Convert video to series of images (Portable ImageGrab)

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webfork
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Convert video to series of images (Portable ImageGrab)

#1 Post by webfork »

Too often I'll walk partway towards a program but never quite get it posted just because the problem goes away. In this case, I wanted to convert a lengthy, recorded presentation into what were really just 12 slides. It can be the difference between 300 meg file and a few 100k files. I couldn't find a program that would effectively convert a video into images apart from VLC, which unfortunately saved hundreds of images. Enter ImageGrab:

Status: untested

License: Freemium, claims portability

Sites:

https://paulglagla.com/en/imagegrab-2/
https://www.softpedia.com/get/PORTABLE- ... Grab.shtml

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Unfortunately, the program only saves images at a certain time frame. Since standard video compression can create minor differences between frames, you'd need something to delete near duplicate images. To solve this will likely require an additional program. Some I'll probably look into:

For that I'd probably go with Anti-Twin
https://www.portablefreeware.com/index.php?id=2260

Similar Picture Find
https://www.softpedia.com/get/Multimedi ... Find.shtml

Alldup
https://www.portablefreeware.com/index.php?id=1791

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Related thread: Image Grabber II - video contact sheet creator - viewtopic.php?p=13201#p13201

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__philippe
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Extract video images frame-by-frame

#2 Post by __philippe »

Alternative tool for cracking the same nut:
(provided one does not mind a bit of gentle CLI wrestling, that is... :wink: )

Good ole ffmpeg to the rescue

Four variations on a theme are provided in the following illustrated article, which does detail clearly the required parameters :

https://www.bugcodemaster.com/article/e ... ing-ffmpeg

1. Extract ALL frames from input video

Code: Select all

ffmpeg -i video.webm thumb%04d.jpg -hide_banner
2. Extract exactly ONE frame at time "t" from input video

Code: Select all

ffmpeg -i video.webm -ss 00:00:07.000 -vframes 1 thumb.jpg
3. Extract MULTIPLE frames every "X" seconds from input video

Code: Select all

ffmpeg -i video.webm -vf fps=1 thumb%04d.jpg -hide_banner
4. Extract ALL KEYFRAMES from input video.

Code: Select all

ffmpeg -i video.webm -vf "select=eq(pict_type\,I)" -vsync vfr thumb%04d.jpg -hide_banner

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Midas
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Re: Portable ImageGrab

#3 Post by Midas »

Good tip there, __philippe, thanks. I'm a fan of FFmpeg's power but I tend to get lost among all its options. 8)

Specular
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Re: Portable ImageGrab

#4 Post by Specular »

Would like to add PotPlayer into the mix. It's been my video player for years (after trying virtually all of them at one point or another) and the consecutive image capture (Ctrl+G) is my go-to for quick and easy video frame output with adjustable settings. Among them:

Choose a filename prefix
What the dynamic suffix will be
Output image format and quality
Image output dimensions (original or custom)
Max number of frames to output
What intervals to output frames (every n ms or every nth frame)
Whether to include messages/subtitles in output
Correct aspect ratio toggle

Nice thing is you drag the timeline handle to where you want it to begin, just like you would regular playback, then hit Start to initiate output and Stop to finish (or it will auto finish once it reaches the end of the video).

When creating batch files or more programmatic use cases ffmpeg is definitely my go-to though.

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webfork
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Re: Portable ImageGrab

#5 Post by webfork »

Specular wrote: Mon Aug 12, 2019 3:38 pm Would like to add PotPlayer into the mix
Thanks -- that might be the best option yet

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webfork
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Re: Convert video to series of images (Portable ImageGrab)

#6 Post by webfork »

I came up with another possibility here:

If you setup a video to run at roughly 5x speed on VLC (just select Playback - Speed - Faster or by pressing the "]" key a few times). You can then use an auto-capture program like ShareX to then grab all the frames and then go back and delete duplicates using an file or image duplicate checker. (I like SFK). Unless there are a bunch of very rapid screen changes, it should build a clear slideshow of all changes through the course of the video.

You also might use this method to drastically reduce the size of a presentation video by pulling out the audio, breaking it into separate recordings for each slide, and then pasting the audio tracks into the presentation file.  Impress and PowerPoint both support this.  I'm not sure who would prefer to watch something using a presentation program or but could result in a ~90% reduction of the original download size.

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