Extract a video cover frame

Open a local video, scrub to the frame you want and export it as a JPG or PNG cover at your chosen width. Decoded in your browser; the video is never uploaded.

Files stay local .mp4、.webm、.mov、.m4v Max 200MB

Mobile browsers have far less memory: keep files under 50MB. Larger files can be killed mid-way with no error — use a desktop browser for those.

Drop a video to pick a cover frame
Supports .mp4, .webm, .mov, .m4v · Max file size: 200MB
Decoded locally, never uploaded — scrub to the frame you like

Options

Platforms re-compress covers anyway, so JPG is smaller and sufficient; choose PNG if you plan to edit it further.

Proportional scaling that never upscales — enlarging only blurs the cover. Use a sharper source video if you need more detail.

What this tool does

A cover extractor reduces "grab a good still from this video" to three steps: drop the video, scrub to the frame, download. The output is a clean JPG or PNG ready to use as a cover, thumbnail or article image.

It does not transcode, does not dump a batch of frames, and downloads nothing extra — it decodes your local file, paints one frame onto a canvas and exports it. That is why it opens instantly instead of waiting for a multi-megabyte transcoder to boot.

Your video never leaves your machine: decoding and export both happen in the browser, so it even works offline once the page has loaded.

How to use

  1. Drop your video MP4, WebM, MOV and M4V up to 200MB. Decoding uses the browser built-in codecs, so whether a file opens depends on what your browser supports (H.264 is universally fine; a few containers or professional codecs are not).
  2. Scrub to the frame The preview under the timeline updates as you drag. Use the −1s / −0.1s / +0.1s / +1s buttons for fine positioning. It starts at 10% because the very first frame is often a black frame or a title card.
  3. Pick format and width, then download For uploading, JPG is smaller and platforms re-compress anyway; choose PNG if you plan to edit. Original width is safest; pick 1280 or 720 to save space — it only scales down, never up.

FAQ

Is my video uploaded?

No. The video is decoded in your browser and the page makes no upload requests. That is the real advantage over online screenshot sites: unreleased footage never leaves your machine.

Why will my video not open?

Browsers can only decode what they ship with. HEVC/H.265, some ProRes and AV1 containers may fail. Re-encoding to an H.264 MP4 usually fixes it.

Can I paste a video link?

No, deliberately. Resolving a platform link requires server-side signing, which means handing the video to someone else server. This tool only handles files already on your device — save the video first, then drop it in.

Why is the exported image smaller?

Two causes: you picked a smaller output width, or the source video is itself low resolution. The tool only scales down to avoid producing a blurry image; choose "Original size" to keep the source dimensions.

Can it export many frames at once?

This tool exports a single frame, which is what a cover needs. For extracting frames at an interval into a ZIP, use the video frame extractor tool.

Does it work on phones?

Yes. Mobile browsers support video plus canvas capture and the timeline works with touch. On iOS you may need to tap play once so a frame is rendered.

Limits

Up to 200MB per file; MP4 / WebM / MOV / M4V only, and decoding depends on the codecs your browser supports.

One frame at a time; proportional scaling only — no cropping, colour grading or text overlays. Crop to 1:1 or 16:9 with an image tool afterwards.

No link resolution (that needs a server) and no batch extraction (use the frame extractor).

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