Uwarp

Upload an animated GIF, choose start and end times, then click Cut GIF to preview the trimmed animation.

Or try an example

Start time (seconds)
End time (seconds)

Help Us Improve

—

(—)

GIF Cutter online

Free GIF cutter: cut animated GIFs by time in seconds—choose start and end times, preview the trimmed animation, download instantly. No upload, private browser processing.

What is a GIF cutter?

A GIF cutter trims the timeline of an animated GIF by letting you select a start time and end time. It removes everything before and after your chosen range, keeping only the frames you want. Unlike a frame cutter (/shorten-gif) where you count frame numbers, this tool works in seconds—ideal when you know the timestamp of the moment to extract. Upload, set times, cut, preview, download—all client-side, no server upload.

GIF cutter features

Cut and trim animated GIFs by time in your browser.

  • Time-based cutting

    Set start and end times in seconds—snaps to frame boundaries.

  • Duration display

    Shows exact total duration and frame count on upload.

  • Instant preview

    See the trimmed GIF play before saving.

  • Smaller files

    Removing time segments often reduces GIF file size.

  • Keep original timing

    Frames you keep retain their source per-frame delays.

  • GIF download

    Save trimmed results as gif-cutter.gif.

How to cut a GIF online

Steps to trim animated GIFs by time.

  1. Upload animated GIF

    Drop or browse a .gif file (15 MB max).

  2. Set time range

    Choose start and end times in seconds to select the segment you want to keep.

  3. Cut GIF

    Click the Cut GIF button to remove everything outside the time range.

  4. Download GIF

    Save the cut animation to your device.

Tips for cutting GIFs

Get cleaner results when trimming by time.
  • 01

    Watch the original first

    Preview the upload to estimate which seconds to keep.

  • 02

    Start at 0s to keep the beginning

    Leave start at 0 to cut only the end, or set end to max to cut only the intro.

  • 03

    Speed vs cut

    To change playback speed without removing frames, use /gif-speed-changer.

  • 04

    Frame snap

    Times snap to the nearest frame boundary—tiny fractions may round slightly.

  • 05

    Reverse after cut

    Cut first, then use /reverse-gif if you want the segment backwards.

  • 06

    Large GIFs take longer

    Many frames need more memory—trim on desktop for big files.

GIF Cutter Tools Compared — Time-Based vs Frame-Based

How this free GIF cutter compares to other popular trimming approaches.

  • Ezgif.com

    GIF cut tool with both time and frame number controls. Server upload required.

  • Shorten GIF

    Frame-based GIF shortener. Good when you know the exact frame numbers, but requires counting frames.

  • GIF Cutter

    Time-based cutting in seconds. More intuitive for timestamp-based editing—set start and end, preview, download.

  • Clideo.com

    GIF trim in timeline editor. Free with watermark. More complex interface.

  • GIFSpeed.com

    GIF trim in toolbox with time selection. WebAssembly processing.

When to use a GIF cutter

Typical uses for a timed GIF cutter and trimmer.

  • Clip highlight moment

    Extract the funniest or most useful seconds from a longer GIF.

  • Remove slow intros

    Skip the first seconds when a GIF fades in or loads slowly.

  • Trim dead air

    Cut silent or static tails at the end of screen recordings.

  • Reduce file size

    Help meet chat app upload limits by removing unneeded time.

  • Prep for loop

    Cut a start and end time to create a seamless looping segment.

  • Edit screen captures

    Remove setup and closing seconds from recorded GIF demos.

Why use this GIF cutter

Benefits of time-based GIF cutting in the browser.

  • Time-based slider

    Cut by seconds, not frame numbers—more intuitive for most users.

  • Private

    GIFs never leave your browser during editing.

  • Free

    Unlimited cuts and downloads without watermarks.

  • No install

    Works on desktop and mobile browsers.

  • Live preview

    See the cut result before downloading.

  • Simple controls

    Two sliders and one Cut button.

Technical details

How time-based GIF cutting works in the browser.
GIF decode
gifuct-js decompresses all frames with per-frame delay metadata.
Time resolution
Times in seconds (0.01s precision) converted to frame indices by summing delays.
Frame slice
Start index and end index derived from cumulative frame durations.
GIF encode
gifenc rewrites kept frames with original per-frame delays.
Canvas size
Output matches the source GIF logical screen.
Input format
Animated GIF only (.gif).
Limits
15 MB max upload; frame count limited by browser memory.

Sources & References

Authoritative references on frame rate and GIF animation, the Canvas rendering technology this tool uses, and the GIF output format.
  • “Frame rate is the frequency at which consecutive images are displayed in an animated display.”
    — Wikipedia — Frame rate

    Frame rate in animated displays: This tool cuts GIFs by time—selecting a range in seconds and converting to frame boundaries using per-frame delay metadata. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frame_rate

  • “The Canvas API provides a means for drawing graphics via JavaScript and the HTML canvas element.”
    — MDN Web Docs — Canvas API

    Canvas API (client-side frame processing): This tool uses Canvas 2D to decode GIF frames and re-encode only the selected time range—all processed locally using gifuct-js and gifenc. developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/Canvas_API

  • “The Graphics Interchange Format is a bitmap image format that supports up to 8 bits per pixel, allowing a single image to reference a palette of up to 256 distinct colors.”
    — Wikipedia — GIF

    GIF format and animation: This tool works within the GIF format's frame-based animation model—decoding all frames, computing frame boundaries from delay times, and re-encoding only the kept frames. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GIF

  • “PNG supports lossless data compression, making it useful for storing graphics that need to be edited repeatedly without losing quality.”
    — W3C — PNG Specification (overview)

    PNG image format: While this tool outputs GIF, the PNG specification documents lossless compression principles that apply broadly to understanding image format fundamentals. w3.org/TR/PNG/

Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers about this tool—open a question to read more.