How to Take a Snapshot of a Live Stream

Overview

HDOnTap.com has a built-in snapshot tool that captures a full-resolution still image of any live cam with one click. You can download your snapshot, save it to the public galleries with a comment, post it to the stream's chat and share it with friends. Sharing also earns you points in the HDOnTap Rewards program.

Anyone can take and download a snapshot. To save snapshots, post them to chat and earn rewards points, you need a free HDOnTap.com account.

Take a snapshot

1. Open any live stream on HDOnTap.com.
2. Wait for the video to start playing. The Snapshot button turns on once the player loads.
3. Find the row of buttons under the stream title (Follow, Snapshot, Time-Lapse, Share and Report).
4. Click the orange Snapshot button with the camera icon. Its tooltip reads "Capture Stream Snapshot."

The Your Snapshot window opens with a preview of the frame you captured. The top of the window shows the date, time and resolution of the image (for example, 1920x1080).

Save your snapshot

If you are signed in:

1. Optionally, type a comment in the Add a comment (optional) field. Comments can be up to 200 characters.
2. Click Save (orange) to keep the snapshot, or Discard (red) to throw it away. You can also click the X to close the window.

When you save a snapshot:

• An HDOnTap logo watermark is added to the bottom-left corner. Some streams use a different watermark setting.
• Your name and comment appear under the image.
• The snapshot is public right away. It appears in the stream's Snapshots tab, in the site-wide Snapshot Gallery and in your own My Snapshot Images page.
• The snapshot gets its own page at an address that starts with hdontap.com/snapshot/, so you can link to it directly.

If you aren't signed in

Viewers who aren't signed in can download the snapshot but can't save it. The window will prompt you to log in or sign up so you can save to the gallery, post to chat and earn share rewards.

Download, post to chat and share

After you save, the window shows these options:

• Download saves the image to your device as a JPG. The file is named with the stream title, the date, the time and the time zone, for example "Carlsbad Beach Surf Live Cam Snapshot Image" followed by the date and time.
• Post to Chat adds the snapshot to the stream's chat so other viewers can see it. To learn more about chat, see How to Use HDOnTap.com's New Chat System.
• Your Share Rewards Points shows the points you have earned by sharing.
• The share row lets you Copy Share Link or share to Facebook, X, WhatsApp or email.

Take a snapshot from chat

You can also take a snapshot while chatting. Click the camera icon (Post snapshot) next to the chat message box. It works the same as the orange Snapshot button under the video: the same Your Snapshot window opens, and you can post the image straight to the conversation.

Browse snapshot galleries

Snapshots appear in three places:

• The stream's Snapshots tab shows snapshots taken on that cam.
• The site-wide Snapshot Gallery shows snapshots from all HDOnTap.com streams. You can also open it from Snapshots in the left menu.
• My Snapshot Images shows every snapshot you have saved.

In each gallery you can:

• Sort by Newest, Oldest or Most Favorited.
• Click Load More to see more snapshots.
• Click the heart button on a snapshot to add it to your favorites.
• Click any snapshot to open its detail view. There you will see how many people favorited it, a link to the stream (with a LIVE badge when the cam is live), a Download button, share links and an arrow to move to the next snapshot.

Your favorite snapshots are saved on your Favorites page under the Snapshots tab, next to your favorite Live Streams.

Earn rewards by sharing

When you share streams and snapshots with your share links, you earn points in the HDOnTap Rewards program. Daily caps limit how many points you can earn each day.

You can redeem points for Premium Access and HDOnTap merchandise. At the time of writing, rewards include:

• Premium Access: 1 week for 150 points, 2 weeks for 275 points or 1 month for 500 points
• HDOnTap T-shirt for 3,500 points
• HDOnTap hat for 4,000 points

To open your Rewards Dashboard, sign in to HDOnTap.com, click your avatar at the top right and choose Rewards Dashboard (hdontap.com/rewards/). It shows current rewards and point values. For the full details, see HDOnTap Share Rewards Program.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need an account to take a snapshot?

No. Anyone can take a snapshot and download it. You need a free HDOnTap.com account to save snapshots to the galleries, post them to chat and earn rewards points.

Are saved snapshots public?

Yes. A saved snapshot appears right away in the stream's Snapshots tab, in the site-wide Snapshot Gallery and in your My Snapshot Images page. Your name and comment are shown with it. If you want to keep an image private, download it and click Discard instead of Save.

Why is the Snapshot button grayed out?

The Snapshot button turns on once the video player loads. Wait for the stream to start playing, then try again. If the stream won't play, see Stream Buffering.

Why does my snapshot have a logo on it?

Saved snapshots get an HDOnTap logo watermark in the bottom-left corner. Some streams use a different watermark setting.

How do I delete a snapshot?

If you posted the snapshot to chat, you can delete that post yourself: click the ⋮ (More actions) menu on your post, choose Delete and click Confirm. This removes it only from chat. The saved copy stays in My Snapshot Images and the galleries. To also remove the saved copy from My Snapshot Images and the galleries, contact our support team through the HDOnTap Viewer Feedback site or email [email protected], and include the link to the snapshot.

What size are snapshots?

Snapshots are captured at the stream's full resolution, such as 1920x1080 for HD streams. The resolution is shown at the top of the Your Snapshot window.