Screenshots are straightforward, but capturing an animated GIF can be trickier. On a Samsung Galaxy phone, however, it's surprisingly simple thanks to built-in tools I've relied on for years.
Many Samsung Galaxy devices feature Smart Select, a versatile tool that lets you capture specific screen areas as GIFs. Originally exclusive to Galaxy Note series, it's now widely available across the lineup.
Access Smart Select via Samsung's Edge Panels. First, swipe down once from the top of your screen and tap the gear icon to open Settings.
Navigate to Display.
Toggle on Edge panels and select it.
Follow the animation to access panels, then go to Panels.
Ensure Smart Select is enabled among the available panels.
Now, open the content you want to turn into a GIF. Swipe inward from the edge tab to reveal Edge Panels—you may need to swipe left/right to find Smart Select.
Select the Animation option. For YouTube videos, it auto-detects; otherwise, drag corners to frame your area.
Choose High Quality or Standard Quality from the dropdown before recording.
Tap Record to start, then Done to stop. Edit with drawings, share, or save locally. Here's the GIF I captured using this method.
This handy feature has countless applications—like quick clips from videos. If you're on another device, check out other methods for GIF creation.
