▣ FILE CONVERSION · FILE MANIPULATION

Generate Thumbnail from Video API

Hosted on ApyHub

What it does

Video Thumbnail Generator extracts a PNG frame from a video at a specific timestamp. Send a video file or a remote video URL, choose the seek time in seconds, and optionally set an output size like 320x180 or 640x360.

Use the upload-based endpoints when you already have the media in hand, or the URL-based endpoints when the file is hosted elsewhere. You can choose between a streamed binary image response or a signed URL response, depending on how you want to handle the thumbnail in your app.

Video Thumbnail Generator accepts common video formats including .mp4, .mkv, .avi, .mov, .flv, .3gp, and .webm. The file-based download endpoint supports uploads up to 500 MiB. The response is a PNG frame, either returned directly as binary data or provided as a signed link in a data field.

This is useful for generating preview images for video galleries, media upload flows, asset management systems, and content moderation dashboards where a stable frame capture is needed for display or indexing.

▣ ENDPOINT 01 / 04

POST

Extract PNG frame from upload and stream download

https://api.eu.apyhub.com/apyhub/generate-thumbnail-from-video/file/download

QUICKSTART

GUIDE

Quickstart

Upload a video file to generate a thumbnail from it.

curl -X POST "https://api.eu.apyhub.com/apyhub/generate-thumbnail-from-video/file/download" \
  -H "apy-token: $APY_TOKEN" \
  -F "video=@/path/to/video.mp4"

What you'll get back

Returns the generated thumbnail as a binary file response.

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API key

Loading your default key…

The full key is used to call the gateway and stays in this tab — never sent to orbit or saved.

Max 100MB total per request (all files combined). Larger? Use this API's URL-based endpoint instead, if it has one.

About this endpoint

What it does

Extracts a single PNG frame from an uploaded video and streams the generated file back as a binary response. The request body accepts the source video plus optional frame-seek and output-size settings.

Request Body

Parameter	Type	Description
video	Binary	Video file upload. Supported formats: `.mp4`, `.mkv`, `.avi`, `.mov`, `.flv`, `.3gp`, `.webm`. Maximum size: 500 MiB.
size	String	Optional output scale in `WxH` format, for example `320x180`.
time	Integer	Frame seek position in seconds. Default: `1`. Minimum: `1`.

Response

Returns a binary file stream, representing the generated PNG frame extracted from the uploaded video.

Parameter	Type	Description
binary response	String	The endpoint returns the generated PNG as binary data.

Max 100MB total per request (all files combined). Larger? Use this API's URL-based endpoint instead, if it has one.

▣ ENDPOINT 02 / 04

POST

Extract PNG frame from upload and return signed link (VIT-02)

https://api.eu.apyhub.com/apyhub/generate-thumbnail-from-video/file/link

QUICKSTART

GUIDE

Quickstart

Upload a video file to generate a thumbnail from it.

curl -X POST "https://api.eu.apyhub.com/apyhub/generate-thumbnail-from-video/file/link" \
  -H "apy-token: $APY_TOKEN" \
  -F "video=@/path/to/video.mp4"

What you'll get back

Returns a JSON object with a data string field containing the generated thumbnail URL.

{
  "data": "https://storage.example.com/video-clips/thumb.png?sig=abc"
}

TRY ITLIVE · 550 ATOMS

API key

Loading your default key…

The full key is used to call the gateway and stays in this tab — never sent to orbit or saved.

Max 100MB total per request (all files combined). Larger? Use this API's URL-based endpoint instead, if it has one.

About this endpoint

What it does

Uploads a video file and returns a signed link to a generated PNG frame extracted from that video.

Request Body

Parameter	Type	Description
video	Binary	Video file to process. Binary upload.
size	String	Output frame size in `WIDTHxHEIGHT` format, for example `640x360`.
time	Integer	Extraction timestamp in seconds. Minimum: `1`. Default: `1`.

Response

Returns a JSON object with a data string field containing a URI to the generated PNG frame. The data field is required.

Parameter	Type	Description
data	String	Signed link to the generated PNG image. URI format.

Max 100MB total per request (all files combined). Larger? Use this API's URL-based endpoint instead, if it has one.

▣ ENDPOINT 03 / 04

POST

Extract PNG frame from remote URL and stream download (VIT-03)

https://api.eu.apyhub.com/apyhub/generate-thumbnail-from-video/url/download

QUICKSTART

GUIDE

Quickstart

Generate a thumbnail from a video URL by sending the video link in the request body.

curl -X POST "https://api.eu.apyhub.com/apyhub/generate-thumbnail-from-video/url/download" \
  -H "apy-token: $APY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"video_url":"https://assets.apyhub.com/samples/sample.mp4"}'

What you'll get back

Returns a binary file containing the generated thumbnail image.

TRY ITLIVE · 550 ATOMS

API key

Loading your default key…

The full key is used to call the gateway and stays in this tab — never sent to orbit or saved.

About this endpoint

What it does

Extracts a PNG frame from a remote video URL and returns it as a streamed binary response. The request body accepts the source video URL and optional frame extraction parameters.

Request Body

Parameter	Type	Description
video_url	String	Remote video URL to extract the frame from. Must be a valid URI.
size	String	Output frame size in `WIDTHxHEIGHT` format. Example: `320x180`.
time	String	Video timestamp to extract the frame from. Defaults to `1` if not provided. Example: `3`.

Response

Returns a binary response body containing the extracted PNG image. The output schema declares a single string with binary format, so the success response is a streamed file rather than a JSON object.

▣ ENDPOINT 04 / 04

POST

Extract PNG frame from remote URL and return signed link (VIT-04)

https://api.eu.apyhub.com/apyhub/generate-thumbnail-from-video/url/link

QUICKSTART

GUIDE

Quickstart

Generate a thumbnail from a video URL by sending the video link and the target thumbnail size.

curl -X POST "https://api.eu.apyhub.com/apyhub/generate-thumbnail-from-video/url/link" \
  -H "apy-token: $APY_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "video_url": "https://assets.apyhub.com/samples/sample.mp4",
    "size": "320x180"
  }'

What you'll get back

Returns a JSON object with a data string field containing the thumbnail image URL.

{
  "data": "https://storage.example.com/video-clips/thumb.png?sig=abc"
}

TRY ITLIVE · 550 ATOMS

API key

Loading your default key…

The full key is used to call the gateway and stays in this tab — never sent to orbit or saved.

About this endpoint

What it does

Extracts a PNG frame from a remote video URL and returns a signed link to the generated thumbnail. You provide the source video URL and can optionally set the capture time and output size.

Request Body

Parameter	Type	Description
video_url	String	Remote video URL to extract the frame from. Must be a URI.
size	String	Output thumbnail size, such as `320x180`.
time	String	Frame capture time in seconds. Defaults to `1`.

Response

Returns a JSON object with a data string field containing a signed URI to the generated PNG thumbnail.

Parameter	Type	Description
data	String	Signed URI for the generated PNG thumbnail.

▣ COMMON ERRORS

Errors any endpoint can return

400bad_request

Required parameter missing or malformed body.

401unauthorized

API key missing, revoked, or not authorized for this service.

429rate_limited

Your plan's per-second rate exceeded. Retry with exponential backoff.

503upstream_busy

Backend temporarily unavailable. Try again in a few seconds.

Similar APIs

Closest matches in the catalog based on this service.

CALLGenerate Thumbnail from Video Job APIApyHub CALLGenerate Image Thumbnails APIApyHub CALLGenerate File Preview APIApyHub CALLVideo to GIF API: Convert Video Clips to Animated GIFsApyHub

From the blog

Reads that touch this API.

Generating Video Thumbnails with ApyHub’s API (Go Guide)Aug 7, 2026 Generating Thumbnails from Videos : A step-by-step guide in NodeJSJul 9, 2026 Exploring the Top Video Thumbnail ( Preview) APIsJul 9, 2026 Video Thumbnails for SEO: How They Lift CTR, and How to Generate Them with an APISep 22, 2026