In the realm of freeware media players, VLC is the undisputed king. It can play everything: discs, file streaming, webcams, and it even plays those odd codec-encrypted files downloaded from a site that is located in Eastern Europe (but please, don’t download any strange files from sites in Eastern Europe).
It is compatible with every platform: Windows, Linux, Mac OS X, Unix, iOS, and Android. So, if you’ve not already installed it on Windows 10 or whatever platform you’re on, Download VLCnow.
When playing a media file in VLC, there are times when you’ll be required to play frame-by-frame. In order to get to a specific frame or even a scene, it is necessary to play the video forward one frame at a time.
VLC offers the frame by frame feature that allows you to move one tiny bit further ahead of a film. You have complete control over where you wish to move within the timeline. However, VLC doesn’t support frame-stepping backward. It’s only possible for you to go forward.
Here’s How to Use Frames by Frame in VLC Media Player.
- Start VLC media player on the PC.
- Click View in the menu bar at the top, then select Advanced Controls.
- The advanced control bar will appear above the control bar that is the default.
- Go to Media > Open File… to load the video file you want to play.
- Click the VLC Frame By Frame button to display each frame.
How do I find an actual frame number of a video? You can do this using VLC the media player. Here’s how:
- Open your Video with VLC Media Player. Pause the video at specific times.
- Click Tools > Media Information.
- Switch to the Statistic tab. You will be able to observe the lost and displayed frame underneath the video.
- Add the two numbers and you’ll get the frame number.
The Video can be viewed, Frame by Frame by using the Toolbar Button
You can also turn on “Next frame” by pressing the toolbar button.
- If it’s not visible on your playback toolbar, click “Tools > Customize Interface.”
- Then, scroll down to the “Toolbar Elements” list until you come across the “Frame By Frame” option.
- The “Frame By Frame” button is somewhere on “Line 2” so that you are able to select it in the toolbar for playback.
Watching the Video Frame-by-Frame, using the Shortcut Key
This is the simplest method. You just need to navigate the timeline to where you wish to capture or pause the frame. After that, press the shortcut key: e.
To make use of this shortcut, it is possible for your video to be playing or paused. If it’s playing, pressing “E” will stop the play and move it forward one frame at a time. Hit the “E” button on your keyboard several times to reach the exact location within the media.
If the hotkey “E” doesn’t perform for you, it’s likely that a different keyboard character is assigned to perform the task. It is possible to view (or even modify) these shortcuts by clicking on Tools > Preferences and then going to the Hotkeys tab. You can type in a frame in the search field to display it easily. Modify it as you like, or just leave it in the original frame.
How to Move Forward/Backward in One Frame
VLC doesn’t support frame-stepping forward. If you’d like to go back into the frame before, you can use MiniTool MovieMaker. It’s a Video editor as well as a video player. It can be used to edit videos and play them frame by frame.
Step 1. Download and install MiniTool MovieMaker.
Step 2. Start MiniTool MovieMaker, import a video and add it to the timeline.
Step 3. In the preview window, click Step Backward One Frame or Step Forward One Frame to change to the next or previous frame. To play a video on full screen, simply click the full-screen icon that is next to the timecode.
FAQ
How can I reverse the frame-by-frame in VLC?
By default, by default, frame by frame is enabled. frame by frame feature that only moves forward one frame at a time.
If you wish to reverse it frame-by-frame there’s an option that is available right now. It is possible to use a shortcut” key to step frames.
I hope that you are able to play the video frame by frame using the VLC media player. If you enjoyed our instruction, please don’t forget to share the tutorial via social media.
Comment below with your thoughts on this amazing VLC feature, or if you find that the VLC frame by frame feature does not work for you.
How Do I Enable Video Frame by Frame Numbers in VLC?
By using this feature, you can analyze the video by Frame by Frame numbers so that it is easy to identify the frame you’re watching.
- To display frame-by frame number on your VLC player, choose the Tools option and then select the Media Information on your Windows PC.
- Visit the Statistics window. Under the option Video, there is a frame being displayed and then gone.
- Adding both of these displayed and lost frame numbers will provide you with your frame number in VLC.
Conclusion
This article will show you how to activate the VLC frame-by-frame feature and how to determine the current frame number inside VLC, in addition to how to change back to the prior frame by using MiniTool MovieMaker. I hope this guide can be of help to you!