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How to Take Snapshots from Movies and Videos

· 2 min read

Want to capture a still image from a movie or video clip? Both Windows Media Player and VLC Media Player have built-in snapshot features that make this straightforward.

Using Windows Media Player​

  1. Play the video and navigate to the scene you want to capture.
  2. Press Ctrl + I at the same time.
  3. A dialog will appear allowing you to save the snapshot.

Note: This shortcut only works with certain video formats and codecs in Windows Media Player. If it does not work, try using VLC instead.

Using VLC Media Player​

VLC Media Player is a free, open-source media player that supports virtually every video format. To capture a snapshot:

  1. Pause the video at the scene you want to capture by pressing the Space Bar.
  2. Click Video in the menu bar.
  3. Click Take Snapshot (or press Shift + S on Windows).
  4. The snapshot is saved automatically, usually to your Pictures folder.

Changing the snapshot save location in VLC​

If you want to change where VLC saves snapshots:

  1. Go to Tools > Preferences.
  2. Click the Video tab.
  3. Under Video snapshots, set the Directory to your preferred folder.
  4. You can also change the snapshot format (PNG, JPG) and the file naming convention.
  5. Click Save.

VLC is generally the more reliable option for taking video snapshots, as it handles a wider range of video formats and codecs.