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QuickPrepMedia

Save a video frame as a cover image, in your browser

Choose the exact frame of a product video, crop it for Amazon, Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts, add an optional title and product label, and check it in small thumbnail previews. Save a JPEG or PNG in your browser. The video never leaves your device.

  • No upload — runs in your browser
  • Free, no account
  • Reads MP4, MOV, and M4V; also WebM and MKV where the browser can decode them
  • HEVC (H.265) video: Chrome, Edge and Safari, where the device can decode it
  • Up to 4 GB per video; frames up to 3840 × 2160 px, either way round

Drop a video here or click to browse

Reads MP4, MOV, and M4V. Also reads WebM and MKV when this browser can decode the video inside.

HEVC (H.265) video can be edited in Chrome, Edge and Safari, where the device can decode it.

Up to 4 GB per file.

Your video is processed in this browser and is never uploaded.

Where is the video going?

The tool takes its targets from what the destination states. You can change it at any time.

How to save a cover frame

  1. Add your clip

    Drop in one clip of up to 4 GB. Choose where the cover is going, in the tool or in the table below, and the crop window takes the shape that destination names.

  2. Choose the exact frame

    Drag the slider, step one frame or one second at a time, type a time, or pick a thumbnail. The stage shows the exact chosen frame before cropping and adding text.

  3. Add text, preview and save

    Place the crop window and optionally add a title and product label. Check their readability in the small previews, choose JPEG or PNG and export. Check the cover against the destination, then download it.

Cover rules by destination

What each destination covered here states or recommends for a video's cover image, read from its own pages, with stated limits and recommendations marked apart. A destination that takes no cover image of its own is listed with what it does instead. Use a row to set that destination in the tool.

The frame, the crop and the file size

A cover is one frame of the video, cut to a shape and saved as an image. Three ideas explain what the tool does.

  • Frames of the clipThe one saved

    The frame you see is the frame you get

    A video player shows whichever frame it has ready, which is not always the one that gets saved. Here the stage is drawn by the same decoder that makes the cover, and the steps move through the frames the file actually holds, one at a time.

    Step frame by frame when the product moves: the frames on either side of a sharp one are often blurred.

  • Window on the frameKept at its size

    The crop keeps the cover's shape, at the clip's own pixels

    With a destination chosen, the crop window keeps the shape it states or recommends, such as 16:9 for Amazon. The cover is what the window frames, at the pixels the clip has there. It is never scaled up, so a small window gives a small cover, and the tool says when it is smaller than recommended.

    Crop close to the product, but keep an eye on the size line: a cover well below the recommended size can look soft.

  • Over the limitUnder it

    A JPEG is fitted under the size limit

    When a destination states a size limit, such as the 5 MB Amazon states, the JPEG's quality is lowered only as far as it takes to get under it. A PNG is lossless, so its size can't be lowered: if it is over, the result says so.

    Choose JPEG for a cover unless you need a lossless image: it is much smaller for the same frame.

A cover that shows the product

The cover is what a buyer sees before the video plays. A frame from the clip itself matches what they will see next, and choosing it frame by frame lets you skip the blurred and half-turned frames between steady shots.

Amazon lists JPEG or PNG covers under 5 MB, and recommends 16:9 at 1920 × 1080 px. With Amazon chosen, the crop window keeps 16:9 and the JPEG aims under that size.

For a Shorts thumbnail, YouTube states a JPEG or PNG image at least 640 px high, and recommends 9:16 at 2160 × 3840 px. Custom Shorts thumbnails can only be added in YouTube Studio on a computer, where YouTube lists 50 MB; the tool aims under 50 MB.

Instagram recommends a Reels cover of 420 × 654 px, as a PNG or JPEG file. With Instagram Reels chosen, the crop window keeps that shape.

Not every destination takes a cover image. TikTok's developer documentation for API uploads sets the cover as a frame of the video, Etsy's developer documentation describes no way to set one, and the eBay pages read for this tool do not say how a cover is set. They are listed in the tool and in the table, but can't be chosen as a cover target.

The cover is one still. To make the video itself fit a destination's shape, reframe it.

Limits worth knowing

  • Reads MP4, MOV, and M4V. Also reads WebM and MKV where the browser can decode the video inside. A frame of HEVC (H.265) video can be saved in Chrome, Edge and Safari, where the device can decode it. The cover is a JPEG or a PNG.
  • Clips of up to 4 GB, with frames of up to 3840 × 2160 px, either way round. The cover is never larger than the part of the frame it shows.
  • Showing and saving a frame decodes the video in the browser, which needs Chrome, Edge, Safari or Firefox on a computer. In a browser that can't, the tool says so before you add a clip.
  • You can add a title and product label to the cropped frame. Small thumbnail previews help you check readability; their sizes are examples, not destination requirements. A frame of an HDR clip is saved as a standard dynamic range image, so bright highlights and colours may look different.

Video cover frame FAQ

Is my video uploaded to a server?

No. Your clip is read, the frame is decoded and the cover is saved in your browser, and nothing is uploaded, stored or sent anywhere. The page does fetch its own code as you go: the video engine loads when you add your clip. Your video is never part of that.

How do I get the exact frame I want?

Drag the slider close to it, then step one frame at a time with the frame buttons, or with the arrow keys on the slider. You can also type a time or pick a thumbnail. Add an optional title and product label, and use the small previews to check readability. The Cover view shows the composed image, and Export waits until its preview is ready.

What should an Amazon video thumbnail be?

Amazon lists JPEG or PNG images under 5 MB, and recommends 16:9 at 1920 × 1080 px. With Amazon chosen, the tool keeps the crop at 16:9 and aims the JPEG under 5 MB. The cover is never scaled up, so a clip smaller than 1920 × 1080 px gives a smaller cover, and the tool says so.

Can I make a custom thumbnail for a YouTube Short?

Yes, to add in YouTube Studio on a computer, which is the only place YouTube states that custom Shorts thumbnails can be added for now. YouTube states a JPEG or PNG image at least 640 px high, and recommends 9:16 at 2160 × 3840 px. With YouTube Shorts chosen, the crop keeps 9:16, and the tool warns you when the cover is less than 640 px high.

What size should an Instagram Reels cover be?

Instagram recommends 420 × 654 px, as a PNG or JPEG file. With Instagram Reels chosen, the crop window keeps that shape, and the tool shows the size your frame gives next to the recommended one.

Can I set a cover for TikTok, Etsy or eBay here?

You can save any frame as an image, but not as a cover for them. TikTok's developer documentation for API uploads sets the cover as a frame of the video, Etsy's developer documentation describes no way to set one, and the eBay pages read for this tool do not say how a cover is set. Choose No destination to save a frame in any shape.

Why is my cover smaller than the recommended size?

The cover is the part of the frame inside the crop window, at the pixels the clip has there. It is never scaled up, because enlarging adds no detail. A larger crop window, or a clip recorded at a higher resolution, gives a larger cover.

Should I save a JPEG or a PNG?

JPEG is smaller and is the usual choice for a photo of a product, and its quality can be lowered to fit under a destination's size limit. PNG is lossless and larger, and its size can't be lowered, so when it is over a destination's limit the result says so.

Why can't this browser show a frame of my iPhone video?

Many iPhone videos are HEVC (H.265). To show and save a frame, the browser has to decode it, and some cannot. Chrome, Edge and Safari can on most devices. When a browser cannot, the tool says so and still shows the clip's facts.

What to do next

Save a cover from your video now

Add your clip, choose the frame and download the JPEG or PNG. The video never leaves this device.

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