Which video formats work?

MP4, WebM, Ogg, MOV — anything your browser's can decode. AVI and MKV may need conversion first.

Can I pick any frame?

Yes — scrub the video timeline and capture the current frame. Accurate to the video's frame rate (typically 30 or 60 fps).

Both. PNG for lossless (best for later editing), JPEG for smaller files (fine for thumbnails). AVIF/WebP also available.

Matches the video's resolution by default. Resize after extraction if you need a specific size.

Scrub a video and export a frame as a PNG or JPEG. Part of the DevTools Surf developer suite. Browse more tools in the Images collection.

YouTube generates 3 automatic thumbnail options for every uploaded video using an AI model that detects high-contrast, well-composed frames.
Netflix reported that thumbnail images drive 82% of viewer focus when browsing, making thumbnail selection a significant factor in content discovery.
The first video ever uploaded to YouTube, 'Me at the zoo' by Jawed Karim on April 23, 2005, used a manually chosen thumbnail.

Which video formats work?: MP4, WebM, Ogg, MOV — anything your browser's <video> can decode. AVI and MKV may need conversion first.
Can I pick any frame?: Yes — scrub the video timeline and capture the current frame. Accurate to the video's frame rate (typically 30 or 60 fps).
PNG or JPEG output?: Both. PNG for lossless (best for later editing), JPEG for smaller files (fine for thumbnails). AVIF/WebP also available.
What resolution is the thumbnail?: Matches the video's resolution by default. Resize after extraction if you need a specific size.

Scrub a video and export a frame as a PNG or JPEG. Part of the DevTools Surf developer suite. Browse more tools in the Images collection.

YouTube generates 3 automatic thumbnail options for every uploaded video using an AI model that detects high-contrast, well-composed frames.
Netflix reported that thumbnail images drive 82% of viewer focus when browsing, making thumbnail selection a significant factor in content discovery.
The first video ever uploaded to YouTube, 'Me at the zoo' by Jawed Karim on April 23, 2005, used a manually chosen thumbnail.

Which video formats work?: MP4, WebM, Ogg, MOV — anything your browser's <video> can decode. AVI and MKV may need conversion first.
Can I pick any frame?: Yes — scrub the video timeline and capture the current frame. Accurate to the video's frame rate (typically 30 or 60 fps).
PNG or JPEG output?: Both. PNG for lossless (best for later editing), JPEG for smaller files (fine for thumbnails). AVIF/WebP also available.
What resolution is the thumbnail?: Matches the video's resolution by default. Resize after extraction if you need a specific size.