file to send where

• Email and older image slots: GIF, after you glance at the file size.
• Shopify, Amazon, TikTok: MP4.
• Etsy: MP4 for the listing video, GIF only if a specific field asks for an image.
• Color-critical goods, especially stones and dyed fabric: prefer the MP4.

If a platform publishes a hard ceiling, believe the platform. Shrink further in another tool rather than upscaling a GIF, which only makes a larger blurry file.