Spinning GIF maker — make any image spin

Gifsy's spinning GIF maker makes any image spin: one full turn per loop, zoomed in so the corners never show. Think of it as a rotating GIF maker for photos, logos and badges. Add a picture, set the speed and download a 480 × 480 GIF. Free, no sign-up, no watermark, and your photo never leaves this tab.

Want the photo to move in real 3D, not a flat zoom? Try the 3D photo maker

↑ Add a photo to begin.

What the Spin effect does

The photo turns 360° in the plane of the picture, like a record, once per loop. It's drawn at 1.5× so the square frame stays filled at every angle — which means you see roughly the middle two-thirds of the photo. By default it keeps turning the same way; with Boomerang on, it turns and then rewinds.

Made with this tool from one stock photo: Spin, 20 fps, boomerang off. Download the GIF (2.3 MB)

  • Rotation

    360° per loop

    Flat, in the plane of the photo.

  • Crop

    1.5×

    About the middle two-thirds shows.

  • Loop

    30 frames

    One way round — about 1.5 s at 20 fps.

  • Output

    480 × 480 GIF

    Centre crop, one shared palette.

How to make a spin GIF

  1. 1

    Add a photo

    JPG, PNG or WebP. Keep the subject near the middle — the GIF is a square centre crop.

  2. 2

    Spin is already picked

    Set the speed (8–30 fps). Boomerang is off; turn it on to play the loop forward, then back.

  3. 3

    Make GIF, then download

    Frames render in your browser in seconds and save as animation.gif.

Photos that suit Spin

  • Works best
  • Round or symmetric subjects: flowers, records, wheels, badges
  • Photos taken from directly above
  • A subject centred in the frame
  • Boomerang on, if you want it to turn and then rewind
  • Works worst
  • Horizons and skylines — a rotating horizon is disorienting
  • Faces, which look odd upside down
  • Anything near the edge, which the 1.5× crop removes
  • A 3D coin-flip look — this spin is flat

Questions

Sending it to Slack, Discord or GitHub? Check the GIF size limits. More on effects, speed and file size in how to animate a photo into a GIF.

Does it spin in 3D, like a coin flip?

No — it's a flat spin in the plane of the photo, like a turntable seen from above. For a photo that really moves in depth, try the 3D photo maker.

Why is the photo cropped so much?

A rotating square leaves empty corners unless it's zoomed in. The photo is drawn at 1.5×, so the frame stays full at every angle and roughly the middle two-thirds of the picture is visible.

Can it turn and then rewind?

Yes, turn Boomerang on. By default it does one full turn per loop in a single direction; with Boomerang on, it turns one way and then back, and the file roughly doubles.

What photos spin best?

Round or symmetric ones shot from above — a flower head, a plate, a vinyl record, a badge. Anything with a clear up and down looks strange mid-turn.

Is it free, and is there a watermark?

Free, with no sign-up, no watermark and no limit on how many GIFs you make. The only paid thing on Gifsy is credits for the separate 3D model tool.

Is my photo uploaded?

No. The frames are drawn and the GIF is encoded by JavaScript in your browser tab; this tool has no upload endpoint. You can check in your browser's Network tab, or turn Wi-Fi off after your first GIF (which loads the encoder) and make another.

More GIF makers

Every effect is on the main GIF maker too — these pages just start with one set up. Starting from a clip instead? Try the MP4 and video to GIF maker.

Make it move in real 3D

A GIF effect moves the whole picture. A 3D photo separates the subject from the background and lets a visitor tilt it on your page — real parallax from one photo, with an embed code for any website.