How to Use the VLC Frame by Frame

A lot of you guys haven’t been using the VLC frame by frame feature, which allows you to play through your video one step forward at a time. Although, the frame by frame in the VLC media player only supports forward frame at the moment. However, the next VLC media player can include the backward VLC frame by frame, but that isn’t guaranteed at the moment.

This is similar to how to go frame by frame on YouTube. But in this case, the VLC player frame by frame only works for the forward frame only. The VLC player is yet to include the backward frame by frame.

Therefore, here in this article, you will understand what the VLC frame by frame is all about and how to use the frame by frame in VLC while watching video on the media player.

What is VLC Frame by Frame?

What is VLC Frame by Frame?

VLC frame by frame is a feature that allows you to play through the video you are watching on the VLC media player app one step at a time. 

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The frame by frame feature in VLC allows you to capture a particular snapshot in the video you are watching or streaming using the media player.

The frame by frame VLC is useful for examining particular video snapshots, especially if you are not clear about the screen. So, with the frame by frame on VLC media player, you can go one step at a time to a particular scene or shot in your video.

However, the VLC frame only supports forward stepping at the moment. So, in this article, you will get to know view frame by frame in VLC media player.

Update your VLC Media Player

If you haven’t updated your VLC media player in recent times, you should consider updating it to roll in the frame by frame feature on the media player.

Meanwhile, you can uninstall the VLC media player from your Windows or Mac computer to reinstall the latest VLC app on your computer. On the contrary, you can update the VLC media app directly on your Windows or Mac to get the latest VLC frame by frame.

  • Launch the VLC media player app on your PC.
  • Click “Help” on the navigation.
  • Select “Check for Update.”
  • The VLC media player will check for the latest update for your VLC version.
  • Suppose there is an update available. You will be prompted to download and install the latest update. And on the other hand, if your VLC version is the latest with the frame by frame feature, you will be told that your device is running the latest version.

You can then click on the close tab to continue with how to set up your VLC media player frame by frame.

VLC Frame by Frame Hotkey

The VLC media player has a unique hotkey to the next frame, one after the other to skip each frame for scrutiny or scene observation.

The VLC frame by frame hotkey is “E.” When you press the “E” key on your keyboard, the video will move to the next frame and also pause video.

However, to proceed with the video, all you need to do is click on the spacebar key on your Windows or Mac computer.

How to Enable VLC Frame by Frame

The VLC frame by frame option has a hotkey to “Next Frame” in the media player. However, the hotkey serves as the frame by frame shortcut in the VLC media player. The hotkey can be customized or changed from the default key to a most preferred key.

  • Launch the “VLC Media Player on your PC [Windows or Mac].”
  • Select “Media” on the navigation.
  • Select “Open Files” from the drop menu
  • Select the video you intend to frame by frame and click Open.
  • Click on the play button to play the video.
  • Press “E” once to frame by frame the video.
  • On the screen, you will see “Next Frame”  to the top right. 

That is how the VLC frame feature works. So, what if you want to customize the VLC frame hotkeys? Let us quickly run through the process to change the VLC frame by frame hotkey.

How to Change VLC Frame by Frame Hotkey

The key “E” is the official frame by frame key on the VLC media player. However, if the key “E” is assigned for a different function on your computer, follow the steps below to change the frame by frame hotkey in your VLC app.

  • Open your VLC media player.
  • Select “Tools” from the navigation and click on “Preferences” from the drop menu.
  • Select “Hotkeys” on the navigation to the end.
  • Search for “Next Frame” using the search box.
  • Double-click on the next frame icon to popup the option to change the hotkey. You can also select unset to remove the previously set hotkey.
  • Press the key you want to set as your VLC next frame hotkey
  • Click “Assign” from the pop-up.
  • Click on the “Save” button to the bottom right.

However, if the key has been assigned to a particular function on the PC, a pop-up will appear telling you what the key was assigned for.

View Video Frame by Frame VLC

The process below walks you through how to view video frame by frame on your VLC media player.

  • Open the VLC media player.
  • Click on “Tools” on the navigation and select “Customize Interface” from the drop menu.
  • Go to “Tool Element” and scroll down to Frame by Frame.
  • Press and hold your cursor on the frame by frame button and drag it to line 2 above the tool element.

This post discussed the VLC frame by frame, how to use it and the process it takes to change the hotkey. However, the frame by frame backward is still lacking in the VLC feature. However, we believe that VLC will se a reason to ad it to the next update based on popular demands from users.

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