All thumbnails are the same

ryanesque

I've recently started using VP and mostly like it, but I have one project that is driving me crazy. I have one sequence composed of 12 clips, and for 10 of them, the storyboard thumbnail is exactly the same (and it's a frame I'm not even using). I absolutely cannot figure out how to fix it. I've tried right-clicking on the sequence preview and choosing "use this frame for thumb frame," and I've quit the program several times and restarted it, I emptied unused files from the cache, and I believe I even emptied the entire cache and rebuilt it -- I checked "clear all cache files on exit" and then exited the program, so presumably that's what happened. Nothing works.

Is there anything else I can try? I'm running 5.01 on a Mac, if that makes any difference. Thanks!

[deleted]

Why you have 10 clips (different clips that is) with the same thumbnail in Storyboard mode is a bit odd. Slecting the particular thumbnail to show is however a bit confusing.

The intention I think is to use this option to select the frame as the thumbnail seen in the Clip Bin before it is placed on the timeline..perhaps to prevent confusion between similar clips being selected in error. The procedure envisaged is apparently as follows.....

Add the clip to the VP clip bin. Normally the first frame of the clip will be displayed as the thumbnail.
In Clip Preview play, or move the cursor along to the frame required
Right click the Clip preview screen image and select "Use this Frame for Thumb frame"
The thumbnail image shown in the clip bin will change to the selected frame displayed in the Clip Preview screen.

If the clip is already on the timeline then toggling between Storyboard mode and Timeline mode after making the selection seems (sometimes...on occasions.....may....or may not :huh: ) change the Storyboard mode thumbnail to the clip bin thumbnail.

As I mentioned its a bit confusing......but the first bit works.

Nat

[deleted]

Please try the following

In Storyboard mode, click the sequence clip (NOT the one in the bin) which you want to change its storyboard thumb frame
Click Clip Preview. The selected clip in #1 appears in Clip Preview
In Clip Preview timeline, change the position of the preview
Right click in Clip Preview and select 'Use This Frame for Thumb Frame'

I've made a sample video in https://www.dropbox.com/s/30jgyianwt9ge4t/Untitled 1.mov?dl=0

Regards

Lou

ryanesque

Success! Thanks, Lou. I was sure I'd tried that but I guess I hadn't done things in exactly the right order. Thanks again.

B1948

I'm running Windows 10. I've tried everything to change the thumbnail with no success.

The YouTube video referenced by macfly says it's been deleted and right clicking in Preview mode does nothing.

Any other ideas?

Update: I was clicking on the Preview button in the Home ribbon. It launches a separate preview pane that doesn't respond to a right click. I then tried clicking on the "Clip Preview" tab in the "Clip/Sequence Preview" pane. That option allows a right click and 'Use This Frame for Thumb Frame'. It selected the desired image in the Storyboard but didn't change the thumbnail in the exported file.

Any help here would be appreciated.

St_Bosse

Any new advice? I still can't force a preferred frame to be the thumbnail in picture view mode in Win 10 windows explorer or elsewhere! I get totally random results after numerous tests and ways of exporting a video. It's driving me nuts and it looks very unprofessional. There must be a way! people on you tube gets it right. Why can't it be elsewhere as well?

Anybody ?

borate

For thumbs that Windows displays in the media player, this article may prove helpful. For more insight, pose your query to a Windows 10 forum.

As for thumbs in Videopad, the above posts lay it out.

St_Bosse

Thanks borate for your response! I have looked at the article but unfortunately as is often the case, steps are missing or no longer exist in the app. Also the frustration of undated internet articles. (maybe very old and refers to back versions?)

However, is there no way of forcing the thumbnail to show in windows explorer during video preparation and export in VideoPad? (The thumbnails inside Videopad are no problem, that's not the issue.)

I am producing tones of short videos to assist a dance studio running virtual studio dance lessons and most videos shows the first frame of the main (longest) clip. . . . I think, (99% an image of the teacher ready to start), but not the first frame of the first clip with student name and lesson details. . . . . and then . . . suddenly randomly , one does!

borate

Have observed the same in W10. Thumbs for most videos are the first frame, but not always.

Sorry, no clue as to how Windows decides this, but AFAIK VP cannot dictate what thumb will display on an exported file. Ask that very question here.

And check this out... https://www.vidyard.com/blog/video-thumbnail/

St_Bosse

Thanks again borate, but somehow I get the impression that if someone like you don't know, nobody will!

[deleted]

There is a program called icaros which should apparently generate thumbnails for files instead of the program icon.Perhaps worth looking at?

https://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/icaros.html

Some years ago my Vista machine used to show thumbnails with a small VLC traffic cone in the corner but somewhere along the line (along with restores and updated VLC programs) it has "forgotten" how to do this. I have checked different settings in the control panel but can't find any way of altering things from the yellow traffic cone icon..

Nat

borate

Is VLC configured as the default handler for these file types? If not, try that. Here the MPC-BE logo is shown in the corner of associated file type thumbs.

St_Bosse

Did that, tested all the possible file handlers. - no difference. Nothing works. Also tested some setting on the Windows explorer settings.

Also, won't help much if it is working on my machine because I'm not the one this is about. I'm distributing these clips to our students and there is a variety of devices out there! It seems there is a lack of standardization in file thumbnail display department. The video file itself must "push" a thumbnail image or embedded!

Thanks anyway for your interest and suggestions. (and just if you are wondering, I'm testing over three different devices.)

St B

PS: How do you get an image loaded here?

borate

St Bosse wrote: How do you get an image loaded here?

You link it, from a server. MS OneDrive, Google Drive, DropBox, etc. - all free. Then copy the shared (public) link and paste it into your post here.

St_Bosse

Aha! thanks.

borate

Don't expect it to show up as an image here though. That feature isn't generally available owing to security concerns. The link will open a local viewer to display the image or video.

St_Bosse

👍