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sangiro

Capturing a still from WMV

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Hey guys,

Pretty sure I saw something about this earlier but for the life of me cannot find it with a search. What's the easiest way to capture a still from a WMV format file? Obviously trying to do a screen capture with Media Player running just gives me a blank screen.
Safe swoops
Sangiro

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You won't be able to open it most video editing programs because of the digital rights management microsoft is trying to force on people.

I don't have any MWV's handy to try this on, but in Media Player you can go Tools / Options, select the Copy tab, and make sure "Protect content" is unchecked.

Then I wonder if you can do a screen capture...

_Am
__

You put the fun in "funnel" - craichead.

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Then I wonder if you can do a screen capture...
Probably not. What's happening is that the video information is being sent directly to the frame-buffer of the video card. The OS is only handling the player software, the frame to put the video onto, screen location, and sizing.

If you want to capture that frame and you can't do it with the video paused, you will have to use editing software to pull the frame grab. Most of them will have a "snapshot" function that will capture the current frame in the buffer and save it to a file.

Kris
Sky, Muff Bro, Rodriguez Bro, and
Bastion of Purity and Innocence!™

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Hey Sangiro - I have Premiere 6.5 and would be VERY happy to either send you a copy (for educational and/or trial usage only :)) or you can send me the WMV file, the time of the video you want a still of, and I'll capture a still from it and send it to you.

Let me know!!

:)
http://www.brandonandlaura.com

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Brandon,

Thanks for the offer! I've actually done a bit of reading about overlay technologies and found a little $39 shareware application (SnagIt) that serves my purpose. I'm not into video editing (yet) and really just needs something small that can grab me a thumbnail from wmv. :)
Check it out here:
http://www.techsmith.com/products/snagit/default.asp
Safe swoops
Sangiro

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If you pause the video on the frame you want, then go to edit - "copy", then go to MS Paint and 'Paste' (I think these are the words used, some programs are different) the picture should be there! Worked for me. Not great images, but you are stopping motion!

J


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Sometimes we're just being Humans.....But we're always Human Beings.

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You know what is odd, is I had taken a video down and put on a CD. When I play that CD it opens to my old Media Player format and it does have the edit command where I can 'copy'. But I have Media Player 7.01 too, and it doesn't have that option on the tool bar.....I wonder why? Why would they have taken that command off the new player and why would my video CD open in another version player?:S

J


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Sometimes we're just being Humans.....But we're always Human Beings.

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The video I had put on a CD....in order for me to play it, I have to go to My computer-drive D and then open the appropiate files in order to play the CD. It opens in a media player for Win98 not Media Player 7.01. From there I can pause, copy, paste.... Could be it is a different file format? I cannot get it to play in 7.01, or I haven't gone out of my way to try very hard:S, but the 'open' command doesn't open it.

J


--------------------------------------
Sometimes we're just being Humans.....But we're always Human Beings.

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