I have tried everything, I cannot get Compressor to generate Poster Frames.
Bobmoore
User level: Level 1 (4 points)
User level: Level 1 (4 points)Compressor - Poster Frames
Posted on Aug 20, 2026 7:18 AM
8 replies
Smilin-Brian
User level: Level 10 (97,882 points)
User level: Level 10 (97,882 points)Aug 20, 2026 9:18 PM in response to Bobmoore
Welcome and thank you for reaching out. 🤗
- In Compressor, select the job that contains the source file that you want to set a poster frame for.
- In the preview area, position the timeline playhead at the frame you want to be the poster frame.
- Click the arrow next to the Marker button, then choose Set Poster Frame.
A poster frame marker appears in the timeline.
After you set a poster frame, you can jump to that frame at any time by clicking the arrow next to the Marker button, then choosing Go to Poster Frame.
Please report back with any additional information or questions.
Good Luck! 👋🏼😉
Smiliñ 😎 Brian | Community Volunteer
Matti Haveri
User level: Level 7 (22,314 points)
User level: Level 7 (22,314 points)Aug 20, 2026 11:47 PM in response to Bobmoore
Poster Frames are poorly supported.
As a test I made a poster frame in Compressor.app 5.3 and exported as .m4v. It is stored in ItemList:CoverArt:
exiftool -a -G1 -s -n -api QuickTimeUTC=1 compressor.m4v
[ItemList] CoverArt : (Binary data 184009 bytes, use -b option to extract)
It can be extracted with:
exiftool -b -CoverArt compressor.m4v > PosterFrame.jpg
macOS 26.6.2 Tahoe Finder Icon view and Photos.app import dialog display it but when imported to macOS Photos library it is ignored.
BTW a similar effect can be done in QuickTime Player: copy a frame from the movie and then paste it to Finder > Get Info (top left icon) so it is added to the legacy Resource Fork, and displayed in Finder Icon view.
Smilin-Brian
User level: Level 10 (97,882 points)
User level: Level 10 (97,882 points)Aug 21, 2026 5:21 AM in response to Bobmoore
So far, no luck.
Try setting the poster frame after adding the preset.
Smiliñ 😎 Brian | Community Volunteer
Luis Sequeira1
User level: Level 9 (77,942 points)
User level: Level 9 (77,942 points)Aug 20, 2026 7:38 AM in response to Bobmoore
It may help us help you if you give some details of what exactly you have tried and also what export settings you are using. I am away from my mac for a few days (traveling), so I can’t check but as I remember it it was pretty straightforward. I hope others can chime in.
Bobmoore
User level: Level 1 (4 points)
User level: Level 1 (4 points)Aug 20, 2026 9:12 AM in response to Luis Sequeira1
This is a screen recording of what I'm doing. I load the video, select the poster frame, add the preset, start the batch. The output file is at the correct resolution, but the poster frame is not set.
BenB
User level: Level 6 (14,029 points)
User level: Level 6 (14,029 points)Aug 20, 2026 12:34 PM in response to Bobmoore
That "Set Poster Frame" function in Compressor has always been flakey for me.
Bobmoore
User level: Level 1 (4 points)
User level: Level 1 (4 points)Aug 21, 2026 3:36 AM in response to Smilin-Brian
Thank Brian, I've followed these steps numerous times. So far, no luck.
Bobmoore
User level: Level 1 (4 points)
User level: Level 1 (4 points)Aug 21, 2026 7:37 AM in response to Smilin-Brian
Tried that. Still doesn't work.
Originally posted at discussions.apple.com/thread/256343936