Self-hosted videos don’t come with a ready-made thumbnail the way YouTube or Vimeo videos do. The Capture Frame tool solves this: scrub through your video right inside the post editor, pause on the perfect moment, and set that exact frame as the post’s Featured Image — no video editor needed.
How to use it
Edit the post and select Self-hosted Video in the Post Options metabox, with your MP4 added in the Video URL field (see Adding Video Posts).
A player preview loads below the field. Play or scrub the video and pause at the frame you want.
Click Capture frame as Featured Image.
The frame is saved to your Media Library and set as the post’s Featured Image immediately.
The Featured Image is what appears in the homepage slider, the Recent Videos grid, archives, and anywhere else the post is listed — so pick a frame that works as a poster.
Good to know
The tool appears only for self-hosted videos — external videos get their thumbnail automatically.
You can re-capture a different frame anytime; each capture is saved as a new image in the Media Library.
Prefer a custom-designed cover? Just set a Featured Image the usual way — the capture tool is optional.
