Extract an image sequence (PNG, TIFF or EXR) from a video on a Mac
5 min read · Checked against Sequency 1.3 · Updated
Short answer
Import the video into Sequency, set Container to Image Sequence, choose PNG, TIFF, OpenEXR, Targa or JPEG in Format Options, set the Start Frame (for example 1001), then click Export Selected and pick an empty folder. Sequency writes one numbered file per output frame.
Steps
- 1
Import the video
Click Import… (⌘I) and choose a .mov, .mp4, .m4v, .mxf, .mkv or .braw file, or an ARRI clip.
- 2
Switch to Image Sequence
In the Settings tab, open Container and choose Image Sequence.
- 3
Choose the format
Open Format Options and choose PNG, TIFF, OpenEXR, Targa or JPEG. Set Bit Depth for PNG and TIFF (8-bit or 16-bit), Compression for OpenEXR, or Quality for JPEG.
- 4
Set numbering
Set Start Frame to the first frame number you want, such as 1001 for VFX or 1 for general use.
- 5
Resample or retime (optional)
Use Frame Rate → Custom Frame Rate to sample the video at a different rate, for example 24 frames per second from a 60 fps source, or Duration → Change Duration to fit it to an exact length.
- 6
Export to an empty folder
Click Export Selected… (⌘E) and choose an empty folder. Sequency names files after the source, such as clip.1001.png.
Recommended settings
| Setting | Value | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Roto, paint, general comp | PNG or TIFF, 16-bit | Lossless, widely supported. |
| Linear comp workflows | OpenEXR, PIZ or ZIP | Half-float, lossless. |
| Transparency | PNG, TIFF, TGA or EXR + Preserve Alpha Channel | JPEG has no alpha. |
| Contact sheets, quick looks | JPEG | Smallest files. |
Which format to choose
PNG and TIFF at 16-bit keep every bit of a 10-bit or 12-bit source and are read by every compositor and paint app. OpenEXR stores half-float values, which is the natural choice when the frames go into a linear compositing script. TGA is there for game and legacy pipelines.
Colour
With colour conversion off, frames keep the source's encoding and are tagged accordingly. To linearise a Rec.709 video for comp, turn on Enable Color Space Conversion, set the input to the source's space and the output to a linear space such as ACEScg, and write OpenEXR.
Questions
- How do I extract only some frames?
- In the app, Select Frame Range is available for image-sequence sources. For a movie, use the command-line tool's
--start-frameand--end-frameoptions (zero-based frame numbers). - Does it work with MKV and VP9 files?
- Yes. Since 1.3, MKV exports to image sequences follow the frame rate and duration you choose.
- Can I export at a lower resolution?
- Yes. Turn on Custom Resolution in the Resolution card.