About the Video Contact Sheet Maker
A contact sheet shows a whole video on one page. This tool takes a number of frames spread evenly through the video, arranges them in a grid with the time under each thumbnail and adds a header with the file name, length, resolution, size and codecs. Choose how many thumbnails (from 6 to 40), how many columns, how large each thumbnail is, a dark or light background and JPG or PNG. It is the quickest way to find a scene, review a long recording, send a preview of footage to someone or keep a visual index of your files. The video is read in your browser and nothing is uploaded.
Updated October 2026
How to use the Video Contact Sheet Maker
- 1Drop your video.
- 2Choose the number of thumbnails and columns.
- 3Choose the thumbnail size and the look.
- 4Press Make the contact sheet.
- 5Download the picture.
Getting a readable sheet
Keep the sheet wide enough to read. For viewing on screen, four to six columns of 320 pixel thumbnails is a good size. For printing, choose fewer columns and bigger thumbnails. If many thumbnails look alike, such as in an interview, choose more thumbnails so that you do not miss a change of scene.
The timestamps help you find a moment again: look at the picture, note the time under the thumbnail and jump to it in a player.
Choose the thumbnail width with the final use in mind. Small thumbnails make a compact sheet that is quick to share by message. Large thumbnails make a detailed sheet for printing or for checking focus and framing. A dark background makes bright scenes stand out, while a white background saves ink when you print the sheet.
The header lists the codecs, so the sheet doubles as a quick technical record of a file. If you share it, remember that frames from a video can show faces or private places, so check each thumbnail before you send the picture to other people. You can always make a second sheet with fewer thumbnails to hide the details you do not want to show.
Ways to use a contact sheet
- Review long footage before editing.
- Send a visual summary of a video to a client.
- Keep an index picture next to each video file.
- Check a screen recording to find the right step.
- Find a scene in a lecture or meeting recording.
- Create a storyboard for a clip.
Related tools
To save individual frames use the Video Frame Extractor, and to cut the part you want use Trim Video. See the codec and size of your video with the Media Info Viewer, and make a picture grid of photos with the Collage Maker. Remember that frames can be copyrighted material.
Features
- 6 to 40 thumbnails evenly spaced
- 2 to 6 columns
- Timestamps under each thumbnail
- Header with name, length, size, resolution and codecs
- Dark or light background
- JPG or PNG
- Private, no upload
Frequently asked questions
What is a contact sheet?
A single picture with many small pictures in a grid, used by photographers and film editors to see a lot of material at once.
How are the frames chosen?
They are spread evenly through the video, each taken from the middle of an equal part of the running time.
What is a good number of thumbnails?
Twelve to twenty fit well on a page for a short video. For a long film choose thirty or forty with more columns.
How big will the picture be?
It depends on the columns and the thumbnail width. Four columns of 320 pixel thumbnails give a picture about 1,300 pixels wide.
Can I choose exact times?
Not in this tool. Trim the video to the part you want first, then make a sheet of that part.
Which videos work?
MP4, MOV, MKV and WebM that your browser can decode.
Is my video uploaded?
No. The pictures are taken and arranged in your browser.