How do I extract individual frames from MKV as BMP images?
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Upload the MKV file and the converter exposes a frame-extraction picker: every Nth frame, frames at specific timestamps, or one frame per second. Each chosen frame is decoded from the MKV video stream, encoded as a separate BMP file, and bundled as a ZIP for download.
At what resolution do the extracted BMP images come out?
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Same resolution as the source MKV: a 1080p MKV produces 1920x1080 BMP frames, a 4K MKV produces 3840x2160 BMP frames. The converter does not upscale or downsample — pixel dimensions are pulled straight from the decoded frame. Use /resize-image/ after extraction if you need smaller thumbnails.
Can I extract every frame of a MKV as BMP?
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Yes, but mind the file count — a 30 fps 1-minute MKV produces 1,800 BMP frames. We pack them into a single ZIP archive automatically. For longer clips, prefer the "1 per second" preset (60 frames per minute) or pick specific timestamps. An hour of MKV at every-frame would produce ~100,000 BMP images.
Will the BMP frames preserve the MKV colour grading?
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Yes — colour is decoded with the same matrix the source MKV stream advertises (BT.709 for HD, BT.2020 for 4K HDR). HDR sources are tone-mapped to SDR when extracting to a BMP that cannot store HDR pixel ranges natively (JPG, PNG-8). Target high-bit PNG-16 or TIFF if you need to keep extended dynamic range.
How big is one extracted BMP frame on disk?
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Depends on resolution and BMP codec choice: a 1080p PNG frame is 2-5 MB lossless, a 1080p JPG at quality 85 is 200-500 KB. Multiply by frame count to size the ZIP — at the extreme, every-frame PNG extraction of a 10-minute 1080p MKV is roughly 50 GB and gets split across multiple ZIPs.
Does the extracted BMP keep camera EXIF metadata?
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A MKV container does not carry per-frame EXIF the way a still camera does, so the BMP files come out with empty EXIF blocks. The converter does embed a `creation_time` field pointing at the source frame timestamp, so you can re-sort the bundle in chronological order or correlate with subtitle / chapter markers.
How long does frame extraction from MKV to BMP take?
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Frame decoding is fast — typically 20-30% of source duration. A 5-minute MKV -> BMP bundle finishes in about 1 minute regardless of how many frames you pick, because the bottleneck is the BMP encoder writing many small files in parallel, not the MKV demuxer.
Can I extract frames at exact timestamps inside the MKV video?
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Yes — the advanced timestamp option accepts a comma-separated list (e.g. `00:01:23, 00:05:00, 00:10:42.5`) and produces one BMP file per timestamp. Useful for chapter thumbnails, scene reference shots, or building a contact sheet for review.
Is my MKV private during frame extraction?
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Yes — same privacy model as every conversion. Source MKV and the extracted BMP bundle are processed in isolated workers and deleted within minutes of completion.
Why are my extracted BMP frames blurry?
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Almost always motion blur baked into the source MKV (the camera or subject was moving while that frame was captured). Try picking timestamps from static scenes, or extract several adjacent frames and pick the sharpest. The pipeline does not synthesize detail that is not in the original MKV.
Can the converter pick one frame per scene change in the MKV?
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Not in the basic flow — use the "1 per second" preset as a rough approximation and visually skim the bundle for scene changes. A dedicated scene-detect extractor (powered by ffmpeg select=gt(scene)) is on the roadmap and will land for BMP export later this quarter.
Can I use the extracted BMP frames commercially?
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Yes, subject to whatever licence governs the source MKV content. The conversion is a format change — copyright on the content stays with whoever holds it on the MKV. We add no watermark, no embedded stamp, and claim no licence over the BMP bundle.