GIFs are one of the universal languages of the internet. They're useful for reacting to something and saying what words can't. Sites like Giphy provide millions of GIFs for your enjoyment, but sometimes you still need to create your own.

And since YouTube is full of videos ripe for the GIF-ing, it's a natural fit for creating new ones. You can make a GIF of any YouTube video using a URL trick, but did you know that YouTube has a faster built-in way for quick GIF creation?

This method will only work on videos where the creator has allowed GIF creation. We'll use this PBS video as an example. Make sure you're signed into YouTube, then click the Share button underneath the video. You'll see a few tabs like Embed and Email -- click GIF next to these.

Select up to six seconds of the video you want to make a GIF from. Add text to the top and bottom if you want, then press Create. YouTube will provide you with a URL that you can use to share your GIF, as well as social buttons to share it directly. To save it to your computer for later use, open the URL, right-click on the GIF, and choose Save Image As so you have a copy.

YouTube's support page describes a few restrictions on creating GIFs with this method. You can't make a GIF from a video if:

• The video is age-restricted.
• Said video is private (if so, you couldn't view it anyway).
• The video has been flagged for containing third-party content.
• The channel owner has turned off GIF creation for the video.

To turn off GIF creation for your own videos, head to Creator Studio > Video Manager and click on Edit to change a video's settings. Choose the Advanced Settings tab, then uncheck the box labeled Allow content reuse. Hit Save Changes to confirm.

If you're interested in more, check out the history and culture of GIFs.

Have you ever made a GIF from a YouTube video? What's your favorite GIF right now? Tell us in the comments!

Image Credit: Ionut Catalin Parvu via Shutterstock