Extract frames from video

Three ways to pick frames

• Every N seconds takes a frame at a fixed interval: every 5 seconds gives an overview of a long video, every 0.5 seconds a close sequence of a short action. The interval can be as short as 0.04 seconds, which at 25 frames per second is every frame.
• N frames spreads a number of frames evenly from the first to the last, such as 12 for a contact sheet or a storyboard, whatever the length of the video.
• Exact times takes frames at the moments you type, as minutes and seconds like 1:23.5, separated by commas. Play the video in any player, note the times of the shots you want, and paste them here.

Up to 600 frames can be saved from one video; for more, raise the interval or split the job into parts.

Getting a sharp frame

A frame is a single moment of the video, so motion blur, compression and the camera's focus are all frozen into it. A frame from video is never as sharp as a photo taken with the same camera: video is usually filmed with a slower shutter that blurs movement, compressed far more, and often at a lower resolution. To get the best frame of a moment, take several close together, for example every 0.1 seconds over a second, and keep the sharpest.

Frames are decoded at the exact times you ask for, not snapped to keyframes, so a frame at 1:23.5 really shows 1:23.5.

Format and size

• JPG, the default, at 92 percent: small files, good for photos of scenes and people.
• PNG: lossless and larger, for screen recordings, slides and anything with text, where JPG would smudge edges.
• Width: the video's own size, usually 1920 pixels for full HD, or smaller for thumbnails and previews down to 320 pixels.

Each picture is named with its number and its time in the video, so you can always find the moment again. All the frames download together as a ZIP. To turn a short part of a video into an animation instead, use video to GIF.

Uses

• Thumbnails for a video on a website or YouTube, picked from the best moment.
• Storyboards and contact sheets to review a long recording at a glance.
• Slides from a recorded presentation, at an interval matching the slide changes.
• Photos from a phone video, when the moment you wanted was filmed rather than photographed.

If something goes wrong

• It says the times look wrong. Write them like 1:23 or 83.5, separated by commas.
• It says all the times are past the end. The video is shorter than you thought; the message gives its length.
• It says there would be too many frames. Raise the interval or lower the number of frames; the limit is 600.