GIF or MP4 for a product loop?
Use GIF when it has to play anywhere with no player, or when you need a transparent background. Use MP4 everywhere else: it is far smaller and has no 256-colour limit.
- Runs in your browser
- Files never uploaded
- Free to start
How to do it
- Need a transparent background? GIF, because no video format carries real transparency.
- Going in email, a README, a chat message or a Notion page? GIF, because those render it inline without a player.
- Going on a website, a landing page or social? MP4, for the size and the colour range.
- Export either from the MeshShot web app, or place either straight on your Figma canvas with the plugin.
The gap is bigger than most people expect. GIF stores each frame as an indexed image limited to 256 colours, so a smooth product render shows banding across gradients, and the file can reach several megabytes for a couple of seconds. MP4 stores differences between frames with a modern codec, so the same loop lands far smaller and keeps the shading intact. GIF survives because it needs no player: it is an image as far as the browser, email client or chat app is concerned.
Good to know: If a GIF is the only option but the banding shows, try a plainer background and fewer frames before increasing the size. Gradients are what GIF handles worst.
Questions
Why is my GIF so large?
GIF stores whole frames rather than differences. Reduce the size, the frame rate or the background detail. See making a smaller GIF.
Can an MP4 have a transparent background?
No format in common use does. MeshShot renders a matching black-and-white matte alongside the video so you can composite it.
Which looks better?
MP4, on any render with soft shading or a gradient.