Give the sheet a specific purpose

A contact sheet arranges frames in time order on one image. It is a quick way to understand a clip without playing it from beginning to end. It can also help you discuss a shot, keep a visual archive, or select moments for a later edit.

A useful sheet balances coverage and legibility. Too few pictures can hide important changes; too many turn into tiny rectangles that nobody can read. Start small and adjust after looking at the first result.

Build a readable grid

  1. Open Contact sheet and select Try an example. This Pro preview uses a supplied sample video.
  2. Set the time range and Number of frames, then choose columns and tile width.
  3. Select Create contact sheet to see the finished overview first.
  4. For a more focused sheet, select Review selected frames and uncheck unwanted images. Create the sheet again to apply your choices.
  5. Select Download contact sheet. Changing the count or time range updates the sampled images; changing only the layout keeps your choices.

Choose the layout around the footage

Landscape footage often works well with three or four columns on a desktop-size sheet. Portrait clips may need fewer columns or larger thumbnails so that text and faces remain visible. Preserve the source aspect ratio rather than stretching pictures to fill every cell.

The final image gets larger as you add rows and increase thumbnail dimensions. This release limits a sheet to 8,192 pixels on either side, plus a total of 16 megapixels on desktop or 4 megapixels on mobile. Your browser may run out of memory earlier even if the source video is small. Reduce thumbnail size or split the video into sections if necessary.

Use it as a map back to your video

Name the saved sheet after the source clip and retain the timestamp labels. When someone points to a picture, you can return to that time in the editor instead of guessing.

For detailed visual work, export selected frames individually as well. A contact sheet is a navigation aid; its reduced thumbnails are not a replacement for the larger source images.