Video Thumbnails Reloaded Pro

From embedded video to featured picture

When you publish a WordPress post, Video Thumbnails Reloaded Pro looks for the first embedded video and retrieves a thumbnail supplied by its source. The extension can save that image to the media library and set it as the post’s featured image.

Source images and show settings

Supported video providers include YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, Vine, Twitch, Dailymotion, Metacafe, TED, VK, Blip, Google Drive, Funny or Die, CollegeHumor, MPORA, Livestream, Yahoo Screen, Wistia, Youku, Tudou, SAPO, Rutube, and other listed providers. The available image depends on the source: the plugin uses high-resolution widescreen thumbnails when available, while non-HD videos may provide fullscreen images. Pro settings let you select an aspect ratio to manage thumbnails with unwanted black bars or a shape that does not fit your site’s presentation.

The plugin retrieves images supplied by supported video sites. It does not make thumbnails from self-hosted video documents or select an image from a specific point in a video. Video providers may offer separate utilities for choosing thumbnails for videos from your own account.

Post types, custom fields, and theme support

Video Thumbnails Reloaded Pro supports custom post types and custom fields. If a theme or another plugin stores video information in a custom field instead of the post content, enter that field name on the Video Thumbnails settings page so the plugin can scan it.

The saved thumbnail can be used as a featured image when the theme supports post thumbnails. If it does not, the theme may need modification to support Featured Images or the plugin’s custom functions. The plugin can also provide functions for use outside a standard loop.

Setup and troubleshooting

Install the plugin in WordPress and open its settings page. Enter a custom field name if your video is stored outside the main post content area. Then embed a video from a supported website and publish the post so the plugin can find its first embedded video, retrieve the available thumbnail, and save it for use as the featured image. Choose an aspect ratio in the Pro settings if the image needs a various presentation.

If a thumbnail is not found, save the post changes and use the Debugging page to test the video markup and image downloading. You can also try another supported source or review the support threads for similar cases.