How to Get a Still Photo from a Video on iPhone

Do you record many videos with your iPhone? The latest iPhone models can record video in 4K resolution, so if you are not, you are missing out on one of the nicest features of your device. When cool things happen in the world, you want to make them into memories, and one of the best ways to do this is to take a video.

That being said, what if there was one particular moment in the video that you wanted to make into a still photo? Maybe something awesome happened while you were skiing or playing basketball that you would love to have as your Facebook picture, but you only recorded a video. How can you take that video and make it into a still image? In this article, we’ll tell you how you can easily take photo from iPhone video.

Capture a still image from a video on iPhone

There are a couple of ways to capture a picture from iPhone video. However, it’s worth noting that still images captured from video may not have everything in focus and, depending on your camera settings, may have a lower resolution than if you had just snapped a photo.

Take a screenshot

This is the easiest way to get a photo from a video on iPhone. It works pretty well and is the method I use when I need a photo from a video.

Open your video in the Photos app.
Now you will need to find the frame (image) you want to use for your still photo. Tap to open the video, then tap the Play button on the video. Now:
1. Play through the video and pause when you see your desired shot appear. To pause, tap the screen, then tap on the Pause button.
2. If necessary, tap on your screen to open control options at the bottom of the screen. Touch the video clip timeline at the bottom of the screen and slide your finger left or right to move ahead or back in the video.
3. Find the frame you want. Once you have found the shot you like, you may want to slide the video back and forth a bit to find the exact frame that looks best before you capture the still image.
4. With your desired still image on the screen, tap to remove the controls from view. Wait a couple of seconds for the bar at the bottom of the screen to disappear.
5. Now take a screenshot. If you have an iPhone with Face ID, press the side button and the volume up button at the same time. If you have an iPhone with a Home button, press the Home button and the side button at the same time. You should hear a shutter sound and see the screen flash white.
6. The screenshot will be automatically saved in Photos app. Note: The final version of the photo will have letterboxing (the black bars on the sides). You can edit this in the Photos app, Preview app or another photo editing app.

final screenshot of video frame

Best Apps For Turning iPhone Videos Into Photos

There are a variety of third-party apps that will capture still images from iPhone video for you. So, if you have tried the screenshot method and aren’t happy with it, you can use one of these apps to extract a picture from iPhone video: