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Generate Video Thumbnail API

File Conversion#thumbnail#video
ApyHub
ApyHub
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About

This API lets you effortlessly extract and generate thumbnails from any part of a video file or URL, including YouTube and Dailymotion links. While platform policy changes may affect functionality, it remains a powerful tool for creators, marketers, and editors alike.
Easily create captivating thumbnails to boost engagement, craft compelling video previews, and streamline editing workflows—all in seconds.
Try the API in the API playground and see how this free thumbnail generator can save you time, reduce effort, and elevate your content with a simple API call.
Select API Endpoints
Input
Output

API Playground

API Documentation

input file: output file
POST
https://api.apyhub.com/generate/video-thumbnail/file

Request example

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curl --location --request POST 'https://api.apyhub.com/generate/video-thumbnail/file?output=test-sample.mp4' \
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--header 'apy-token: {{token}}' \
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--form 'video=@"sample.mp4"'
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--form 'start_time="0"'
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--form 'duration="2"'
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--form 'size="400x300"'
Method: POST
Content Type: multipart/form-data
Query Parameter(s)
AttributeTypeMandatoryDescription
outputStringNoThe name of the output file, defaults to test-sample.mp4
Request Body
AttributeTypeMandatoryDescription
videoStringYesthe source video file in any of supported formats (mp4,webm,flv,avi,mkv,mov,3gp)
start_timeStringNothe time in seconds at which you want to generate the thumbnail. For example: if a video is 3 minutes long and you want to generate video thumbnail from 90th second then this will be as start_time: 90 and it defaults to 0 (generate video thumbnail from 0th second of the video)
durationStringNothe thumbnail length. For example: you want to generate the video thumbnail for 4 seconds then it will be as duration: 4 and it defaults to 2 and max duration user can enter is 20(seconds)
sizeStringNothe dimensions of the generated video file, should be in WidthxHeight format where Width and Height must be divisible by 2 and it defaults to original_size
Sample Response
A successful request returns the mp4 file in the output parameter specified. If the request fails, the response contains an error code and a message to help determine what went wrong.

HTTP Response Codes

The method may return one of the following HTTP status codes:
Status CodeDescription
200The request was successful.
400Invalid input - the file is corrupt or the supported inputs are not provided.
401Required authentication information is either missing or not valid for the resource.
500If any unexpected error occurs while processing the request.

Authentication

All API requests to ApyHub services need to be authenticated. Currently we support tokens or basic authentication mechanisms. You can generate and view your existing credentials from your workspace settings (on the left side of the navbar) and go to “API Keys".
Points to note:
  • Credential secrets are generated on the fly and are not stored in plain text, so on generating a credential please save the secrets somewhere safe.
  • Use the apy-token as the header parameter to pass the token.
  • Use the Authorization header to send the basic authentication credentials.

Error codes

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{
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  "error": {
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    "code": 105,
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    "message": "Invalid URL"
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  }
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}
To search for a specific error code, enter the code in the search box below. Alternatively, you can click on the button to view a complete list of all error codes.
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