The VLC video player is one of the easiest ways to make screen caps.  Screen cap is short for screen captures.  A screen capture is a still frame from a movie.  It can be a DVD, a live performance or something from YouTube.  It basically can be any type of video that is able to be played via an external video player, such as VLC.  Screen caps come in handy, because they allow watchers to share moments from a movie or other information without forcing someone to sit through an entire presentation.

In order to start screen capping in VLC, you want to open the program.  Once opened, head to Settings and then Preferences.  Click on the plus to expand the Video section.  Find Output Modules, then Filters and under the latter, you want to open up Advanced Options.  Advanced Options should be checked so you can open up all the settings you need to set up proper screen capping properties.

Once checked, you want to navigate to Video Output Module.  Change Default to Image Video Output.  Under Output Modules, you should also be able to find Image File.  Click on that to change those options.  Change the Image File to PNG, JPEG or BMP.  PNG will give you the highest quality whereas BMP will give you the largest file size.  PNG is generally good for screen caps no matter what program you use.

When you choose your Image File output, you now want to choose a ratio to screen cap.  This is the amount of time between each still frame being taken.  Depending on the video, you may want this to be frequently, such as every 20 – 25 seconds.  If the video is moving quickly, something even smaller such as 7 – 10 seconds may be required.  It may take some time to figure out the right fit for your video.  You can always go back and change it as desired.

Finally, save your settings and begin playing your video.  If done correctly, you should only hear the audio as the video is screen capped in the background.  Once the video is done playing, navigate to the folder where you are keeping saved items and preview the screen caps.  You have now successfully screen capped in VLC.