PNG
A slide from a lecture
Keep the slide, the formula or the code listing for your notes. Lossless PNG keeps small text readable, and the file name tells you the minute.
Free extension for Chrome
Screenshot YouTube video frames without controls
A camera button appears in the YouTube player. Pause where you want and click it: the current frame is saved as a full-resolution PNG in your Downloads, with no control bar or cursor, named by video title and time.
240 users on the Chrome Web Store
Also works in Edge, Brave, Opera and other Chromium browsers.
At a glance
- What it does
- Adds a camera button to the YouTube player. One click saves the current video frame as a PNG in your Downloads folder.
- Who it is for
- Students saving slides from lectures, designers and artists collecting references, thumbnail makers, anyone who needs a still from a video.
- Output
- PNG at the video's own resolution: 1920×1080 when the video plays in 1080p. Named like screenshot_Video title_00-04-12.png. No JPG, no editor.
- Price
- Free. No account, no paid version.
- Data
- The frame is made in your browser from the video that is already playing. Nothing is uploaded, no analytics.
- Works in
- youtube.com in Chrome and other Chromium browsers that install from the Chrome Web Store. Not Firefox, Safari or the YouTube apps.
- Limits
- Videos on youtube.com only, not YouTube players embedded on other sites. The frame is as sharp as the quality the player is showing.
- Version
- 2.3.0, updated October 23, 2026
One click, one frame
- 1
Open a video
Any video on youtube.com. The camera button sits with the player's own buttons, bottom right.
- 2
Stop on the frame
Pause, or keep it playing. You can click as often as you like.
- 3
Click the camera
Amber corner brackets flash, the time of the frame shows in the player, and the PNG lands in Downloads.
What people save
4K
References at full size
Artists and designers collect poses, colour and lighting. The frame has the video's own size, up to 3840×2160 when the video plays in 4K.
0
Cropping to do
Thumbnail and meme makers get the clean frame: no control bar, no progress line, no cursor to cut away.
What it does
click in the player
The camera button sits next to the player's own buttons and stays there as you go from video to video.
Lossless
The frame is saved as PNG at the size of the stream the player is showing. Pick a higher quality, get a bigger image.
controls in the picture
Only the video frame is saved, never the player interface or your mouse cursor.
Named by title and time
screenshot_Video title_00-04-12.png. Frames from different moments get different names, and characters a file can't hold are replaced.
Works in fullscreen
The amber brackets and the timecode appear inside the player, so you see the confirmation in fullscreen too.
Open tabs too
After you install or update the extension, the button appears in YouTube tabs that are already open. No reload.
Why a regular screenshot of YouTube looks worse
A screenshot copies your screen. On YouTube that means the player at its current size, plus whatever sits on top: the control bar and progress line when you pause, the title, the cursor. Then you crop, and the frame is only as big as the player window.
YouTube Video Screenshot takes the picture from the video itself. The frame has the resolution of the stream, 1920×1080 for a 1080p video, and nothing from the player interface gets into it. The file is named by the video title and the second you captured, so a folder of frames stays in order.
Frames stay on your computer
No account, no uploads
The frame is drawn from the video already playing in your tab. The extension has no server and sends nothing anywhere.
YouTube only
It runs on youtube.com pages and nowhere else.
Three permissions
YouTube pages, to add the button. Scripting, to add it to tabs that are already open. Storage, to remember whether it has asked you for a rating.
A regular screenshot vs YouTube Video Screenshot
| A regular screenshot vs YouTube Video Screenshot | Screenshot and crop | YouTube Video Screenshot |
|---|---|---|
| What is in the picture | The player as it looks on screen, with controls or the cursor if they are showing | Only the video frame |
| Image size | The size of the player on your screen | The video's own resolution, like 1920×1080 for 1080p |
| Steps | Take the screenshot, open an editor, crop, save | One click on the camera button |
| File name | A generic screenshot name with a date | Video title and the time of the frame |
| Price | Built in | Free |
Questions
How do I screenshot a YouTube video without the controls?
Add YouTube Video Screenshot to Chrome, open the video, stop on the frame you want and click the camera button in the player. The PNG holds only the video frame: no control bar, progress line or cursor.
Where is the screenshot button?
In the group of buttons at the bottom right of the player, first from the left. It shows in every video, and in YouTube tabs that were already open when you installed the extension.
What resolution is the screenshot?
The size of the stream the player is showing: 1920×1080 for a 1080p video, 3840×2160 for 4K. For a sharper frame, raise the quality in the player settings before you click.
Where are the screenshots saved, and how are they named?
In your Downloads folder, as screenshot_Video title_00-04-12.png, where the numbers are the hours, minutes and seconds of the frame.
Can I take a screenshot in fullscreen?
Yes. The camera button is part of the player controls, and the confirmation appears inside the player, so it works in fullscreen too.
Why does it say the video isn't ready yet?
The player hasn't shown a frame yet: the video is still loading or an ad has just ended. Wait a second and click again.
Is it free? Does it upload my screenshots?
It's free, with no account. The frame is made in your browser and saved straight to your computer: nothing is uploaded and there are no analytics.
Does it work in Edge, Brave or Opera, or in the YouTube app?
It works on youtube.com in Chromium browsers that install from the Chrome Web Store, including Edge, Brave, Opera and Vivaldi. Not in Firefox, Safari, the YouTube mobile apps or YouTube players embedded on other sites.
More free extensions from PYROCTAL
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YouTube Money CheckerFree YouTube channel earnings calculator: estimated monthly income on each channel page, from recent views, niche CPM & Shorts.