Understand the picture.
Trust the next step.
Get the right frames, read their timing, and carry them into the next workflow. Clear methods, original examples, and limits explained.
9 focused guides · 3 connected workflowsFrames & extraction
Find the right picture, understand the selection rule, and verify the image you exported.
Go back to a missed frame in VLC
Find the VLC 3.0 next-frame shortcut, recover an overshot moment, and distinguish backward time seeking from a true previous-frame step.
GUIDE 05Extract codec keyframes with FFmpeg
Export decoder-flagged keyframes, keep a source-time manifest, and compare keyframe flags with I-pictures and visual scene changes.
GUIDE 06Select specific frames with FFmpeg
Choose decoded indices or presentation times, avoid duplicated image outputs, and verify your selection against a source-frame manifest.
Frame rate & timecode
Read the clock behind the pictures. Separate cadence, elapsed time and frame labels.
23.976 vs 24 FPS
Compare the same frames at two playback rates, distinguish conforming from conversion, and check duration and audio before changing footage.
GUIDE 03Drop-frame vs non-drop-frame
Follow consecutive frames across 29.97 and 59.94 minute boundaries, reject skipped labels, and convert timecode through checked frame counts.
GUIDE 0429.97 vs 30 FPS
Separate source, timeline and export rates, choose what to preserve, and verify cadence and sync when 29.97 and true 30 FPS meet.
GUIDE 07Constant vs variable frame rate
See how similar FPS summaries can hide different frame intervals, inspect timestamps, and decide whether a CFR conversion is justified.
GIFs & sprites
Reconstruct complete animation frames, then carry their geometry and timing into the next workflow.
Bring GIF frames into Unity
Export complete GIF frames, slice a padded PNG grid, and plan unequal animation holds using a checked five-frame example.
GUIDE 09Understand GIF disposal methods
Follow a partial GIF patch through compositing and disposal, compare methods 1–3, and diagnose missing backgrounds and ghost trails.
Choose your tool
Calculations, generated media experiments and documentation-based instructions are identified in each guide. A successful example on one file is not a guarantee about every codec, editor or device.