How to Take Picture From a Video | 5 Methods

There can be a special moment in a video that you like and might want to take a picture of it. Taking a picture or screenshot from an educational video to zoom in on a formula or a language structure is really helpful for the students. A still image is always handy especially when you want to view it from time to time. Many do not know how easy it is to take pictures from a running video and I am going to show you several methods so that you can do it across platforms including Windows, Mac, Android, and iPhone, etc.

Method 1: Using Windows Media Player

Windows Media Player is one of the most common tools to watch videos for Windows users. You can easily take pictures while running a video with Windows Media Player. To do it, please follow the steps:

Step 1: Open the video with Windows Media Player. Make the screen full so that the snap taken will be large and clear. Now, pause the video at the moment where you would like to take the picture.

Step 2: Press the ‘Windows+PrtScr’ button together on the keyboard to take the picture. That’s it.

Step 3: We want to find the location of the screenshot. Navigate to the ‘Pictures’ folder on your drive (C); there will be a subfolder, ‘Screenshots’, created automatically where the taken shots are saved. By default, it is taken in .png format.

Method 2: Using VLC Media Player

This method is applicable for Windows users as well as Mac users because VLC Player is available on both platforms. We watch videos, movies, dramas, etc. on our favorite software, VLC, right? And if you want to take a moment as a still image while watching videos, you can do it just by following these commands.

After opening the video with VLC Media Player, make the screen full, and pause the video at the desired moment. On the top bar menu, you will see the ‘Video’ option, click on it; and scroll down to select ‘Take Snapshot’. The taken snap is saved on the ‘Picture’ folder by default.

Method 3: Using Web Platform

In case you want to take a picture from a video using a web platform with an internet connection available, you can do it too. This method is also hassle-free like the previous ones.

Step 1: On your browser, navigate to this site- https://www.kapwing.com/tools/convert-video. 

Note: There are other web platforms available from where you can also fulfill the task, just ‘Google’ for these sites.

Step 2: Upload the video on the mentioned website. You can paste the URL of the video too if you find it more comfortable. 

Step 3: Select the desired video file from its location and then click on ‘Open’.

Step 4: Select the output format as ‘jpeg’ from the left of the screen. Now, you have to pinpoint the moment at which the picture will be taken; use the slide bar to move the video.

Step 5: After selecting the correct frame, hit the ‘Create’ button marked with red color. It will take a few seconds to create the picture from the video.

Step 6: Next, click on the ‘Download’ button so that the created image is saved on your local drive.

Method 4: Using Video Editing Software

There are many video editing applications available for both Windows and Mac which can be used to take pictures from a running video. Why bother installing them instead of using a VLC player with an easier approach? It is because these applications offer you many other options including picture quality, resolution, and detailing on the screenshot. One of the software is ‘Video Screenshot’ of which figures are provided here.

Step 1: Open the ‘Video Screenshot’ software and click on the ‘Open Videos’ option at the bottom of the screen.

Step 2: Select the video and click on the open button like we normally do.

Step 3: Pause the video at the right moment and hit the ‘Take Screenshot’ button which is located at the right-below of the window.

Step 4: An ‘Options’ box will pop up automatically. You can change the settings of your screenshots from here. You can change the height and width of the picture and also format it from jpg to png or BMP. Select the folder where you want to save the pictures using the ‘Browse’ option. After you are done, click on the ‘OK’ button and the picture will be taken.

Method 5: Using Android 

Don’t worry if you are a smartphone owner and want to take pictures from a video using your android operated smartphone. There are many apps available on the app store like ‘Google Play Store’ which is capable of taking screenshots of a video. Let’s learn how to do it.

Step 1: Install the ‘Video to Photo Frame Grabber’ application from Google Play Store. 

Step 2: Tap on the ‘plus’ button you see on the app’s interface and select the video from where the pictures will be taken.

Step 3: Pause the video and tap on the ‘camera’ icon to take the picture of the paused frame. 

Step 4: You can change the settings of the taken screenshot. Go to the ‘Settings’ option by navigating to the ‘dot dot’ marked on the top-right of the screen. Change the file format, quality, and size of the captured image. If you want to allow the things remaining as it is, then skip this part. 

Note: Some Android devices have got the ‘Screenshot’ tool which can be found in the notification area at the top of the screen. Hence, you may not require any app at all; just play the video and hit the ‘Screenshot’ tool (often marked as a scissor icon) and that’s it, the image is saved on the gallery.

For iPhone users, many screens capturing apps are available on Apple Store; these apps are really easy to operate; nothing to be worried about.

Conclusion

By now, you must have grasped the fact that how simple and easy it is to take pictures from a running video. You can do it using different devices, apps, and software. However, remember one thing, you just cannot upload the taken screenshots on web platforms without mentioning the source of the video because of copyright issues.