Free tool · no signup
Video frame grabber and thumbnail maker
Pause a video on any moment and save that frame as a full-resolution PNG or JPG, or as a thumbnail cropped to 16:9, 9:16, 1:1 or 4:5.
Your video
Choose a video to start.
Choose your video, pause on the moment you want, pick a shape and press Grab this frame. The frame is saved at the video's own resolution, so it is sharper than a screenshot. For YouTube, use the 16:9 shape: YouTube asks for at least 640 pixels wide and recommends 3840 by 2160.
A screenshot of a playing video is usually soft: it captures your screen, not the video, so it is limited by the size of the player and any scaling in between. Grabbing the frame from the video itself gives you every pixel the video has, which matters for thumbnails, poster frames and gallery images where text needs to stay crisp.
This tool does that in your browser. It opens your video on the page, draws the frame you pause on at full resolution, and lets you save it. You can also crop the centre of the frame to the shape a platform expects. Nothing is uploaded.
YouTube thumbnail size
YouTube's help page asks for a custom thumbnail of 3840 × 2160 pixels for videos and 2160 × 3840 for Shorts, with a minimum width of 640 pixels for videos. It recommends a 16:9 shape for videos and 9:16 for Shorts, in JPG or PNG. The file must be under 2 MB when you upload it from the YouTube app, and under 50 MB on desktop. The tool warns you when a grab is under 640 pixels wide or over 2 MB.
The thumbnail can only be as sharp as the video. A 1920 × 1080 video gives a 1920 × 1080 thumbnail, which meets the minimum but is not the recommended 3840 × 2160. If you need the full size, grab from a 4K export.
Choosing a good frame
- Pick a moment with the product visible. A frame where the key screen is clear says more than a transition or a blur.
- Avoid motion. Use the frame buttons to step one frame at a time until text is sharp, not mid-animation.
- Leave room for words. If you will add a title on top, choose a frame with a calm area to put it in.
- Not sure where to start? Press "Grab 6 frames across the video" and pick the best one.
PNG or JPG?
PNG keeps every pixel exactly, so text and interface edges stay crisp, which suits product screens. It also makes larger files. JPG is much smaller and is fine for photos and gradients, but it can blur fine text a little. If a PNG thumbnail is over the 2 MB limit for the YouTube app, grab the same frame again as JPG.
Other uses
A still from your film makes a good poster frame for the video on your website, an image for a LinkedIn or X post, or one of the gallery images on Product Hunt. For a moving preview instead of a still, use the video to GIF converter. Before you post the video itself, the video specs checker tells you whether it meets each platform's limits, and our guide to aspect ratios covers which shape goes where.
Every film we make comes with a thumbnail, and Launch Day adds the Product Hunt gallery images too.
How to use it
- Choose your video. Pick a video file from your computer. It opens in the page and is not uploaded.
- Find the frame. Play and pause on the moment you want, then use the frame buttons to step forward or back one frame.
- Pick a shape and type. Keep the original frame, or choose a thumbnail shape to crop the centre. PNG is sharpest, JPG is smaller.
- Grab and download. Press Grab this frame. Each grab appears below with its size, ready to download.
Frequently asked questions
Is the frame full resolution?
Yes. The frame is drawn from the video itself at its own resolution, not from your screen. A 1920 by 1080 video gives a 1920 by 1080 image, so it is sharper than a screenshot of the player.
What size should a YouTube thumbnail be?
YouTube's help page recommends 3840 by 2160 pixels for videos and 2160 by 3840 for Shorts, with at least 640 pixels of width for videos. Use a 16:9 shape for videos, and keep the file under 2 MB if you upload from the YouTube app.
Does cropping stretch the image?
No. Choosing a shape crops the centre of the frame to that shape and keeps the proportions. If the frame is larger than the size cap for that shape, it is scaled down evenly.
Is my video uploaded anywhere?
No. The video is opened by your browser on your own computer, and the images are made there too. Nothing is sent to us.
Sources
Want it made for you? Launch Day, $449
The main film for launch day, plus the short cuts, images and posts that go out with it. Built for Product Hunt, X and LinkedIn. You see a storyboard and a private preview first, and pay only once you are happy.
See what's in Launch Day or get a free storyboard →