Generate Thumbnail from video API

About Generate Thumbnail from video API

The Video Thumbnail Generator API extracts a PNG frame from a video at a specified timestamp. It accepts an uploaded video file or a remote video URL, with optional parameters for seek time in seconds and output size in WIDTHxHEIGHT format (for example 320x180). Supported input formats include .mp4, .mkv, .avi, .mov, .flv, .3gp, and .webm, with a 500 MiB limit on file uploads.

The API offers four endpoints covering both upload-based and URL-based extraction, each available in two response modes: a streamed binary PNG or a JSON response containing a signed URL to the generated thumbnail.

It is intended for generating preview images in contexts such as video galleries, media upload flows, asset management systems, and content moderation dashboards that require a stable extracted frame for display or indexing.

Key features

• Extracts a PNG frame from a video at a specific timestamp
• Accepts either an uploaded video file or a remote video URL
• Optional output resizing via a WxH size parameter (e.g. 320x180)
• Returns the thumbnail as either a streamed binary image or a signed URL
• Supports common video formats: .mp4, .mkv, .avi, .mov, .flv, .3gp, .webm
• File upload endpoints accept videos up to 500 MiB

Frequently asked questions