Sometimes the still image is what you are after, not the moving clip. A thumbnail for a video, a storyboard of key moments, a clear shot of one frame to print or edit: each needs the video turned into images. Extracting frames does exactly that, saving stills from the clip as image files.
The short version: load the video, set how often to grab a frame and which format, and download the images in a zip. The frame extractor does it on your device, with nothing uploaded.
Choose how many frames to grab
A video has a lot of frames, so the first decision is how many you actually want. The rate controls this.
- One frame every second or two gives a manageable set, good for a storyboard or a contact sheet of the clip.
- A few frames a second captures more of the motion, useful when you need to pick the single best moment from a fast action.
- Every frame keeps them all, which is right only for very short clips, because a normal video produces dozens of images per second.
Start low. You can always extract again at a higher rate if you need more detail from a particular stretch.
PNG or JPG
The format is the other choice, and it is the usual quality-versus-size trade.
PNG is lossless, so each frame is as sharp as the source. That is what you want if you will edit a frame, print it, or use it where quality matters, but the files are larger. JPG compresses each image, so the files are much smaller and quick to handle, at a small cost to fine detail. For thumbnails, previews and storyboards, JPG is plenty.
How to extract frames from a video
Step 1: Add your video
Drop in the clip you want stills from.
Step 2: Set the rate and format
Choose how often to grab a frame, then pick PNG for quality or JPG for size.
Step 3: Download the zip
Extract the frames and save them all in one zip file. The images are numbered in order so you can find the moment you want.
Frames or a GIF
If your goal is a short animation rather than separate stills, you may want a GIF instead. Extracting frames gives you individual images to use one by one; a GIF strings the motion into a single looping file. For a shareable loop, see how to convert a video to a GIF. For stills you will edit or print, frame extraction is the right tool.
The short version
To turn a video into still images, extract its frames at a rate that gives you a workable number, then save them as PNG for quality or JPG for size. They download together in a zip, numbered in order. It all runs in your browser, so the clip never leaves your device. If you want a looping animation rather than separate stills, make a GIF instead.
