Choosing and Setting a File's Thumbnail Image?

[KB Photo]

In VideoStudio 2018, before saving a clip, how does the user manually determine which frame will show up as the file's thumbnail image in other programs, such as Windows Explorer?

[lata]

Hi
I have never seen an option to select the thumbnail frame using Video Studio, it is as far as I know a Windows Explorer issue.
From what I can see the thumbnail does not use the first frame but another frame further into the file, and I do not know which frame that is, neither do I know if that can be selected using Windows although I would think yes, somewhere ? Then that may be the same frame for each video file.

Maybe others will have suggestions

[Davidk]

There doesn't seem to be a way to "choose" the image a thumbnail uses - but in practice it is the first frame of the clip.
To check;
drag a clip - mp4, wmv or whatever - on the timeline.
select the clip and go to the start of clip - click on the barred-head left-facing arrow (|<) below the preview window
note the time counter at the right-hand end of the icons below the preview window in minutes:seconds:frames (in 3 digits); at clip start it is 00:00:000 (and specifically, frame 0)
observe the features of the the thumbnail image at this position, eg water shimmer in the sample_360.mp4 from VS2020 samples
click on the next frame - right-facing based arrow (|>)
note that image will subtly change, and the frame counter has incremented from 000 to 001
Updated
But you may need keen eyesight to compare the clip thumbnail image with the one showing in the preview window at frame 000

[lata]

There doesn't seem to be a way to "choose" the image a thumbnail uses - but in practice it is the first frame of the clip.
To check;
drag a clip - mp4, wmv or whatever - on the timeline.
select the clip and go to the start of clip - click on the barred-head left-facing arrow (|<) below the preview window
note the time counter at the right-hand end of the icons below the preview window in minutes:seconds:frames (in 3 digits); at clip start it is 00:00:000 (and specifically, frame 0)
observe the features of the the thumbnail image at this position, eg water shimmer in the sample_360.mp4 from VS2020 samples
click on the next frame - right-facing based arrow (|>)
note that image will subtly change, and the frame counter has incremented from 000 to 001
Updated
But you may need keen eyesight to compare the clip thumbnail image with the one showing in the preview window at frame 000

I believe the OP is referring to Windows Explorer where the folder view shows thumbnails, and as far as i am aware does not use the first frame of the video.

[asik1]

indeed windows explorer show the first frame.
UnZip this 99fps AVI I have for testing, cut it and render...

[lata]

Hi Adi
I do not see that with my video files
I have created several samples approx. 10 seconds
The first 15 frames are the colour clips from the library followed by a video clip.
Render that to different formats and Windows Explorer does not display the first frame, it shows a frame approx. 2 seconds into the video
That distance seems to change with the duration, so a shorter clip will display one of the colour clips, but not the first frame.
If the first frame was displayed there would be a lot of thumbnails showing a black view as a lot of video does have black lead-in fade _in option.

I certainly do not understand why your video shows the first frame, maybe the duration, codec used??.
Maybe I'm getting to much sun......

Try rendering a longer video to MP4

[asik1]

You are correct, wmv's takes from ~3rd second.

Because win10 is so user friendly, you can actually set the thumbnail..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPPHZjDNw9M
so simple..