Export Frames

Extract individual frames from animated images and multi-frame files using igcmd

The export-frames command extracts individual frames from animated images (GIF, WebP, APNG) and multi-frame files (TIFF, ICO) into separate image files.

Syntax

igcmd.exe export-frames <imagePath>

Parameters

imagePath · string · required

Full path to the animated or multi-frame image file

Supported 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:

1. File validation - Checks if the specified file exists
2. Folder picker - Opens a dialog to select the destination folder
3. Frame extraction - Extracts all frames to the selected folder
4. Progress display - Shows extraction progress
5. 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

igcmd.exe export-frames "C:\Images\animation.gif"

Opens folder picker, then extracts all frames from the GIF file.

Export Animated WebP

igcmd.exe export-frames "C:\Downloads\animated.webp"

Extracts frames from an animated WebP file.

Export APNG Frames

igcmd.exe export-frames "C:\Graphics\logo.png"

Extracts frames if the PNG file is animated (APNG format).

Multi-Frame TIFF

igcmd.exe export-frames "C:\Scans\document.tiff"

Extracts individual pages from a multi-page TIFF file.

Advanced Usage

Batch Frame Extraction

@echo off
setlocal enabledelayedexpansion

set "input_folder=C:\Animations"
set "output_folder=C:\ExtractedFrames"

for %%f in ("%input_folder%\*.gif") do (
    echo Processing: %%~nxf
    
    rem Create output subfolder
    set "dest=%output_folder%\%%~nf"
    mkdir "!dest!" 2>nul
    
    rem Export frames (note: will show folder picker)
    igcmd.exe export-frames "%%f"
    
    if !ERRORLEVEL! EQU 0 (
        echo Success: %%~nxf
    ) else (
        echo Failed: %%~nxf
    )
)

echo.
echo Batch extraction complete
pause

PowerShell Batch Extraction

# Process multiple animated files
$sourceFolder = "C:\Animations"
$files = Get-ChildItem $sourceFolder -Include *.gif,*.webp -Recurse

foreach ($file in $files) {
    Write-Host "Extracting frames from: $($file.Name)" -ForegroundColor Cyan
    
    & "C:\Program Files\ImageGlass\igcmd.exe" export-frames $file.FullName
    
    if ($LASTEXITCODE -eq 0) {
        Write-Host "  Success" -ForegroundColor Green
    } else {
        Write-Host "  Failed" -ForegroundColor Red
    }
}

Write-Host "Batch extraction complete" -ForegroundColor Green

Error Handling

@echo off
set "image=C:\Images\animation.gif"

if not exist "%image%" (
    echo Error: File not found: %image%
    exit /b 3
)

echo Extracting frames from: %image%
echo.

igcmd.exe export-frames "%image%"

if %ERRORLEVEL% EQU 0 (
    echo.
    echo Frames exported successfully
) else if %ERRORLEVEL% EQU 2 (
    echo.
    echo Error: Invalid file or extraction failed
    exit /b 2
) else (
    echo.
    echo Unknown error occurred
    exit /b 1
)

PowerShell with Error Handling

function Export-ImageFrames {
    param(
        [Parameter(Mandatory=$true)]
        [string]$ImagePath
    )
    
    if (-not (Test-Path $ImagePath)) {
        Write-Error "File not found: $ImagePath"
        return $false
    }
    
    Write-Host "Extracting frames from: $(Split-Path $ImagePath -Leaf)"
    
    $process = Start-Process -FilePath "igcmd.exe" `
        -ArgumentList "export-frames", $ImagePath `
        -Wait -PassThru -NoNewWindow
    
    if ($process.ExitCode -eq 0) {
        Write-Host "Extraction successful" -ForegroundColor Green
        return $true
    } else {
        Write-Host "Extraction failed (exit code: $($process.ExitCode))" -ForegroundColor Red
        return $false
    }
}

# Usage
Export-ImageFrames "C:\Images\animation.gif"

Supported File Formats

Animated GIF

igcmd.exe export-frames "animation.gif"

• Format: Graphics Interchange Format
• Typical use: Web animations, simple animations
• Frames: Unlimited
• Output: Individual PNG files

Animated WebP

igcmd.exe export-frames "animation.webp"

• Format: WebP with animation
• Typical use: Modern web animations, high-quality animations
• Frames: Unlimited
• Output: PNG files with alpha channel

Animated PNG (APNG)

igcmd.exe export-frames "animation.png"

• Format: Animated Portable Network Graphics
• Typical use: High-quality animations with transparency
• Frames: Unlimited
• Output: PNG files preserving transparency

Multi-Frame TIFF

igcmd.exe export-frames "document.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

igcmd.exe export-frames "icon.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

@echo off
echo Extracting frames for editing...
igcmd.exe export-frames "source_animation.gif"
echo.
echo Edit the extracted frames, then recreate the GIF with your preferred tool.
pause

Analyze Animation Sequences

rem Extract frames to analyze animation sequence
igcmd.exe export-frames "complex_animation.webp"
echo Frames extracted for frame-by-frame analysis

Convert Animation to Image Sequence

@echo off
echo Converting animation to image sequence...
igcmd.exe export-frames "%1"
if %ERRORLEVEL% EQU 0 (
    echo Image sequence created successfully
)

Extract Icon Sizes

rem Extract different icon resolutions
igcmd.exe export-frames "application.ico"
echo Individual icon sizes extracted

Quality Comparison

rem Extract frames from different compression formats for quality comparison
igcmd.exe export-frames "animation_original.gif"
igcmd.exe export-frames "animation_compressed.webp"
echo Compare extracted frames to evaluate compression quality

Output Characteristics

Frame Naming

Extracted frames follow this pattern:

frame_001.png
frame_002.png
frame_003.png
...
frame_100.png

• 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

Note: This command requires user interaction (folder selection dialog)
and cannot run fully automated or in silent mode.

For automated workflows, you may need to:

• 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

Example:

• 100-frame GIF (1920x1080) → ~200MB of PNG files
• 500-frame animation → ~1GB of PNG files

Troubleshooting

File Not Found Error

if not exist "animation.gif" (
    echo Error: File not found
    echo Please check the file path
    exit /b 2
)

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:

1. Verify the file exists
2. Check file is not corrupted
3. Ensure file format is supported
4. Confirm file contains multiple frames
5. Try opening the file in ImageGlass first

Related Commands

lossless-compress

Compress extracted frames to reduce file size:

rem Extract frames
igcmd.exe export-frames "animation.gif"

rem Compress each frame
for %%f in (*.png) do (
    igcmd.exe lossless-compress "%%f"
)

start-slideshow

View extracted frames as a slideshow:

rem Extract frames to a folder
igcmd.exe export-frames "animation.gif"

rem View frames as slideshow
igcmd.exe start-slideshow "frame_001.png"

See Also

• CLI Overview
• All Commands
• Lossless Compression
• Start Slideshow