thumbnails for video files in windows XP

Posted: 08-16-2004, 02:33 AM
It's always bugged me how Windows XP selects the first frame of a video file
to use as the thumbnail for that file. Often times, that first frame is
black, or doesnt represent the video well, which defeats the whole purpose of
a thumbnail. I remember that in programs such as Nero, when a thumbnail will
be used, it lets you pick which frame of the video you want used. What I want
to know is, is there any way -- settings, tweaks, third-party software, etc.
-- that I can change the thumbnail used for a video file? Even if the
solution involves me getting screen grabs myself and setting them somehow as
the thumb, I still prefer that to looking at a folder full of black
rectangles.
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Responses to "thumbnails for video files in windows XP"

Rehan
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Posts: n/a
 
Re: thumbnails for video files in windows XP
Posted: 08-16-2004, 01:51 PM
Solutions in increasing technical-knowhow order:

1. You can edit your videos in Movie Maker to capture one (or more)
represetative frame(s) and put it in the beginning as a title frame. If you
capture more than one frames, use external editor to make a collage of
those...

If it feels too tedious, you can write a script to do that to all files in
the folder using AviSynth.

Otherwise if you are a programmer you can create a custom thumbnail plugin
for avi/wmv files, which will be used by windows explorer to generate
thumbnails. for an example project/source code, see here:

http://greggman.com/pages/thumbplug_tga.htm

--
---------------------------------------
Rehan (www.rehanx.org - transitions and effect for movie maker)
---------------------------------------
"xen9899" <xen9899@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:67130A4A-20B8-4D3F-8256-E62B8D481B05@microsoft.com...
> It's always bugged me how Windows XP selects the first frame of a video
> file
> to use as the thumbnail for that file. Often times, that first frame is
> black, or doesnt represent the video well, which defeats the whole purpose
> of
> a thumbnail. I remember that in programs such as Nero, when a thumbnail
> will
> be used, it lets you pick which frame of the video you want used. What I
> want
> to know is, is there any way -- settings, tweaks, third-party software,
> etc.
> -- that I can change the thumbnail used for a video file? Even if the
> solution involves me getting screen grabs myself and setting them somehow
> as
> the thumb, I still prefer that to looking at a folder full of black
> rectangles.

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jack robitaille
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Posts: n/a
 
RE: thumbnails for video files in windows XP
Posted: 01-13-2005, 01:49 AM
I just updated medi player to version 9 and when I tryed to play this is
your day on a Benny Hinn program it told me there was an error

"xen9899" wrote:
> It's always bugged me how Windows XP selects the first frame of a video file
> to use as the thumbnail for that file. Often times, that first frame is
> black, or doesnt represent the video well, which defeats the whole purpose of
> a thumbnail. I remember that in programs such as Nero, when a thumbnail will
> be used, it lets you pick which frame of the video you want used. What I want
> to know is, is there any way -- settings, tweaks, third-party software, etc.
> -- that I can change the thumbnail used for a video file? Even if the
> solution involves me getting screen grabs myself and setting them somehow as
> the thumb, I still prefer that to looking at a folder full of black
> rectangles.
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twodeezz
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Posts: n/a
 
RE: thumbnails for video files in windows XP
Posted: 07-25-2007, 09:44 AM
i used to have the first frame showing as a thumbnail but all of a sudden all
i get is a movie clip icon. I have checked all the settings but can not see
anything that looks out of place. anyone know how i can get this to change
back. it is really frustrating to have to open every clip to see what is on
it. Thanks Twodeezz

"xen9899" wrote:
> It's always bugged me how Windows XP selects the first frame of a video file
> to use as the thumbnail for that file. Often times, that first frame is
> black, or doesnt represent the video well, which defeats the whole purpose of
> a thumbnail. I remember that in programs such as Nero, when a thumbnail will
> be used, it lets you pick which frame of the video you want used. What I want
> to know is, is there any way -- settings, tweaks, third-party software, etc.
> -- that I can change the thumbnail used for a video file? Even if the
> solution involves me getting screen grabs myself and setting them somehow as
> the thumb, I still prefer that to looking at a folder full of black
> rectangles.
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