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Video, Make Poster Frame not working

I'm back with more Poster Frame issues.


After discovering where Apple hid the Make Poster Frame feature for videos, everything seemed to be working great. Until .... I kept using the feature.


Now, the feature does not seem to be working.


I Edit a Video ...

Play to the frame I want ...

Menu > Image > Make Poster Frame ...

(click) Done


When I look at the video in my Library (All Photos), the Poster Frame is not the one I set. It's black, since that's the first frame of the video?


When I click Edit for the Video, it appears that the Poster Frame has been set. It appears Apple puts a White Dot on the timeline of the video where the Poster Frame has been set. If I pick another point in the Video and click Make Poster Frame, the White Dot moves.


However, whenever I view the video clip in the Library, the Poster Frame is always wrong, it's always black. (the first frame)


What am I doing wrong?

How can I fix this?


It's as if there was a limit on the number of video's I can use this feature for, since it worked for like 4-5 videos, then stopped working.


Photos for Mac version 7.0 (460.0.120)

Mac OS Monterery versioin 12.6.2

Mac Studio 2022

Posted on Dec 19, 2022 8:28 AM

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13 replies

Dec 20, 2022 7:50 AM in response to léonie

I'm using Monterey, and I checked a Photos Library that is connected to iCloud. The Poster Frame setting worked just as it should. I looked at another video in a library not connected to iCloud-- it also worked. I can't reproduce this errant behavior.


1 Open Loop, have you tried repairing your library: close Photos and re-launch by option-command-clicking the app icon.


Can you make a new library with a few videos in it, and see if it works there?


You could start in Safe Mode (different for different computers) This bypasses certain potentially disruptive processes.

           Start up your Mac in safe mode - Apple Support 

Dec 19, 2022 2:53 PM in response to léonie

A fair and valid questions. Sadly, yes. I clicked Done. Here'e the thing.


In Photos on my Mac, when I click Edit, I can see the White Dot over the Timeline at the bottom. It recalls the Edit that I did. Photos on my Mac knows I've set a Poster Frame.


However, when I click done (again), I don't see the Poster Frame that I set. It's still a black image, which is the first frame.


More interesting, on Photos on my iPhone, I see the correct Poster Frame. However, when I share this video to one of my Shared Albums, the Poster Frame goes back to black. Also, I did this earlier today and the


Keep in mind I used this feature for the previous 3-4 video that I posted, in the same Shared Folder.


For some reason, it seems to have stopped working. I just imported another video, which also has a dark first frame. I Edit it, Make Poster Frame, Done (save, finish, hey Apple pay attention) and the image is still black.


Very frustrating when something so simple does not work. Even when it appears to take, it doesn't work.

Dec 19, 2022 3:34 PM in response to 1 Open Loop

Trim off the black first frame(s). That could be done with Photos 4, but not sure if the trim feature is still available with the newer Photos versions. Check and see. With Photos 4 the Trim feature was available when one opened the video and clicked on the little gear icon in the control box. If the feature still exists, it might be located somewhere else, perhaps in the Image menu item.


-- Rich

Dec 20, 2022 3:08 AM in response to Rich839

I realize that changing my video is a possible work around. However, I wanted to use the Make Poster Frame feature, rather than changing my video, which starts with a fade-in. (which I'm now doing, since I don't seem to have a choice)


If I'm doing something wrong, I'd like to know what it is.


Though this seems more and more like it's an issue with the feature that I've somehow stumbled across, given whatever unique series of combinations my setup has that is uncovered a bug in the software.


Sadly, these days it seems that if I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong, or I can't find a solution, then it is a real issue. The quality of software has slowly degraded over time. The ability to "fix issues later via a downloadable update" has led to software with more issues, some of which never get addressed.


Then again, maybe I'm doing something wrong. Though Apple's instructions seem pretty clear and I'm doing exactly what it says to do ...


To select a Poster Frame for the video, drag the playhead to the location you want, then choose Image > Make Poster Frame.


I just tried this again. Only this time, I did it with a video a video I created on my iPhone. I follow the instructions, set the Post Frame, click Done and ... It's still on the first frame of the video.


I could call Apple, but these days you have to go through a lot of conversations about "setting up a new user account on my Mac with a new Apple ID and some new videos and ... Oh, the feature still doesn't work, well glad we at least spent hours making sure it wasn't related to you and your setup."


You'd think that after Apple got rid of Aperture, they make sure the one App they had for managing photos/videos would work. Flawlessly. The one thing Apple's products do more than anything else, is create photos/videos. Yet the tools they provide to manage our memories is poor at best, meaning when it works.


Imaging being able to sort your photos. And keep them sorted.


How about changing the default name Apple gives to our photos. Like IDK Year-Month-Date instead of IMG_Blahblahblah. Okay, now I'm ranting. Just missing Aperture. (sigh)


Happy Holidays ...

Dec 20, 2022 3:25 AM in response to 1 Open Loop

I am puzzled, for setting the poster frame is working for me, just as you described. But my version of Photos is different from your. My MacBook Pro is running the most recent version of macOS 13 Ventura. My Photos Library is syncing with iCloud Photos, and the videos I am adjusting are in my personal iCloud Photos Library, not in my Shared iCloud Photos Library.

All videos are either H.264 or HEVC videos and very short clips. I am not sure what is making the difference.




Dec 20, 2022 3:32 AM in response to léonie

Here's some more interesting stuff ...


I Edited another video. One that already had a Poster Frame set. And, it appears to be one of the few videos where setting the poster frame worked.


When I clicked on Edit, I could see (as I always do) the white dot above the timeline that indicates the location of the Poster Frame. I moved the playhead to a new location and clicked Make Poster Frame.


Now, the timeline has two dots. The original Poster Frame dot is gray(er), while the new Poster Frame dot white. However, after I click Done, it shows the original Poster Frame.


It's like the more I use the feature, the more odd things get.


Since you are on a new version of Photos, maybe this issue was addressed. I'll just check the release notes ... oh wait. There are no release notes.

Dec 20, 2022 8:20 AM in response to Richard.Taylor

Richard,


I have in fact repaired my Library. It was one of the things I tried to see if it would fix this issue. It took like 2 days before it appeared to have done whatever it seems to be doing to finish the "repair". I cannot image what one of Apple's fastest every computers, running over a really fast internet connection could possibly be doing for all that time. I know what it didn't do. Fix this issue.


I have not tried creating a new library, or a new user, or wiping the drive and doing a fresh install,or legally changing my name or whatever exceesive thing tech support people are told to tell us to try. My experience, over decades has been that this never fixes anything. At least, none of my issues.


Sometimes coming here I can find a solution, thanks to the many people who take time out of their day to help, such as yourself. And Léonie, who I recall from my Aperture days. Léonie has been around the Apple Discusion Board block more than once.


I guess I will just stop fading into my videos, as that does address Apple's feature not working. I know I could report the issue, but I would not be surprised to know my repeatable issue is really rare, so it probably won't be fixed.


Apple couldn't fix the last issue I reported. Everytime I unlock my new Mac Studio, Apple wants me to accept the iCloud terms and conditions. I do, but it nevers clears out the request. I get this each and every time I unlock my Mac. 100% repeatable. After long minutes/hours on the phone with Apple, I just deal with it. I swipe away the notification, each and every time. (as I just did to unlock my Mac to reply here)


Hence the sad state of the software industry. Ship the software with know issues. Wait and see what poeple complain about. (not here, but directly to Apple) Then decide if it should be fixed. Often times, it doesn't get fixed. I have a list of Apple issues that need to be addressed, one of which is costing me money. But I dread making that ever escualting phone call to find the person at Apple who can fix it. I know. Rant. Rant. Rant. Does it make me feel better? A little, cause someone will read this and be like "Yes! I'm not the only one." No you're not alone. I feel your pain. I know. First world problem and it truly is.


Thanks for your suggestions Richard. I do appreciate it.

Dec 21, 2022 2:32 AM in response to Richard.Taylor

I did follow your advice and rebooted in Safe Mode. No change, but it's never really a bad idea to give it a try.


Running Safe Mode is like dialing a 1. Years ago, if you didn't dial 1 before the area code, you'd get a recording telling you that you needed to dial a 1 first. I always thought that if they knew when I needed to dial a one, why didn't they just add it for me. It's their system and their requirments.


Same with Safe Mode. Whatever it does, why doesn't Apple just do it? I'm sure an eningeer would start to list off the reasons why. But I bet, if you asked the team to figure out a way to do it, it would get done.


Either way. I ran it. No change in my silly Poster Frame problems.


Thanks.

Dec 21, 2022 10:26 AM in response to 1 Open Loop

Safe mode disconnects some (mostly) 3rd party things from the system, because sometimes they screw things up. If you used Safe Mode all the time, you couldn't run unregulated 3rd Party software. There's no Safe Mode on an iPhone because the only software allowed on it is from the App Store. If you don't use any of that sort of software, you can run in Safe Mode all the time, if you like.


Since you asked, prepare for an essay:


Why did you have to dial a 1 before a long distance number?  Well, you had to trip a relay to connect your phone to the long distance network. A better question is, why don’t you now? 


Phone numbers have a 3 digit area code, a 3 digit exchange, and a 4 digit local number. An area code might be 212. An exchange might be 785 (and you’d call it RUsset-5, or RU5, because R is 7 on the phone dial (really a dial), and U is 8, and it’s easier to remember RUsset-5 than 785.) So your local number in Manhattan, NY, might be RU5-1234. Calling RU5 would click three relays, the first to 7 connecting it to another that clicked to 8, connecting to the third that clicked to 5, connecting to a local area sub-station. And those sub-station relays would click to your specific phone.


But, since 785 is the area code for Manhattan KS, if you dialed 785-1234, the relays might connect you to Kansas, instead. The relays would have no idea if you were calling local Manhattan, NY, or to long distance Manhattan, Kansas. So calling Kansas from New York you would dial 1-785-222-3333, or whatever, with the leading 1 connecting to long distance relays, first. As long as an exchange number could be like an Area Code number, you'd have to add something to indicate long distance. 


This couldn’t change until, with the switch to electronic “touch-tone” dialing, a computer could process the entire number rather than having a relay clicking one number at a time. The 1 is no longer needed. 


As an aside: Area codes never made sense to me. Manhattan is 212, Los Angeles is 213, Dallas is 214, Chicago is 312, but Manhattan KS is 785. Obviously the number is not connected to location. But, instead, it’s about how long the relay takes to click. For Manhattan KS (785), the relays have to click 20 times. For Manhattan, NY (212), there are only 5 clicks. There are way more phone calls to Manhattan NY than to Manhattan KS, so fast dialing for the big city, and large metro areas got area codes with small numbers. With computers, none of that matters anymore. So Dallas has both 214 and 972 area codes, and they take the same time to dial and connect.

Dec 28, 2022 6:50 AM in response to Richard.Taylor

Great essay. Thanks.


So ... Some time around the mid to late 90's. Long after touch tone started up. The network pretty much understood the number I was calling, but it wanted to be sure, so it wanted me to dial a 1 first, which made it easier for the network to dial the correct number.


My point was, when they started up this system, they should have made sure their system didn't need us to dial a 1 first. The 10 digit number should have been enough. We shouldn't have to add the 1 just because they didn't either buy the software upgrade or the feature wasn't out yet.


Same goes for Safe Mode. If Safe Mode makes things work better, then Apple should just figure out how to do it for us. Take some engineers off cool new features and have them work on making the exsiting stuff work better.

Dec 28, 2022 7:35 AM in response to 1 Open Loop

"Same with Safe Mode. Whatever it does, why doesn't Apple just do it? I'm sure an eningeer would start to list off the reasons why. But I bet, if you asked the team to figure out a way to do it, it would get done. "


Using the Mac in Safe Mode at all times would be like being forced to drive our cars at a speed limit of 25mph, at all times, even on the freeways. Safe mode is perfect as a test bed to isolate problems, when we suspect that some installed legacy software has corrupted the system, but it is throttling the Mac, by disabling advanced features of the graphics and clearing caches that need rebuilding. It should be used sparingly and only when there are issues.



Video, Make Poster Frame not working

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