A VS Code extension that provides a GitHub Copilot Language Model Tool for extracting frames from videos at specified timestamps using ffmpeg.
Features
- Extract Video Frames: Extract single frames from any video file at a specific timestamp
- Copilot Integration: Use the tool directly in GitHub Copilot Chat with
#extractVideoFrame
- Cross-Platform: Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux
- Multiple Formats: Supports common video formats (MP4, AVI, MKV, MOV, etc.)
- Flexible Timestamps: Accepts timestamps in multiple formats (HH:MM:SS, MM:SS, or seconds)
Prerequisites
ffmpeg must be installed on your system:
| Platform |
Installation Command |
| Windows |
winget install ffmpeg or choco install ffmpeg |
| macOS |
brew install ffmpeg |
| Linux |
sudo apt install ffmpeg or sudo yum install ffmpeg |
Verifying Installation
After installation, verify ffmpeg is available:
ffmpeg -version
Make sure ffmpeg is in your system PATH.
Usage
In GitHub Copilot Chat
Once installed, the tool appears in Copilot's tool picker:
- Open GitHub Copilot Chat
- Type
#extractVideoFrame to reference the tool
- Ask Copilot to extract frames from your video
Example prompts:
#extractVideoFrame Extract a frame from video.mp4 at 1:30
Extract a frame at 45 seconds from /path/to/movie.mkv
Extract frames at 0:10, 0:30, and 1:00 from intro.mp4
| Parameter |
Type |
Required |
Description |
videoPath |
string |
✅ |
Path to the video file (absolute or relative to workspace) |
timestamp |
string/number |
✅ |
When to extract the frame (HH:MM:SS, MM:SS, SS, or seconds) |
outputPath |
string |
❌ |
Where to save the image (defaults to extracted-frames/ folder) |
format |
string |
❌ |
Output format: png (default) or jpg |
Output
Extracted frames are saved to an extracted-frames folder next to the video file by default, with filenames like:
video_00-01-30_000.png
Release Notes
0.3.0
Reverted to system ffmpeg requirement:
- Removed bundled binaries approach (caused cross-platform issues)
- Now requires ffmpeg to be installed on your system
- Smaller extension size
- More reliable across all platforms
- Clear installation instructions for Windows, macOS, and Linux
0.2.1
Bug fixes:
- Fixed duplicate tool registration error
0.2.0
Simplified to single tool (deprecated):
- Removed system ffmpeg tool
- Attempted bundled ffmpeg approach
0.1.0/0.0.x
Initial releases with various approaches
Contributing
Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit issues and pull requests.
License
This extension is licensed under the MIT License.
