Home / How to take a picture from a video
How to take a picture from a video
- 1Open the video
Choose the file, or drop it on the box. You watch the file in this tab.
- 2Move to the moment
Drag the playhead. When the file lists a frame rate, the frame buttons move one frame.
- 3Save that frame
Press Capture this frame, then download the picture. PNG is already selected.
The video stays on this device, the saved picture uses the video's own width and height, and when the file lists a frame rate you can move one frame at a time to the moment you want. To step through numbered frames, open the frame by frame video player.
How to take a picture from a video on iPhone
On an iPhone, Apple's Photos app saves the frame itself, not a screenshot of the player, so the picture is the video's own frame. These four steps are from Apple's iPhone guide.
- 1Open Photos
Go to the Photos app on your iPhone.
- 2Play the video
Open a video, then play it.
- 3Pause on the frame
Pause the video on the frame you want to save.
- 4Save the frame
Tap the More button, then tap Save Video Frame as Photo.
The new photo is saved in your photo library. If the library is sorted by Added, it is at the bottom. If it is sorted by Captured, the photo appears next to the original video. Apple does not say how large the new photo is.
Which version has Save Video Frame as Photo
Apple's guide does not name the version that added the item. The copies of it in both guides sit in the version 27 editions, iOS 27 for the iPhone and iPadOS 27 for the iPad. A June 2026 write-up puts the item in iOS 27 and macOS 27 and says Apple added it recently, and it notes the item only exists inside Photos: QuickTime Player, Preview, Files and Safari are not covered.
When Photos has no Save Video Frame as Photo
Three routes are left here, and only the last one claims the video's own resolution.
- A screenshot. The section below on screenshots covers what it captures instead. The June 2026 write-up adds the cost: the status bar lands in the picture and has to be cropped out, the file can be large, and its quality may not match the video.
- The key photo of a Live Photo. This one only exists when the moment sits inside a Live Photo. Apple's Live Photo guide moves the white frame on the frame viewer, taps Make Key Photo, then Done; switching Live off then leaves a still of that key photo.
- An app from the App Store. An app that turns up for this search, Video Image Capture, is free with in-app purchases, and its listing says the pictures come out in full resolution as per the recorded video quality without any alteration, with at least six frames kept either side of the moment you pick, saved to the photo library. The listing also shows its last update in October 2023. This page has not run that app and has not checked that it still works on current iOS.
On an iPad
The iPad User Guide carries the same page for iPadOS 27, with the same four steps and the same note about where the photo lands; the only difference is the app line, which says iPad instead of iPhone. So the steps above work on an iPad too.
A run of stills, or a PNG at the video's size
The Photos step saves the one frame you paused on. For a run of stills, or for a PNG at the video's own width and height, AirDrop the video to a computer and open this page there: a batch here saves up to 300 frames at the video's own width and height.
While you are still recording
This is not a frame taken from a video you already have. It is a still photo taken while you are still recording. Apple's iPhone guide says that while you are recording a video, you tap the white Shutter button to take a still photo.
Apple's section does not say where that photo is saved, what format it is, or how large it is.
How to take a picture from a video on Android
Samsung and Google each publish a way to do this, and they work in different apps, so the steps differ: the capture icon in Samsung's Gallery on a Galaxy phone, and Export frame in Google Photos.
On a Samsung Galaxy phone: the Gallery capture icon
These steps are from Samsung's support page.
- 1Open Gallery
Open the Gallery app.
- 2Pick the video
Tap to select a video.
- 3Find the frame
Scroll through the video frames to find the one you want.
- 4Tap capture
Tap the capture icon. Samsung says it is saved in Gallery automatically.
Samsung says a preview of the selected frame appears at the bottom left of the screen, and a tap views the image. To find it later, open Gallery, then Albums, then View all, and look in the "Video captures" folder.
Samsung's page does not name a model or a One UI version, and it does not say how large the saved picture is. Its last update date is May 26, 2023.
In Google Photos: Export frame
On Android, Google's section Export or trim a still from your video gives this path:
- 1Open Google Photos
Open the Google Photos app.
- 2Open the video
Open the video you want to edit.
- 3Export the frame
Tap Export frame.
On an iPhone or iPad, Google's section Trim, Mute, or Export a still from your video says to open the video you want to edit, tap Edit, then tap Export Frame.
Google's page does not say where the exported frame is saved, what format it is, how large it is, or how you choose that frame.
If the phone has neither path, copy the video to a computer and use the steps at the top of this page.
A screenshot is not the frame
A screenshot of a paused video is a picture of the screen. It includes the pause icon and the progress bar, and its size is the screen, or the box you dragged, not the video's own width and height. A forum title, Extracting photo from video - no screenshot, is asking for the frame. The post body did not load here, so this section only explains that difference.
On a Mac, Apple's screenshot guide says Shift-Command-3 saves the whole screen, and the file is saved to the desktop, and Shift-Command-4 saves the area you drag. On Windows, Microsoft's Snipping Tool guide says the Windows logo key + Shift + S opens an overlay for an image snapshot of the screen. Those are pictures of the screen. They are not the steps for saving the video's own frame, and this page does not teach them as that.
On this page, Capture this frame writes the decoded picture at the video's own width and height, so the pause icon and the progress bar are not in the file.
What stops a run here
- Only one video is open, and the file must stay within 2 GB.
- One batch saves at most 300 frames.
- The still keeps the decoded width and height. The still is not made larger.
- A number for the frame is shown only if the file's metadata includes a frame rate.
- If this browser cannot play the file, this page cannot save a frame from it.
Other words for the same job
People also say take a photo from a video, still image from video, extract photo from video, capture a picture from a video, get photo from video, and capture an image from a video. Those are the same job on this page: open the file and save the frame you paused on.
Questions about a picture taken from a video
How do I take a picture from a video without a screenshot?
Open the video on this page and press Capture this frame. The file is the decoded picture at the playhead, at the video's own width and height. A screenshot of the player would include the pause icon and the progress bar.
Can I take a photo from a video and keep the video's size?
Yes. Take a photo from a video here and the still uses the video's own width and height. This page does not stretch it.
How do I get a still image from video on this page?
Open the file, move the playhead to the moment, press Capture this frame, then download that picture. PNG is already selected.
Can I extract a photo from a video without an account?
Yes. You can extract a photo from a video with no account, and the page does not stamp a watermark on the still.
Does the video get uploaded?
No. The video plays in this tab. Closing the tab drops it.
What if the file has no frame rate?
The page says so. Capture this frame still saves the picture at the current time. A frame number appears only when the file itself lists a frame rate.
Which iPhone version added Save Video Frame as Photo?
Apple's guide does not say. Both Apple copies of that page sit in the version 27 guides, iOS 27 and iPadOS 27, and a June 2026 write-up treats the item as part of iOS 27 and macOS 27. On a phone without the item, the options are a screenshot, the key photo of a Live Photo, or a third-party app.
Does the saved frame keep the video's size?
Neither source gives a pixel count: Apple says where the new photo lands in the library, not how large it is. The item saves a frame rather than the screen, so the player's controls are not in the picture.
How do I take a picture from a video on Android?
On a Samsung Galaxy phone, Gallery's capture icon is one official path, and the steps are under How to take a picture from a video on Android. In Google Photos, Export frame is the other official path, and those steps are in that same section.
Can I save a frame while recording a video on an iPhone?
Apple's iPhone guide says that while you are recording a video, you tap the white Shutter button to take a still photo. The guide does not say where that photo is saved or how large it is.