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Common fix · Video

Take a screenshot from a video

By Updated How we write these

1 min read

What you’ll end up with

One frame of a video as a full-resolution picture, with nothing on top of it.

A screenshot of a paused video catches whatever is on screen: the player’s controls, the progress bar, a notification, and only as many pixels as your screen has. Saving the frame from the file itself gets the picture at the video’s full resolution — a 4K video gives an 8-megapixel still — and nothing else.

It also lets you pick the exact moment to a tenth of a second, which matters for fast action, where the frame you want is gone in the time it takes to press pause.

What to do

  1. Save the frame

    Drop the video into Video to Images, choose One frame, and type the moment you want (in seconds). You get a JPG or PNG at the video’s full resolution.

    Save a frame

  2. Or save a frame every few seconds

    Not sure which moment? Choose One every few seconds to get a set of stills to pick from, or Every frame for fast action.

  3. Crop it, if you need part of the picture

    For a profile picture or a thumbnail, crop the still to a square or any shape.

    Crop the still

Questions

How do I find the exact second of a frame?

Play the video in any player and note the time shown when the moment appears, then type that time into the tool. If you’re a little out, save one frame every 0.2 seconds around it and pick the best.

Why is my screenshot blurry?

Fast movement blurs single frames, and a video’s frames are compressed more than a photo. Try a few frames either side of the moment: one of them is usually sharper. PNG keeps the frame exactly as it was decoded.

Can I take a still from an iPhone video?

Yes: iPhone MOV and MP4 files work here directly, in the phone’s browser or on a computer.

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