OneTaskBy Tim King · Updated
Video to Image Sequence
Extract Frames From a Video as Numbered PNG or JPG Images, Zipped
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How the Video to Image Sequence works
This video to image sequence tool saves the frames of a clip as numbered PNG or JPG files and puts them in one zip. Choose a range and how many frames per second to keep, press Render and download. The frames are pulled out by your browser, and the video is never uploaded.
An image sequence is a video stored as one picture per frame. It is the working format for a lot of creative jobs: tracing rotoscope animation, building a dataset for machine learning, picking the sharpest still from a burst, feeding frames to a 3D or compositing app, or making a flipbook.
How the video to image sequence export works
The tool steps through your chosen range at the rate you pick. At 5 frames per second it seeks to 0.0, 0.2, 0.4 seconds and so on, waits for the browser to decode the frame at each point, and draws it onto a canvas at full or half size. Each canvas is saved as an image and the whole set is packed into a zip.
Files are named after the video with a four-digit number, such as clip-0001.png, clip-0002.png.
The zero padding keeps them in order in every file manager and in apps that import a numbered
sequence, including After Effects, Blender, DaVinci Resolve and ffmpeg.
Picking a frame rate
| Rate | Frames from 10 seconds | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 10 | Thumbnails, scene picking, datasets |
| 5 | 50 | Reference stills, storyboards |
| 15 | 150 | Animation reference |
| 24 or 30 | 240–300 | Every frame of most footage |
One run is limited to 500 frames. For every frame of a longer clip, export it in parts by setting the start and end.
PNG or JPEG
PNG is lossless, so each frame is exactly what the browser decoded. It is the right choice for editing, tracing or training. JPEG files are around a fifth of the size and fine for reference images and previews. Half size quarters the pixel count, which also cuts the zip size by about three quarters.
Tips and pitfalls
Frames are from the decoded video. The source is compressed, so the frames carry its blocky artefacts. PNG keeps them faithfully; it cannot remove them.
Very short gaps can repeat. If you ask for 30 frames per second from a 25 fps source, a few frames will appear twice, because there is no new frame to show.
Keep the zip small. 300 full-HD PNG frames can top 500 MB. Use JPEG or Half size for long runs.
How to read the result
The stats show how many frames were saved, the time range they cover, the frame size in pixels and the size of the zip file.
FAQ
How do I extract every frame from a video?
Set the rate to match the video's frame rate, usually 24, 25 or 30, and pick a start and end that cover no more than 500 frames. For a whole clip longer than about 17 seconds at 30 fps, export it in several parts.
What are the image files called?
Each file is named after the video with a four-digit frame number, such as clip-0001.png. The zero padding keeps the frames in the right order when sorted by name and lets editing apps import them as one numbered sequence.
Can I turn the frames back into a video?
Yes. Edit the frames as you like, then load them into the image sequence to video tool, which plays them back at the frame rate you choose and records a video in your browser, without uploading anything.
Is my video uploaded to extract the frames?
No. The frames are decoded, drawn and zipped by your own browser. Nothing is sent to a server, so the tool works for private footage and keeps working after the page has loaded even if you go offline.
See also: all Audio & Video tools, Units, Images, Documents, Data & Code.
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