is there a way to take a picture of a video file?

[iwantanewcomputer]

if i printscreen while viewing a video file(mpeg, avi, etc) it just gives a black square when the file is closed and the picture is saved as a bitmap jpeg etc. is there any way to get around this?

 

[klah]

Turn off hardware acceleration for the media player.

For WMP it is under tools->options->performance.

 

[rainypickles]

klah's idea works.

for a workaround, you could open another instance of the media player and play it. the second window doesnt use acceleration and you can take shots of that. that's been my experience.

 

[Daaavo]

Or you could play the video in Windows Movie Maker and take a snap shot there. It's the button right next to cut/splice.

 

[bamacre]

You can also open .avi's in Virtual Dub and export frames as bitmaps, single or multiple. Not as messy as using screencapture.

 

[xes]

ctrl+i takes screenshots in wmp

 

[Wik]

Use the capture screen button in Power DVD