There are two unlabeled buttons for this on the preview window. Set your preview size to Best/Full and then use the button that looks like a diskette. Save as PNG for best quality.

That answer is assuming that you have the video on the Vegas timeline.

If not, there are DVD software players that will let you take single frames from even a copy protected video.

Yes, that's probably a more literal answer. ;-)

Rob

Hello Dave,
in your Vegas, use the Help tab... or F1.
Do a search for "snapshot" ... it'll give you all the steps required as well as some additional bits of information you may never use (or even need - but it is there just the same) ... (grin)
The snapshot has been there in the help menu since V4.0 - and probably earlier - I've only been a user since 4.0 ... not that long ago really; it seems like just last month... (wink)

Until that time... Earl J.

One other bit of advice, which has been discussed in another thread, make sure that for your "still" you select a video frame with no motion or one with as little motion as possible.

The reason is that when capturing a "still" from interlaced video, you may get serrations in the captured photograph caused by Field 1 being different from Field 2 and it takes both fields to make a frame.. If that captured still is used in the timeline you may get flicker in said still also because Field 1 being different from Field 2. Vegas repeats both Fields, back and forth, for a default of 5 seconds.

For the above reason, if you can get true photograhs either from the camcorder in picture mode or from a separate photographic camera, you will be much happier. But, many times one does not have this luxury and must accept what the video provides .....

Quite true. When i'm looking for a frame to capture i'll spend some time stepping through one frame at a time until i find one clear with no motion or blurring. It may not always be exactly the shot i want, but it's often much better looking than the one i wanted, and still close enough to be useful.

Another thing you can do is set the properties to to as high a format as you can, right click on the clip, change the field order to "none, progressive," then take the snapshot. Don't forget to reset everything afterward.

And I've read that it's better to save as PNG rather than JPEG. Is that right?

Richard

And I've read that it's better to save as PNG rather than JPEG. Is that right?

Only if you use the image in Vegas. If not it's up to you what is best for your particular use.

Not a huge difference between JPEG and PNG from what I can see as Vegas save the JPEG at the highest quality anyway.

One trick I use to get good stills if it's interlaced footage is to use Mike Crash's free smart de-interlacer to de-interlace. This way the parts of the frame with motion get interpolated and the rest of the frame remains untouched. One trap though, the de-interlace FX needs to cycle through a couple of frames to work so once you've found the frame you want shuttle back and forth a couple of frames.


Bob.