Joe Maring / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Google Photos could soon let you save video frames as images more easily than ever before.
- The option to save a video frame as photo will show up when you pause a video.
- Currently, the option is buried deep inside Google Photos’ editing screen.
Google Photos has had the ability to export a video frame as an individual photo for several years. However, it isn’t the easiest tool to find and use, and most people (like me) just take a screenshot of their videos to save a still image from their clips. Now, it seems Google is working on making the tool more readily available.
While digging into the latest version of Google Photos (v7.83.0.943371825), we found a new, easier way to export a video frame as a picture. With some tinkering, we were able to get it working, and it’s a much better experience than what the app offers right now.
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Currently, you can export a video frame in Google Photos by following a series of steps. Open the video, tap the Edit button, scroll the seek bar to the frame you want to export, then tap the camera icon beside the timestamp to reveal the “Export Frame” option.
With the new method, you don’t even have to go into edit mode. Just pause the video, and the Photos app shows a new “Save as photo” option.
AssembleDebug / Android Authority
Upcoming Google Photos UI
This new method is not only easier to access, but the “Save as photo” phrasing could be easier for users to understand as well. It could also save users a lot of time when exporting frames from their videos.
Apple introduced a similar feature in its Photos app with iOS 27. However, in Apple’s implementation, you still have to tap on the three-dot menu icon before you can export the video frame as an image. Google Photos’ upcoming implementation is far easier.
It’s worth noting that while the new “Save as photo” option is working as expected, Google hasn’t actually started rolling it out. That said, we will keep you updated with any new information when we come across it.
⚠️ An APK teardown helps predict features that may arrive on a service in the future based on work-in-progress code. However, it is possible that such predicted features may not make it to a public release.
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