# Is it possible to copy an image from YouTube? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 1, 2013, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-copy-an-image-from-youtube/670065 "2013-10-01T03:08:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Thing\_Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@Thing\_Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing_Fish)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-copy-an-image-from-youtube/670065/1 "2013-10-01T03:08:35Z")
Specifically, what I would like to do is copy a single frame of a video into my computer photo library. Is this possible? Is it legal? (apologies for posting the question if not!). Any help would be appreciated! ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-copy-an-image-from-youtube/670065/2 "2013-10-01T03:37:32Z")
I just tried it with PrtScr and pasting it into Paint. Quick and dirty and easy and it works. Is that what you had in mind? ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-copy-an-image-from-youtube/670065/3 "2013-10-01T03:40:04Z")
If you have Windows 7, there’s a pretty neat [snipping tool](http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/products/features/snipping-tool) that might work for you. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-copy-an-image-from-youtube/670065/4 "2013-10-01T03:41:54Z")
Possible, yes, and easy. Legal? Probably not, unless you receive notice from the copyright owner that it’s ok or your use falls under a [fair use exemption](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_use#Fair_use_under_United_States_law). But if you just save it for your own display on your own computer and don’t give it to other people, nobody is likely to care even if it’s technically a copyright violation. It’s on YouTube to begin with so the assumption is that it’s already public and freely available, so it would take a truly insane/evil copyright owner to go after you for that. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-copy-an-image-from-youtube/670065/5 "2013-10-01T12:01:43Z")
print screen gets the screen at the time. Alt- Print Screen gets just the active window at the time ---
**Author:** ![johnspartan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a183cd/32.png) [@johnspartan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnspartan)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-copy-an-image-from-youtube/670065/6 "2013-10-01T14:21:40Z")
SnagIt is good for this too. Legality depends on use, I’d imagine. Posting on your Facebook I can’t imagine a lot of litigating. Putting in something for profit such as a sales presentation or a commercial broadcast… that’s grayer… ---
**Author:** ![Thing\_Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@Thing\_Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing_Fish)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-copy-an-image-from-youtube/670065/7 "2013-10-01T15:02:45Z")
Thanks, Dopers! Now I can have Shane Botwin in a Pirates cap as my Facebook photo through the playoffs! You have made a geeky old man very happy.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2013, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-copy-an-image-from-youtube/670065/8 "2013-10-01T16:21:04Z")
> [@Thing\_Fish](#): > > Thanks, Dopers! Now I can have Shane Botwin in a Pirates cap as my Facebook photo through the playoffs! You have made a geeky old man very happy.🙂 That’s kind of creepy.