export-frames command extracts individual frames from animated images (GIF, WebP, APNG) and multi-frame files (TIFF, ICO) into separate image files.
Syntax
Parameters
Full path to the animated or multi-frame image fileSupported formats:
- Animated GIF (
.gif) - Animated WebP (
.webp) - Animated PNG/APNG (
.png) - Multi-frame TIFF (
.tiff,.tif) - Multi-icon ICO (
.ico)
Exit Codes
| Code | Description |
|---|---|
0 | Frames exported successfully |
2 | Error (file not found or invalid format) |
Behavior
Interactive Folder Selection
When you run the command:- File validation - Checks if the specified file exists
- Folder picker - Opens a dialog to select the destination folder
- Frame extraction - Extracts all frames to the selected folder
- Progress display - Shows extraction progress
- Completion - Displays summary of extracted frames
Output Files
Extracted frames are saved as:- Naming pattern:
frame_001.png,frame_002.png, etc. - Format: PNG (preserves transparency)
- Numbering: Sequential, zero-padded
- Location: User-selected destination folder
Examples
Basic Usage
Export Animated WebP
Export APNG Frames
Multi-Frame TIFF
Advanced Usage
Batch Frame Extraction
PowerShell Batch Extraction
Error Handling
PowerShell with Error Handling
Supported File Formats
Animated GIF
- Format: Graphics Interchange Format
- Typical use: Web animations, simple animations
- Frames: Unlimited
- Output: Individual PNG files
Animated WebP
- Format: WebP with animation
- Typical use: Modern web animations, high-quality animations
- Frames: Unlimited
- Output: PNG files with alpha channel
Animated PNG (APNG)
- Format: Animated Portable Network Graphics
- Typical use: High-quality animations with transparency
- Frames: Unlimited
- Output: PNG files preserving transparency
Multi-Frame TIFF
- Format: Tagged Image File Format
- Typical use: Scanned documents, multi-page images
- Frames: Multiple pages
- Output: PNG files (one per page)
Multi-Resolution ICO
- Format: Windows Icon
- Typical use: Application icons with multiple sizes
- Frames: Multiple resolutions (16x16, 32x32, 48x48, etc.)
- Output: PNG files (one per resolution)
Use Cases
Extract GIF Frames for Editing
Analyze Animation Sequences
Convert Animation to Image Sequence
Extract Icon Sizes
Quality Comparison
Output Characteristics
Frame Naming
Extracted frames follow this pattern:- Format: PNG (lossless)
- Padding: Zero-padded numbers (001, 002, etc.)
- Transparency: Preserved from source
- Color depth: Preserved from source
Frame Quality
- No quality loss - Lossless PNG format
- Transparency preserved - Alpha channel maintained
- Exact pixels - Pixel-perfect extraction
- Original resolution - No scaling applied
Destination Folder
The folder picker allows you to:- Select existing folders
- Create new folders
- Navigate to any location
- See pinned places (Quick Access)
Limitations
Interactive Requirement
- Pre-create destination folders
- Use alternative frame extraction tools
- Develop custom automation scripts
File Size Considerations
Extracting frames from large animations:- High frame count - Can generate hundreds of files
- Disk space - PNG files may require significant storage
- Processing time - Large files take longer to process
- 100-frame GIF (1920x1080) → ~200MB of PNG files
- 500-frame animation → ~1GB of PNG files
Troubleshooting
File Not Found Error
Invalid Format Error
Ensure the file is actually animated:- Static images - Cannot extract frames from single-frame images
- Corrupt files - Damaged files may fail to extract
- Unsupported formats - Some formats are not supported
Exit Code 2 Troubleshooting
If you receive exit code 2:- Verify the file exists
- Check file is not corrupted
- Ensure file format is supported
- Confirm file contains multiple frames
- Try opening the file in ImageGlass first