Extract Stills From an HD Camcorder
HD video cameras provide brilliant images for both professionals and video enthusiasts. HD footage that is captured in 1080i (interlaced) or 1080p (progressive scan/non-interlaced) will create native still images that have 1920 x 1080 lines of resolution. HD footage that is captured in 720p format will create native still images that have 1280 x 720 lines of resolution. Both of these screen resolutions are high enough to create compelling still photography for the web, and in some instances, for print.
To extract an HD still from video captured with your HD camera, you will need a video editing program such as iMovie or Final Cut Pro. For the purposes of the is article, we will assume you are using Final Cut Pro, but the processes and concepts are universal for all programs, whether it is on a MAC or PC.
Instructions
1. Open your non-linear video editing program, such as Final Cut Pro. Capture your footage from your HD video camera, then cue up a still from your captured footage that you would like to extract.
2. From the "File" menu, select "Extract Using QuickTime Conversion." For "Format," select "Still Image." Click on "Options."
3. In the "Export Image Sequence Settings" menu, select your preferred still-frame format (PNG, JPEG, TIFF, etc). For "Frames per second," enter the current frame rate. Click on "OK," then click "Save."
4. Once your image has been extracted, open it to verify that it was captured correctly from your source footage. If you are unhappy with the results, repeat steps 1 through 3 and try extracting the still using a different file format.
Tags: footage that, from your, that captured, create native, create native still
