The REPLACE THUMBNAIL IMAGE feature in Wiredrive lets you replace auto-generated thumbnails with more appealing and representative frames from your video files. You can create custom thumbnail images for files in Library or Projects using an array of methods ranging from beginner to expert in level. In this post, we discuss the novice-level screen grab method.

Get your new image

1. Open the file in QuickTime.





2. Play the file and pause when you see a usable frame.





3. Press and hold Shift-Command-4 to enable the screen grab tool selector and drag the crosshairs across the parts of the frame that you want to use for your thumbnail. This is a good opportunity to remove the 16:9 letterbox bars from your project image if applicable.
4. When you release the mouse button, a file called Picture 1.png is exported to your desktop.

Applying your new image in Projects

1. Open the file detail and click Manage File.
2. Click Browse under REPLACE THUMBNAIL IMAGE. Locate and select the file you just created (may be on your desktop) and Click Upload. Your custom thumbnail is assigned to the file.

Applying your new image in Library

1. Select Library > Administration from the main menu.





2. Locate your file and open its detail page.
3. Click Edit in the file detail panel.
4. Click Browse at the Replace Thumbnail field. Locate and select the file you just created (may be on your desktop) and click Upload.
   
   
   

5. Click Save and your custom thumbnail is assigned to the file.

Changing thumbnail images may be more important than you realize. First impressions are important for any business, so any opportunity to put the best face on your work should be seized. You can also remove letterbox bars (see step three under Get your new image), which produces more image real estate and makes it easier to identify spots.