How to Get a Picture from a Video [7 Ways]

Best for: high-quality still shots

G2 rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars, 50 reviews

Movavi Screen Recorder is an extremely user-friendly program that can be used to extract a photo from a video. The resulting screenshots are ultra-high quality.

To capture a still image from a video with Movavi Screen Recorder:

1. Install Movavi Screen Recorder on your computer.

2. Double-click the app icon to launch Movavi Screen Recorder.

3. Start the video clip you want to pull a still from.

4. Navigate to the part of the video you want to turn into a photo and pause the video.

5. Use the Screenshot icon (it looks like a camera) on the toolbar at the bottom of your screen to snap the photo.

6. The folder with your screenshot will automatically open.

You might also want to consider downloading the Movavi ScreenShot, a Google Chrome extension that captures high-quality video screenshots in your browser.

Best for: Windows users

The Windows Photos app is a built-in app on Windows 10. Not only does this highly user-friendly program edit photos, but it can also be used to capture a still image from a video.

To capture a picture from a video with Windows Photos:

1. Open the folder that contains your video.

2. Right-click on the video file you want to take stills from.

3. Click Open With.

4. Choose Photos.

5. The video will begin playing.

6. Place your cursor within the player and right-click.

7. Choose Edit and Create.

8. Choose Save Photos.

9. The video is saved as a “Living Image” series in your Photos folder.

10. Open the Photos folder.

11. Double-click the living image.

12. Use the right and left arrows to navigate through the still images.

13. Click Save a Photo for the still shot you want to save.

Several downloadable media players can also be used to capture still shots from videos.

Best for: pulling still shots from less common file formats

VLC is one of the most popular media players on the market. In addition to playing virtually all video file formats, the user-friendly interface of this media playing software can also capture still shots from videos.

To take a still shot from a video with VLC:

1. Open the video you want to capture in VLC.

2. Pause the video on the frame you want to be captured.

3. Click the Video menu.

4. Click Snapshot.

5. A thumbnail of the screenshot will briefly appear.

Best for: users who like to customize their toolbars

Media Player Classic is a free, open-source software for Windows. This software is lightweight and highly customizable and, in addition to playing media files, can capture screenshot stills.

To capture a still shot from a video with Media Player Classic:

1. Open the video you want to capture in Media Player Classic.

2. Navigate to the frame of the video you want to capture.

3. Pause the video.

4. Right-click on the video.

5. Click File.

6. Click Save Image.

7. Enter the file name you want to use.

8. Select the format.

9. Select the quality in percentage.

10. Choose the location where you want to save the file.

11. Click Save.

Best for: working with incomplete files

GOM Player is a media player that can work with multiple file formats and can even play fragmented or incomplete video files. Its screenshot functionality is highly convenient, and its Burst Feature can capture an impressive 999 continuous screenshots.

To capture still shots from a video with GOM Player:

1. Download and install GOM Player.

2. Play the video file you want to capture.

3. Navigate to the frame you want to capture.

4. Pause the video.

5. Click the Control Panel icon (it looks like three sliders).

6. Click Screen Capture.

Best for: snapping a portion of the screen

Snipping Tool is a built-in program on Windows. It can be used to capture a portion of the screen; capturing the entire screen is trickier with this tool.

To capture a still from a video with Snipping Tool:

1. Play the video to screenshot.

2. Navigate to the frame you want to capture.

3. Pause the video.

4. Click the Start icon.

5. Type in “Snipping Tool.”

6. Click Snipping Tool (accompanied by the scissors icon).

7. Choose Rectangular Snip.

8. Click New in the top-left part of the tool.

9. Drag the rectangle to enclose the area you want to be captured by the tool.

10. When you release the mouse, the photo will snap.

11. Click the Save icon.

12. Select the location where you want to save the photo.

13. Enter a file name.

14. Click Save in the bottom right corner.

Best for: quick photo capture

Another way to capture a screenshot from a video is to use hotkeys, which are shortcuts you can take by pressing a succession of keys or a few keys at once.

To capture a still shot from a video with hotkeys on Windows, press Win and Print Screen simultaneously or, on some laptops, press Function and Print Screen.

On Windows 8 or 10, the shot will be saved to the Screenshots folder in your Pictures Library. If you are using an older version of Windows, the screenshot will be copied to your clipboard; from there, you can paste it into a document or Paint and save it.

To capture a full-screen still shot from a video with hotkeys on a Mac, press Shift, Command, and 3. The shot will be saved to your desktop.

To capture a partial screen still shot from a video with hotkeys on a Mac:

1. Press Shift, Command, and 4.

2. Drag the crosshair icon to enclose the section of the screen you want to snap.

3. When you release the mouse, the picture will snap.

4. The screenshot will be saved to your desktop.

Best for: capturing multiple photos from a single video

This software makes it easy to take a photo still from a video with one click. The program is free to download and does not include ads.

To make a picture from a video with Free Video to JPG Converter:

1. Download the software.

2. Launch the program.

3. Select the video file you want to capture.

4. Choose where you want the file to save.

5. Set the Extract options to your specifications based on how many frames you want to be captured.

6. Click the Convert button.

Best for: creating JPG photos with online program

Online Converter is a web-based program for converting video files to JPG photo files. This software can convert multiple file formats and is very easy to use.

Best for: pulling shots from small video files

Online-convert.com is another web-based program for pulling photo stills from video files. The interface is easy to use, although there is a paywall after a certain amount of use.

Best for: rapid conversion

Movavi Video Converter is a high-speed media conversion program that works with a wide array of file types. Not only can you take still photos from videos with this program, but it also creates GIFs and is extremely easy to use.

Best for: iOS users

You can take a still picture from a video, even if you’re using a small device, like an iPhone. iOS gives you a useful screenshotting tool that not only lets you grab any image from your screen, but also edit it to highlight what’s important. Sure, there are plenty of screenshotting apps on the App Store, but the built-in tool covers the majority of cases you may face. So, it’s a great tool to start with.

How to capture a picture from a video on an iPhone:

1. Locate the place in the video that you want to save.

2. Simultaneously press the Volume Up and the Power button. Alternatively, if your iPhone doesn’t have Face ID, press the Home button and the Power button.

3. Tap the screenshot preview.

4. Draw on the screenshot using the built-in options.

5. Tap Done to save or delete the screenshot.