How to Convert SVGA Files to GIF, MP4 or PNG (and Video to SVGA)

SVGa Marketplace doesn't offer an SVGA converter, and the official SVGA project has no SVGA-to-GIF or SVGA-to-MP4 tool. To convert, screen-record the animation playing in an SVGA player and convert the recording with FFmpeg, or use a third-party online converter. To make SVGA files, export from After Effects or Animate with the official converters.

Does SVGa Marketplace have an SVGA converter?

No. We don't offer an online SVGA converter, and our free SVGA Player only plays files: it opens SVGA 2.x files only and doesn't export them. This guide lists the methods that do exist, says which ones are official, and gives tested commands for the do-it-yourself route.

If you'd rather have the work done for you, SVGa Marketplace quotes commissioned animation or conversion separately from catalog prices, as stated on our Products & Services page. Contact us with the source files and the format you need.

Which SVGA conversion tools exist?

Other third-party online converters exist, some in each direction; we don't list them. If you use one, test its output in an SVGA player and on real devices before you rely on it. We haven't tested SVGA DIY and aren't affiliated with it; its description comes from its own page on 21 Oct 2026. We also searched GitHub and npm for a maintained open-source command-line converter between SVGA files and GIF or MP4 and didn't find one; only small personal projects turned up.

How do you convert an SVGA file to GIF or MP4?

No official tool renders SVGA to GIF or MP4, so the dependable free method is to record the animation while it plays, then convert the recording:

1. Play the file. Open it in our SVGA Player (SVGA 2.x files only) or, for 1.x files, the svga.dev preview, which also lets you change the preview's background colour. Use a plain background, because the recording can't keep transparency.
2. Record the screen. On a Mac, press Shift-Command-5 and record a selected portion (Apple's instructions). On Windows 11, use Snipping Tool's record mode (Microsoft's instructions). Record at least one full loop.
3. Convert to GIF with FFmpeg. Replace the start time (-ss), the length (-t) and the crop values (crop=width:height:x:y) with your own. FFmpeg's two-pass palette filters (palettegen, paletteuse) give better GIF colours than the default:

ffmpeg -ss 0.5 -i recording.mov -t 3.3 \
  -vf "crop=600:900:200:250,fps=20,scale=480:-1:flags=lanczos,split[s0][s1];[s0]palettegen[p];[s1][p]paletteuse" \
  -loop 0 gift.gif

4. Or convert to MP4. Use even crop values, because H.264 with yuv420p needs even dimensions. -an leaves out audio, since most screen recordings have none:

ffmpeg -ss 0.5 -i recording.mov -t 3.3 -vf "crop=600:900:200:250" \
  -c:v libx264 -pix_fmt yuv420p -an gift.mp4

5. Check the result against the original in the player, especially edges, colours and the loop point.

The example length of 3.3 seconds is the duration of our Glossy Pink Lips sample; use your file's own duration, which our product pages list for every item. Both commands were tested with FFmpeg 7.1.

How do you convert an SVGA file to PNG?

"SVGA to PNG" can mean two different things:

• The image pieces inside the file. An SVGA file stores its artwork as PNG images that the player moves around. For a 1.x file, copy it, rename the copy to .zip and extract it. For a 2.x file, the images sit inside zlib-compressed data. This Python 3 script saves them; we tested it on our three free samples:

import pathlib
import sys
import zlib

src = pathlib.Path(sys.argv[1])
data = zlib.decompress(src.read_bytes())  # SVGA 2.x only
png_start = b"\x89PNG\r\n\x1a\n"
png_end = b"IEND\xaeB`\x82"

count = 0
pos = data.find(png_start)
while pos != -1:
    end = data.index(png_end, pos) + len(png_end)
    pathlib.Path(f"{src.stem}_{count:03d}.png").write_bytes(data[pos:end])
    count += 1
    pos = data.find(png_start, end)
print(f"Saved {count} PNG images")

Run it with python3 extract_images.py gift.svga. The official svga.dev preview also has an "Analyze Sprite" button for browsing a file's images.

• Whole rendered frames. To get each frame as a finished picture, extract frames from a screen recording (they'll have the recording's background), or use a third-party tool that exports PNG sequences:

ffmpeg -i recording.mov -vf "crop=600:900:200:250,fps=20" frame_%04d.png

How do you convert MP4, video or GIF to SVGA?

• The official route: rebuild and export. The SVGA team's converters work from an After Effects or Animate project. They export layers, images and keyframes, not video footage, so they aren't MP4-to-SVGA converters. If you have the project behind a video, export it again with SVGA-AEConverter. Our guide How to Create SVGA Animations in After Effects covers the steps.
• Third-party video-to-SVGA tools. Third-party online converters exist, and SVGA DIY (listed above) says it imports video files. A video has no layers, so such tools have to store frames as bitmap data. Check the output's file size and memory use on real phones before you ship it; see SVGA File Size and Performance.
• GIF to SVGA file. No official tool exists. Rebuilding the animation in After Effects gives the cleanest result; otherwise, look for a third-party tool and test its output the same way.

How do you convert an SVGA 1.x file to 2.x?

Load the file into the official svga.dev preview and use Switch Version to download a 2.0 copy. The page says converting from a higher version to a lower one isn't supported. If you have the original After Effects or Animate project, exporting again as SVGA 2.0 also works. A 2.x file then plays in our SVGA Player, which supports SVGA 2.x files only. For background, see What Is an SVGA File?.

What do you lose when you convert an SVGA animation?

• Transparency. A screen recording is flattened onto its background. GIF supports only on/off transparency, and standard H.264 MP4 has no alpha channel (see Lottie vs GIF vs SVGA vs MP4).
• Colours. A GIF holds at most 256 colours per colour table, so glossy gradients can band.
• Sound. GIF has no audio, and screen recordings often skip it.
• Layers. Converting video to an SVGA file can't recreate named layers, so runtime tricks such as swapping in a user's avatar need a properly built file.

Which conversion method should you choose?

Match the method to the job:

• A preview for chat, social media or a store listing: screen-record the file in an SVGA player and convert the recording to MP4 or GIF with FFmpeg. It's free, and you control the crop, length and quality.
• Artwork for a designer: extract the PNG images with the script above, or rename a 1.x file to .zip.
• A playable file for an app that only reads SVGA 2.x: upgrade 1.x files with the svga.dev preview, or re-export from the project.
• A new SVGA animation from a video: rebuild it in After Effects if you have the project. Otherwise, try a third-party video-to-SVGA tool and test the output carefully.

For in-app use, keep the original SVGA file wherever your app supports it, and use converted GIF or MP4 files for previews and social posts. Ready-made SVGA files are in SVGA Gifts, SVGA Entry Effects (entrance effects), Avatar Frames and Packages.