For Ubuntu 14.04 LTS users I've personally used a solution that uses totem or ffmpegthumbnailer instead, available via https://launchpad.net /~timo-jyrinki/+archive/ubuntu/shotwell:
sudo apt-add-repository ppa:timo-jyrinki/shotwell sudo apt update sudo apt upgrade sudo apt install ffmpegthumbnailer The current patch uses ffmpegthumbnailer because of a GStreamer bug that did get fixed already in May 2014 but I just didn't switch back to the Totem thumbnailer. ** Description changed: The Shotwell thumbnailer is limited in the way it does seeking in some video formats, resulting in data that is not the full video frame but only interframe data, resulting in mostly gray thumbnails for such video formats. This is not a GStreamer bug, since Totem thumbnailer works fine, so it's a difference in how GStreamer is ued. This can be tested manually with: /usr/lib/shotwell/shotwell-video-thumbnailer video.MTS > out.png Sony AVCHD format (MTS) is one example, while the MP4 from Sony's better XAVC S format works fine. This Ubuntu bug is for following the upstream bug report. + + [Test Case] + + wget http://kernelcat.com/shotwell/20141230125000.MTS + totem-video-thumbnailer -r 20141230125000.MTS totem.png + /usr/lib/shotwell/shotwell-video-thumbnailer 20141230125000.MTS > shotwell.png + ffmpegthumbnailer -s0 -i20141230125000.MTS -offmpeg.png + + Totem and ffmpegthumbnailer generate a correct thumbnail, Shotwell does + not. ** Description changed: The Shotwell thumbnailer is limited in the way it does seeking in some video formats, resulting in data that is not the full video frame but only interframe data, resulting in mostly gray thumbnails for such video formats. This is not a GStreamer bug, since Totem thumbnailer works - fine, so it's a difference in how GStreamer is ued. + fine, so it's a difference in how GStreamer is used. This can be tested manually with: /usr/lib/shotwell/shotwell-video-thumbnailer video.MTS > out.png Sony AVCHD format (MTS) is one example, while the MP4 from Sony's better XAVC S format works fine. This Ubuntu bug is for following the upstream bug report. [Test Case] wget http://kernelcat.com/shotwell/20141230125000.MTS totem-video-thumbnailer -r 20141230125000.MTS totem.png /usr/lib/shotwell/shotwell-video-thumbnailer 20141230125000.MTS > shotwell.png ffmpegthumbnailer -s0 -i20141230125000.MTS -offmpeg.png Totem and ffmpegthumbnailer generate a correct thumbnail, Shotwell does not. ** Changed in: shotwell (Ubuntu) Importance: Undecided => Medium -- You received this bug notification because you are a member of Ubuntu Bugs, which is subscribed to Ubuntu. https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1406546 Title: Gray thumbnails generated for some videos To manage notifications about this bug go to: https://bugs.launchpad.net/shotwell/+bug/1406546/+subscriptions -- ubuntu-bugs mailing list ubuntu-bugs@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-bugs
