How to Turn a Loom Recording into a GIF for a Slide Deck

Loom is great for recording quick product walkthroughs, bug reports, and team updates. But when you need that recording inside a slide deck, not as a link, not as an embedded video, but as a looping visual on the slide, you need a GIF.

Google Slides cannot embed Loom links. You cannot paste a Loom URL and get an inline player. Your options are: link out to the Loom (the audience leaves the deck), embed a downloaded video (heavy, requires clicking play), or convert the key moment into a GIF (loops on the slide, no click needed).

Here is how to do the third option.

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Step 1: Download the Loom recording

Loom lets you download your recordings as MP4 files.

1. Open the Loom video in your browser.
2. Click the three-dot menu (...) or the download icon in the bottom-right.
3. Choose Download (or Download Video).
4. The MP4 saves to your computer.

Note: Downloading is available on all Loom plans, including free. If you do not see the download option, check your workspace settings. An admin may have disabled downloads.

If the Loom belongs to someone else and they have downloads disabled, ask them to either enable it or share the file directly.

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Step 2: Identify the moment

You probably do not need the entire Loom as a GIF. Most Loom recordings are 1-5 minutes. A good GIF is 3-8 seconds.

Watch the recording and find the single moment that communicates the point:

• The feature being demonstrated
• The key click or interaction
• The result appearing on screen
• The "this is what it looks like" shot

Write down the approximate timestamp. You will use this to trim.

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Step 3: Convert to GIF

Option A: EZGIF (free, no signup)

1. Go to ezgif.com/video-to-gif.
2. Upload the downloaded MP4.
3. Set the start time and end time to isolate your moment.
4. Set frame rate to 10-12 fps.
5. Click Convert to GIF.
6. If the file is large, scroll down and use the Optimize tool.
7. Download the GIF.

Option B: Kap (Mac, free)

If you want to re-record just the GIF portion:

1. Open the Loom video in your browser.
2. Open Kap and draw a recording area over just the relevant part of the Loom playback.
3. Play the Loom video and record the 3-8 second segment with Kap.
4. Export as GIF.

This avoids the download step entirely, though quality depends on your screen resolution and playback speed.

Option C: Slidekick (direct to Google Slides)

If the GIF is going into a Google Slides presentation:

1. Upload the downloaded MP4 to Slidekick.
2. Use the built-in editor to trim to the exact moment.
3. Export as GIF or MP4.
4. Send the GIF to your Google Slides deck, or download the MP4 and insert it where your deck supports video.

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Step 4: Insert into your slide deck

Google Slides:

1. Open your presentation.
2. Go to Insert > Image > Upload from computer.
3. Select the GIF file.
4. Resize and position it on the slide.
5. Preview in Presentation mode to verify the loop.

PowerPoint:

1. Go to Insert > Pictures > This Device.
2. Select the GIF file.
3. The GIF will animate in Slide Show mode.

Keynote:

1. Drag the GIF file onto the slide.
2. In Format > Movie, check Loop.

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When to GIF a Loom vs. when to link it

Not every Loom should become a GIF. Use this as a quick test:

The core question: does the audience need the full context, or just the moment?

If they need the moment, GIF. If they need the context, link.

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Tips for Loom-to-GIF quality

Crop the recording area. Loom recordings often include the full browser window, bookmarks bar, tabs, and sometimes even the Loom sidebar. None of that belongs in a GIF. Crop to just the application or UI area that matters.

Hide the Loom bubble. If your Loom recording includes the camera bubble in the corner, that is distracting in a looping GIF. Either hide it in Loom or crop the GIF to exclude it.

Speed up if needed. If the interaction is a bit slow (waiting for a page to load or pausing to read), consider speeding up the GIF by 1.5x-2x. Faster motion often reads better as a loop.

Remove the Loom controls. If you used the Kap screen-capture method, make sure the Loom playback bar, share button, and other UI elements are not visible in your capture area.

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Common use cases

Sales decks: You recorded a Loom demoing a feature for a prospect. Now you want that moment in the sales deck for the broader team to use. Extract the key interaction as a GIF and drop it into the product slide.

Product updates: You Loomed a new feature for internal stakeholders. The GIF version goes into the weekly update deck so people can see the feature without clicking through to watch the full Loom.

Training materials: Your onboarding deck walks new hires through tools and processes. Instead of linking to twelve Looms, extract the key moment from each as a GIF and put it directly on the training slide.

Bug reports and design reviews: A GIF showing the bug in action (or the proposed fix) is more immediate than asking someone to watch a 2-minute Loom just to see the 3-second issue.

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Takeaway

Loom and GIFs solve different problems. Loom is for recording and sharing. GIFs are for showing one moment inside a presentation without breaking the flow.

When you need a Loom moment inside a slide deck, download the video, trim to the right seconds, convert to GIF, and insert. If you do this often for Google Slides, the workflow gets faster with a tool that combines the steps.

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For a faster Loom-to-Slides workflow, Slidekick lets you upload the recording, trim the moment, export as GIF or MP4 — send GIFs to Google Slides or download MP4 clips in one place.