When in search of information, YouTube appears as one of the most popular platforms providing a great number of videos, including technical instructions or recipes for a meals. It remains the most widely used app for accessing free videos even with the push from Google to join the YouTube Premium. But whether you’re taking in an educational video or simply watching a movie trailer, there are times when the action on a screen has to be paused and a particular frame in a video has to be captured.
This can be challenging, particularly when dealing with content that is action-oriented or, for instance, gaming highlights. No matter how fast you are at using the space bar or mouse to select parts of the video, finding that particular frame is almost herculean. But YouTube offers a little-known feature that allows you to control playback with incredible precision: In particular, it uses frame by frame navigation.
Why Frame-by-Frame Playback Matters
Not every video uploaded to YouTube is the same, and some of them are more visually rich and therefore intricate to decode. If you are in a sports highlight and want to know how a player made a move in a second or if you are in a tutorial and want to know at what frame something happened, frame by frame playback is quite helpful.
Slowing down the playback speed can be useful, but it usually makes the video pixelated, even if it’s recorded at 60 fps. The solution? Some of the secret navigation shortcuts that work on YouTube, including the ability to advance through a video one frame at a time.
Here is how to use YouTube’s frame-by-frame playback:
YouTube supports a variety of keyboard shortcuts, but one of the most powerful is its frame-by-frame feature, accessible via two simple keys:YouTube supports a variety of keyboard shortcuts, but one of the most powerful is its frame-by-frame feature, accessible via two simple keys:
Period Key (. ): Increases the video by one frame.
Comma Key (,): Moves the video one frame backward.
To use this feature:
Pause the Video: In order to set the fine-tuning from a certain point in the video press the spacebar or click the play button.
Advance Frame by Frame: To advance the video one frame at a time, press the ‘. ’ button.
Rewind Frame by Frame: Additional one frame movement can be made by pressing the comma (,) key.
This feature is especially convenient for taking screenshots, reviewing the content step by step or at least reviewing the slow-motion action without having to install any extensions or additional tools.
Conclusion
Among the many options available on YouTube, few people know about the possibility of slow motion, frame-by-frame playback. No matter whether you are slicing through action or attempting to freeze frame, these basic keyboard shortcuts give the control required. The next time that you are on YouTube, use the following trick to gain full control over your viewing options.