ShotBatch vs ffmpeg for extracting stills
ffmpeg is the free command-line workhorse behind half the video tools on earth. If you only need raw frames, it is hard to beat. The difference shows up after the frames land in a folder.
| ffmpeg | ShotBatch | |
|---|---|---|
| Output resolution | Source resolution | Source-resolution stills from the master |
| Picking good frames | Manual: you sort every frame yourself | Review pass reads scene cuts, sharpness, faces, motion, lyrics, and audio energy; you approve |
| Social crops | Separate filter commands per size | Social crops, verticals, and squares from the same frames |
| Client deliverable | A folder of numbered files | White-label pack: stills, clips, GIF loops, contact sheets, print PDFs |
| Traceability | Only if you script it | JSON and CSV manifests with source timestamps |
| Interface | Terminal | Native Mac app |
| Price | Free, open source | One-time: Lite $39.99 for one master with unlimited re-export; Pro $129.99 for unlimited projects plus studio upscale |
Choose ffmpeg if
You are comfortable in Terminal, need raw frames, and have time to sort and crop by hand.
Choose ShotBatch if
Stills are a paid deliverable and you want selected, cropped, named files ready to send.