Drac's Custom Thumbnails for Video Uploads 1.2.0

What it does​

A video attached to a post normally shows whatever the browser decides - often a black frame. With Drac's Video Thumbnails, when a member clicks Insert on an uploaded video, a pop-up offers up to three frames cut from the video (by default 15, 30 and 60 seconds in). They click the one they like, it is saved as the video's thumbnail, and the video is inserted - no more clicks. Works with core XenForo attachments; the Media Gallery is not needed.

Features​

• Frames cut in the browser - no ffmpeg or other program on your server. Works for new uploads and for videos that are already posted.
• You set the three moments - 15, 30 and 60 seconds by default. A video too short for a moment gets a frame from a spread-out point instead, so members still see up to three different pictures.
• Insert multiple - tick several videos and press Insert: you get one pop-up per video, titled "Video 2 of 4", so each gets its own thumbnail. Closing the pop-up stops the run; videos already done stay done.
• "Use system generated thumbnail" - one button to skip choosing and insert the video the normal way.
• Stored as a real picture - the chosen frame is scaled to the width you set and saved as a JPEG (quality adjustable, 60-95) on your server, and shown wherever the video appears in a post.
• Fails open - if a browser cannot decode a video (some HEVC files, for example) or the picture cannot be saved, the video is simply inserted as XenForo would have done. Nobody is ever stuck.
• Phone friendly - the pop-up fits small screens and works with the keyboard.
• Who can set a thumbnail - for a video still being attached, its uploader; for a video that is already posted, its uploader, moderators and admins.

Good to know: videos that were posted before you installed the add-on have no chosen thumbnail until someone inserts them again. Picking "Use system generated thumbnail" does not remove a thumbnail that was chosen earlier.

What's new​

• 1.2.0 (Nov 2026) - this add-on can now be bought on its own for $5.00 with its own license key, or as part of the six-add-on set with the universal key. Includes everything in 1.1.3 and 1.1.4 below.
• 1.1.4 (Nov 2026) - fixed "Insert multiple": with several videos ticked only the first one used to go in. Now every ticked video gets its own "Video n of N" pop-up.
• 1.1.3 (Nov 2026) - the pop-up's skip button now reads "Use system generated thumbnail" (it used to say "Insert without a thumbnail").
• 1.1.x (Oct 2026) - all settings now live under one Drac's Addons menu in the Admin CP, with a single License key page.
• 1.0.0 (Oct 2026) - first release.

Requirements​

XenForo 2.3.13 or newer. "Allow video and audio uploads" must be switched on. The frames are cut in the visitor's browser, so it has to be able to play the video.

Price and license​

• This add-on on its own: $5.00 - you get this add-on and its own license key, which unlocks this add-on only.
• All six Drac's Shop add-ons: $20.00 - you get every add-on and one universal license key that unlocks all of them. That is $10 less than buying the six one by one ($30.00).
• Lifetime updates and support with every order - one payment, no subscription.
• One license key covers one forum domain.

Buy it here: Drac's Shop - after paying you land on a receipt page with your download link(s) and your license key.


How the license works

• Enter your key in the Admin CP under Drac's Addons -> License key. That one page holds every Drac key: the first box is the universal key (the six-add-on set); each installed add-on also has its own box, here named "Key for Drac's Video Thumbnails only".
• If both boxes are filled in, the add-on's own key is the one it uses. A one-add-on key only unlocks the add-on it was bought for.
• Each add-on checks its key with the license server once a day, and again whenever the key or your forum's address changes. It sends only the key, your forum's domain name and the add-on's name - no member data and no forum content.
• If the license server cannot be reached, an add-on that was already licensed keeps working for 7 days.
• Without a valid key an add-on stays off and your forum behaves like stock XenForo; the add-on's settings page and the License key page tell you why.

Install​

1. Buy it at Drac's Shop and download the zip from your receipt page.
2. Admin CP -> Add-ons -> Install/upgrade from archive and upload the zip (do not unzip it).
3. Admin CP -> Drac's Addons -> License key and paste your key.
4. Find it under Drac's Addons -> Video Thumbnails -> Settings.

Upgrading from an earlier version works the same way: upload the new zip over the old one. Back up your forum before installing or upgrading any add-on.

Support​

License holders can ask for help with the form at https://moonbloodgarden.com/vexcor/support - you will need your license key. Questions before you buy are welcome in this thread.

All the Drac's Shop add-ons live together under one Drac's Addons menu in the Admin CP: the first one you install creates the menu and the last one you uninstall removes it.