Extract images from video file

AI Tool

Create images from a video file using a list or document of timecodes. This tool can be useful for generating thumbnails for vfx sheets.

Drop your file here or click to browseAccepted video formats: .mp4, .mov, .avi, .mxf (up to 4 GB)
Framerate
Make sure the framerate matches that of your video file. Otherwise, there might be an offset in the images. Drop Framerates are currently not supported.
Some users reported that, in rare cases, the generated image was offset by one frame at this framerate. If this happens to your video, please report the timecode at which the offset occurs.
Start Timecode
Specify the start timecode of your video, i.e. the first frame. For Avid Media Composer and DaVinci Resolve projects, this is often 01:00:00:00. For Premiere, it is usually 00:00:00:00. The video can also start at a different timecode. If this value is incorrect, the images will also be generated incorrectly.

Upload an .edl file from your NLE to create an image for each clip. You can choose to generate an image of the first frame, the middle frame, or the last frame of a clip. You can also select all 3 options.

Drop your file here or click to browse.edl · up to 50 MB
File naming

Upload a .csv file that contains a "Timecode" column. See our sample .csv for more details on what the file should look like.

Drop your file here or click to browse.csv · up to 10 MB
File naming
CSV Column
Create image every
Output Format
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About the tool

Automate Thumbnails

This tool can extract images from a video file based on a list of timecodes, a CSV document of timecodes, an EDL, or at intervals. The generated images can be used as preview thumbnails for a VFX sheet.

Demo File

You can try the tool with our technical test file.

  • MP4/H264 video of 3 minutes length in 25fps with different color changes.
    Download files from Google Drive
  • Specify timecodes between 00:00:00 and 00:02:59:23. For example, you can use the following timecodes for this test: 00:00:07:03, 00:00:13:01, 00:00:17:19, 00:01:05:09 and 00:01:23:16.
  • Using a csv file instead of a timecode list allows you to predefine file names and use the vfx shot id or a custom name for the image. timecodes_demo.csv
  • You can also use our Marker Converter to convert markers into a CSV list or our Subtitle Converter to convert subtitles into a CSV list.

Get more with Pro

If you need to extract more images, you will need a Pro account. This also enables you to get priority processing and access to many other tools and features.

Check out all Pro Features
Free Pro Users
up to 300 images per videoNo limit
Standard processingPriority processing
Archive.Kitchen

Do it properly in Archive.Kitchen

This free tool does one step. Archive.Kitchen, our archive production manager for film and series, includes it and connects it to the whole production.

  • Manage archive footage, VFX shots, stock clips, vendors, budgets and credits in one place
  • Upload a new cut and shot lists, previews and statuses update automatically
  • Track licensing status and costs per clip across the whole production
Open Archive.Kitchen Learn more

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