In an era of ubiquitous video content, it is often the case that a dynamic video captures the perfect shot that you want to save as a separate image. Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and Poco smartphones may be faced with the need to extract a static photo from a video file, whether it is a funny moment, an important document or just a beautiful landscape. Fortunately, the modern Android operating system and the proprietary shell MIUI or HyperOS provide many built-in tools to solve this problem without having to download third-party software.
The process of creating a screenshot from a video can be very different depending on whether you are using a standard video player, a third-party application like VLC or online services. It is important to understand that the quality of the final image depends on the resolution of the original video and the method you choose to stop the frame. In this article, we will discuss in detail all the available methods so that you can choose the device that is most suitable for your model.
It's worth noting that some methods allow you to get an image in the maximum resolution, almost equal to the original frame, while others can slightly reduce the detail. Using the built-in video editor of the MIUI gallery allows you to save the frame in the original resolution of the video, which is critical for subsequent printing or cropping. We will look at the nuances of each approach so you can manage the quality of your photos.
Use of built-in video player MIUI and HyperOS
The most obvious and quick way to get a screenshot of a video on Xiaomi smartphones is to use the standard Gallery app. The shell developers have implemented a convenient functionality directly into the viewing interface, which saves the user from unnecessary actions. You do not need to look for a "take a photo" button at the time of playback, just pause the video at the right time.
Once you have opened the video file and stopped it on the frame of interest, pay attention to the bottom control panel, which has an icon resembling a camera or scissors that allows you to instantly save the current frame in memory of the device. If you do not see this button immediately, try clicking the menu button (three dots) in the upper right corner of the screen, where the drop-down option will be "Save frame" or "Pick".
The advantage of this method is that it works natively and does not require an Internet connection. However, it is worth considering that when using a standard player, some video formats may not be supported, and then the system will suggest opening the file in another application where the functionality of saving the frame may not be available.
- 📸 Open the video in the standard gallery and pause in the right place.
- ✂️ Click on the camera icon or select "Save frame" in the menu.
- 🖼️ The image will automatically be saved to the Screenshots or Camera folder".
- ⚙️ Check the quality settings in the player menu if the resolution option is available.
This can quickly fill up the spare space in your phone’s memory if you plan to take a lot of these shots.
☑️ Checking before saving frame
Creating screenshots through third-party video players
If the built-in player doesn't work well with your video format or quality, third-party apps come to the rescue. One of the most popular and powerful solutions is VLC for Android, a player known for its omnivorousness in terms of codecs and formats, and the convenient feature of creating screenshots right during playback.
To take a photo from a video in a VLC, you need to run the file and, when you play it, call the control menu (usually a tap in the center of the screen). In the upper right corner of the interface, you will find the camera icon. Clicking on it will instantly save the current frame to the gallery.
Another great option is the MX Player app, which is also widely distributed among Android users. Unlike VLC, here the functionality can be hidden in the Tools menu or triggered by gestures. Users often note that color reproduction when saving a frame through the MX Player can differ from the original due to the features of video rendering.
⚠️ Note: When using third-party players, make sure the app has storage access permission.Without this right, the saved frame may not appear in the gallery or be lost after the phone is restarted.
Some advanced users prefer to use plug-in-enabled players that not only save a frame, but also apply filters to it immediately or send it to cloud storage, which is especially true for those who blog or work with video content on a regular basis.
It's also worth mentioning that many video editors, like KineMaster or InShot, allow you to import a video, select a frame and export it as an image. Although it's a longer journey, it gives you the ability to fraternize an image or improve its color reproduction before saving it.
Online services to extract footage from video
In situations where installing additional applications is not possible or desirable, online services are an excellent solution, and these web resources allow you to download a video file or a link to it and get a set of screenshots or one particular frame. MI Browser on your Xiaomi.
One of the popular tools is Online-Convert, or specialized sites like ezgif.com, which is simple: you upload a video, you select a timestamp where the frame is located, and you press the conversion button, and the server processes the request and produces a finished image that you can download.
The main advantage of the online method is that there is no load on the phone’s processor, as all the hard work of decoding video takes place on a remote server.This is especially useful for older smartphone models that can slow down when trying to reproduce heavy loads. 4K-video.
But there are some major drawbacks to this: first, you need a stable Internet connection, preferably Wi-Fi, because downloading video files can consume a lot of mobile traffic, and second, you upload your data to someone else's server, which may not be secure if the video contains sensitive information.
In addition, online services often have limitations on file size or video duration, and free versions can add watermarks or reduce the quality of the final image, making this method less preferable for professional use.
Comparison of quality and conservation methods
The choice of method of extracting a frame directly affects the final image quality. Different applications use different decoding and compression algorithms, which can lead to noticeable differences in detail, color reproduction and the presence of artifacts.
| Method | Image quality | Speed of operation | Network dependency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built-in gallery | High (Original) | Instantly. | Not required |
| VLC Player | High. | Instantly. | Not required |
| Online services | Medium (depending on compression) | Slowly (loading) | I'll be sure. |
| Screenshot of the screen | Low (depending on screen) | Instantly. | Not required |
As you can see from the table, built-in tools and quality players win in all respects if the video is played on the device without problems. Screenshot (a combination of volume and power buttons) is the least preferred option, since the photo resolution will be limited by the resolution of the matrix of your display, not the video file itself.
For example, if you are watching 4K video on a FullHD+ screen, the screenshot will have FullHD+ quality, whereas the method of saving the frame through the player will allow you to get an image in 4K. This is critical if you plan to take crops or print a photo.
Why is screenshot worse?
Quality problems and artifacts while preserving
When extracting a photo from a video, users often face the problem of blurring or having quads (compression artifacts), which is because the video uses interframe compression, and not every frame contains complete information about the entire image. Some frames are reference (I-frames), and others are built based on the difference from previous frames.
If you stop the video in a non-resistant frame, the quality may be lower than expected. In such cases, it is recommended to take a step forward or backward for a split second to find a clearer frame.
Another common problem is color mismatch: Videos can be shot in the HDR or Dolby Vision color space, and a phone screen or viewer can incorrectly display this data when stored statically, making the photo fade or too contrasting.
⚠️ Note: When retaining staff from HDR-Videos on standard screens may look dull. For best results, use video editors with support HDR Tonemapping before saving.
To minimize losses, try to use players that support hardware acceleration of your Snapdragon or MediaTek processor. Software decoding sometimes introduces additional distortions, especially on budget smartphone models.
💡
Tip: If the frame is blurred due to movement, try in the player settings to enable the option "Improving the image" or use Photoshop on your phone to increase sharpness (Sharpening) after saving.