To freeze a frame in Premiere, use Frame Hold Options when the whole clip should show one frame, or Time Remapping when only part of the clip should pause and then keep playing; in CapCut, park the playhead on the moment and press the Freeze button to make a still image (checked October 6, 2026). If that moment is buried in a long recording, trim the clip down first so the frame is easy to find. This guide assumes a Windows PC and game footage.
What decides the method is whether playback continues
The short version: if the entire clip should be a still, use Frame Hold; if the video must keep playing after the pause, use Time Remapping. According to Adobe help, Frame Hold keeps the clip's original length on the timeline while showing only the frame you pick, and it points you to Time Remapping when only part of a clip should stop. CapCut's Freeze works differently: it turns the frame into a still image whose edges you drag to set the length. If you have not picked an editor yet, start with choosing a free video editor for gaming footage. No tool can be declared better across the board, so following the steps of the editor you already use is usually the fastest route.
Steps to add a freeze frame
- 1Pick the frame to hold — Decide which frame to stop on. Step the playhead frame by frame until you reach one that reads as a single scene, such as the instant a kill lands or an ability connects. In Premiere, if the frame is not on an In point or Out point, open the clip in the Source Monitor and press M to set Marker 0.
- 2Choose whole-clip or partial freeze — Ask whether the video should keep going afterward. If the clip is a still from start to end, go with Frame Hold; if a few seconds in the middle should pause before playback resumes, go with Time Remapping. Adobe help lists emphasis on a moment, text over a still shot, and a dramatic beat as uses.
- 3Apply Frame Hold in Premiere — Select the clip in the Timeline panel and open Clip > Video Options > Frame Hold Options. In the dialog, choose Hold On and pick In Point, Out Point, Marker 0, or a specific timecode, then click OK. The clip now displays the selected frame for its entire length.
- 4Freeze only a section with Time Remapping — Click the Show Clip Keyframes button on the clip and choose Time Remapping > Speed. Put the playhead on the frame where the pause should begin, Ctrl+click the rubber band to add a speed keyframe, then drag it down until the speed reads 0%. To lengthen the pause, Ctrl+Alt+drag the keyframe horizontally.
- 5Make a still with Freeze in CapCut — Bring your video into the editing panel and place the playhead on the moment to stop. Per the official tool page, press the Freeze button and that frame becomes a still image whose edges you drag to set the length. Finish with Export.
- 6Review the pause and export — Play it through and check that the point where motion stops and where it resumes matches what you intended. Because the result differs depending on whether Frame Hold sits on an In or Out point or on Marker 0, confirm that behavior once more before exporting.
What the official docs confirm
| Method | What the official documentation says | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Premiere: Frame Hold Options | Select the clip in the Timeline, choose Clip > Video Options > Frame Hold Options, set Hold On to In Point, Out Point, Marker 0, or a specific timecode, and the clip shows that frame for its full length. | The clip length stays the same and only one frame is visible. It is not meant for stopping just a portion, which is when Time Remapping applies. |
| Premiere: Time Remapping | Use the Show Clip Keyframes button, then Time Remapping > Speed, add a speed keyframe and drag it down to 0%; the frame is held for as long as the 0% stretch lasts. The edit is non-destructive. | You can pause a middle section without cutting the clip and let the rest play on. It does require working with keyframes by hand. |
| CapCut: Freeze | The official tool page describes three steps: drag your video into the editing panel, use Freeze on the moment, then Export. Its FAQ says to place the playhead, press Freeze, and drag the edges to set the length. | The frozen frame becomes a still image whose edges you drag to fit. Button placement and localized labels were not confirmed, so the English label Freeze is used. |
| DOR recording and trimming | Automatic full-match recording (mp4), automatic kill clips in supported games, and Library trimming in the app (set start and end, output ratio 16:9, 9:16, or 1:1). | This is the step where you secure the source footage and trim around the moment you plan to hold. |
Check before you export
- If Frame Hold is tied to an In point or Out point, do you know the frozen frame will not change when you adjust the edit points later?
- If it is tied to Marker 0, did you intend for the displayed frame to change whenever the marker moves?
- Are you using Frame Hold on a clip where only part of it should stop?
- In Time Remapping, did the speed keyframe go all the way down to show 0%?
- If the pause feels too short, did you Ctrl+Alt+drag the keyframe sideways to extend it?
- In CapCut, did you drag the edges of the still image to the length you want?
DOR for saving the moment you plan to freeze
The moment worth freezing flies past while you play, so saving the source footage comes first. In seven games including VALORANT, DOR records the full match to mp4 automatically and also builds kill and other highlight clips on its own, which spares you from hunting for the key moment before you open an editor. On a PC with an NVIDIA graphics card, NVENC hardware encoding is used by default, and game audio and your microphone are recorded together so the sound around the frame you hold stays with the source. To see which games produce automatic clips, read how DOR auto highlight clips work. The clip edges can be tidied with trimming in the app Library.
Official sources (checked October 6, 2026)
The Frame Hold steps come from Adobe help: Freeze video frames in Premiere, the partial freeze from Adobe help: Freeze a frame for a portion of a clip using Time Remapping, and CapCut's Freeze from the CapCut freeze frame tool page. The Adobe pages were last updated in April 2026, and menus and screens can change, so check the links again before you work.
