Extensions/GIF Toolkit
ComfyUI Extension

GIF Toolkit

Create compact looping GIFs in ComfyUI with preset sizing, visual multi-text placement, optional blinking and preview-first export.

By oekobudde·Created 2 days ago·Updated about 17 hours ago· 0
oekobudde/ComfyUI-GIFToolkit
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ComfyUI-GIFToolkit

🌐 Language: English | Deutsch

Create compact looping GIFs from short videos directly in ComfyUI, with preset sizing, visual multi-text placement, optional blinking, a preview-first export flow, and bilingual on-canvas help.

Status: Version 0.4.0 is published to the ComfyUI Registry and can be installed through ComfyUI Manager.

ComfyUI-GIFToolkit workflow overview

Overview

ComfyUI-GIFToolkit adds custom helper nodes and a ready-to-use workflow for short looping GIFs.

The workflow:

  1. loads video through VideoHelperSuite
  2. controls target size, aspect ratio, FPS and duration
  3. supports up to 3 independent text layers
  4. previews the text and GIF before permanent output
  5. writes the final GIF only after explicit approval

The text designer is visual: text can be clicked directly on the preview frame and dragged with the mouse.

Requirements

ComfyUI-GIFToolkit currently has no additional pip dependencies.

Third-party dependency

The example workflow uses nodes from ComfyUI-VideoHelperSuite by Kosinkadink.

VideoHelperSuite is not bundled with this repository. Install it separately from its upstream repository or through ComfyUI Manager. Its copyright and license terms remain with the upstream project.

Installation

Git

From ComfyUI/custom_nodes:

cd ComfyUI/custom_nodes
git clone https://github.com/oekobudde/ComfyUI-GIFToolkit.git

Fully restart ComfyUI afterwards.

ZIP

  1. Download the repository ZIP.
  2. Extract it.
  3. Place it at ComfyUI/custom_nodes/ComfyUI-GIFToolkit.
  4. Fully restart ComfyUI.

Load the workflow

workflows/ComfyUI_GIF_Maker.json

Main sections:

1 → LOAD VIDEO
      ↓
2 → PREPARE
      ↓
3 → MULTI-TEXT DESIGNER + BLINK
      ↓
4 → TEMP PREVIEW → APPROVE → FINAL EXPORT

Quick start

  1. Select a short video in 1 → LOAD VIDEO.
  2. Start with Balanced in 2 → PREPARE.
  3. Keep aspect_ratio = Auto (Input Image) to preserve the source ratio.
  4. Run the workflow once.
  5. Place and style text in GIF Multi-Text Designer.
  6. Review the temporary GIF at 4A.
  7. When satisfied, click ✓ APPROVE & EXPORT FINAL GIF.

A normal Run does not permanently write the final GIF.

Presets

| Preset | Long side | FPS | max duration | Use | |---|---:|---:|---:|---| | Small | 288 px | 6 | 4.0 s | small chat GIF | | Balanced | 320 px | 8 | 5.0 s | good default | | Quality | 384 px | 10 | 5.5 s | higher quality | | Custom | custom | custom | custom | manual control |

Field reference — English

0 · GIF Toolkit Guide / Help

language

Switches the on-canvas guide between Deutsch and English.

1 · VHS Load Video

Provided by ComfyUI-VideoHelperSuite.

Important fields:

  • video – input video
  • force_rate – load FPS, default 12
  • custom_width / custom_height – default 0 / 0
  • frame_load_cap – default 144
  • skip_first_frames
  • select_every_nth

2 · GIF Prepare / Preset

Controls:

  • preset
  • aspect ratio
  • target size
  • FPS
  • maximum duration

Auto (Input Image) preserves the source aspect ratio. A fixed ratio performs a centered crop.

3A · GIF Multi-Text Designer

The central text UI.

GIF Multi-Text Designer with three text layers

Enable text overlay

Global master switch.

  • on → enabled text layers are rendered
  • off → no text is rendered and frames pass through unchanged

No manual node bypass is required.

Text layers

The current version supports exactly 3 layers.

Every layer has independent:

  • enable state
  • text
  • font
  • font size
  • font color
  • X/Y position
  • background
  • background color / opacity
  • padding
  • corner radius
  • outline / outline color / width
  • shadow / shadow color / X/Y
  • line spacing

Layer selection

Use:

Layer 1   Layer 2   Layer 3

The gold-highlighted layer is selected.

Clicking a visible text directly on the preview also selects its layer.

Dragging

Drag the selected text directly on the image.

Positions are stored as relative percentages, so they remain meaningful across output sizes.

Enable selected layer

Enables or disables only the selected layer.

Duplicate → next

Copies the active layer into the next slot and offsets it slightly.

Clear selected

Clears and disables only the selected layer.

3×3 position grid

Quick placement shortcuts:

↖   ↑   ↗
←   •   →
↙   ↓   ↘

Background / Outline / Shadow

Each layer has independent styling.

Advanced style

Contains:

  • outline width
  • padding
  • corner radius
  • background opacity
  • shadow X/Y
  • line spacing

Advanced style controls

The node automatically fits its height when Advanced style opens or closes.

Preview frame

Selects the frame shown in the designer.

Refresh frame queues a preview run without permanently writing the final GIF.

3B · GIF Text Overlay

Applies all enabled layers to the full frame batch.

blink_enabled

  • on → all active layers blink together
  • off → all active layers remain continuously visible

blink_on_seconds / blink_off_seconds

Shared blink rhythm.

Per-layer blink timing is not included yet.

4A · TEMP GIF PREVIEW

Uses VHS Video Combine with save_output = false.

A normal Run creates only a temporary GIF for review.

Preview, approval gate and final GIF export

4B · GIF Export Gate

Blocks permanent output by default.

When satisfied, click:

✓ APPROVE & EXPORT FINAL GIF

It performs one export run, then returns to preview mode.

4C · FINAL GIF

The final VHS Video Combine writes to:

ComfyUI/output/GIFToolkit

only after approval.

No text?

Turn off:

Enable text overlay

All three layers are bypassed at once and frames pass through unchanged.

Troubleshooting

No source frame is visible before the first Run

Before the first Run, the designer uses a black background and already shows enabled text layers. Run once to load the real source frame behind the text.

Text cannot be dragged

Check that:

  • Enable text overlay is on
  • the selected layer is enabled
  • the layer contains text

Layer 2 or 3 does not appear

Select it and enable Enable selected layer.

Final GIF is not saved

This is intentional in Preview mode. Click ✓ APPROVE & EXPORT FINAL GIF.

GIF is too large

Reduce duration, long-side size, or FPS.

Missing Nodes

Required:

  • ComfyUI-VideoHelperSuite
  • ComfyUI-GIFToolkit

License

MIT License. See LICENSE.