How to Fix Dropped Frames from Video File: 7 Methods

Our videos occasionally experience lag or frame flickering. These dropped frames can significantly impact the viewing experience and may even prevent the video from playing properly.

There are various causes for this issue, such as video corruption, graphics card issues, or network lag. This guide will first help you understand all possible causes, then provide seven highly effective solutions to help you fix dropped frames from video files. Whether the issue stems from the file or the device, our guide will help you resolve the problem smoothly.

Part 1. Causes of Frame Loss

First, we need to figure out what causes frame skips while watching videos so that we can better address the problem. After research and collection, we have summarized the following possible causes.

• Issues with the video source file

This could be due to problems with the recording device, or data loss during saving, downloading, or transferring the video. The video file itself may be missing some frames. In this case, no matter which player you use, you won’t be able to watch the video smoothly.

• Unstable network connection

If you’re watching a live stream or online video and your network connection is unstable, you may experience frame drops or stuttering.

• Device driver issues

Outdated graphics drivers on your device can cause frame loss in videos. In this case, you need to update the drivers.

• Too many background programs running

If you have too many applications running in the background on your computer, they may consume excessive system resources, leading to video playback stuttering.

• Improper settings

If the video resolution is too high, the encoding settings are unreasonable, or the system load is exceeded, it may also cause the video to fail to play normally.

Part 2. Why You Need to Repair Missing Video Frames

Frame skipping not only affects our personal video viewing experience, but also causes problems at work.

• Viewing experience

Imagine you're watching an exciting movie, completely engrossed, and then suddenly the frame skips while watching video. This is extremely frustrating, and you may even miss important information in the scene.

• Work

If you are creating or recording videos for work purposes, but the video experiences frame skipping issues, it will undoubtedly leave your superiors or clients dissatisfied. Not only will you be unable to deliver the results smoothly, but they may also question your professionalism.

Therefore, whether for personal or professional purposes, repairing video files with dropped frames is essential.

PPart 3. How to Fix Dropped Frames from Video File

Now that we understand the cause, we should quickly start solving the problem. In this section, seven methods are provided for you to try.

Best Method: Use a Video Fix Tool

If you have changed the player or playback device and still encounter frame skips while watching videos, it is clear that the video file is corrupted. You need to repair it.We recommend using Vidmore Video Fix. This software can repair videos damaged for any reason, such as storage device failure, transmission errors, or failed video editing. The software utilizes AI technology and requires you to upload a video with the same parameters as a sample to enhance repair success rates and effectiveness.

Currently, the software supports repairing video formats such as MP4, 3GP, and MOV. Its user interface is straightforward, with clear step-by-step instructions. We will also provide a step-by-step guide here.

Here is how to fix a video with Vidmore Video Fix.

Step 1. Download and install Vidmore Video Fix on your device. Once launched, the main interface will appear with two plus icons.

Step 2. Click the red plus button to upload the corrupted video, then use the blue plus button to add a sample video.

Step 3. After both files are added, click Repair to begin.
Once it's done, you can click Preview to see the fixed video, and then hit Save to export it.

Use FFmpeg

If you want a free and open source video repair program, we also recommend FFmpeg. However, this requires some coding knowledge, as you need to use code commands to drive it. It can also repair videos that do not play smoothly and convert video formats.

If you don't know how to use commands to drive FFmpeg, please refer to the guide:

Step 1. Download and install FFmpeg on your computer.

Step 2. Move the broken video file to your desktop.

Step 3. Open Command Prompt as administrator.

Step 4. Type cd Desktop and press Enter.

Step 5. Enter ffmpeg -i a.mp4 -c copy b.mp4 and hit Enter.

Replace a with your original file name and b with the new repaired file name.

Pros:

1. Free and open source.

Cons:

1. Code issues are a headache.

Use VLC

If you find the code confusing, you can also try another free software with video repair functionality, VLC Media Player.

Here is how to use this frame fixer.

Step 1. Open VLC, go to Media, and click Convert/Save.

Step 2. Click Add to choose your video, then Convert/Save.

Step 3. Set output format to AVI, choose destination, and click Start.

Step 4. Go to Tools and open Preferences.

Step 5. Under Input/Codecs, find Damaged or incomplete AVI file and set to Always fix.

Step 6. Play the AVI file in VLC.

Pros:

1. Free and open source.
2. Supports various conversion formats and video editing tasks.

Cons:

1. Complex usage steps.
2. Repair interface is not intuitive.

Update Graphic Driver

If you find that your computer's graphics card program version is outdated, you should update it as soon as possible to prevent it from affecting your video playback.

Here is how to do.

Step 1. Open Device Manager on your Windows computer.

Step 2. Expand Display adapters and locate your graphics driver.

Step 3. Right-click the driver and select Update driver.

Pros:

1. Easy to use.
2. Can solve most stuttering and frame dropping issues, as well as incompatibility issues with players or video encoding.

Cons:

1. Not suitable for video files with damaged encoding or missing frames..

Avoid Computer Overheating

Your computer may overheat if it is running too many tasks or has been on for too long. An overheated CPU can also cause poor video display and even frame drops.

In this case, you need to:

• Enter the BIOS in a timely manner to check if the CPU temperature is abnormal.

• Clean the computer and upgrade the cooling system.

• Install tools to monitor CPU and GPU temperatures in real-time.

Pros:

1. Improves overall system performance and extends device lifespan.
2. Simple to operate.

Cons:

1. Only an auxiliary method; cannot fundamentally resolve damaged video files or encoding issues.

Defragment Your Hard Drive

If you don't regularly organize your hard drive and let files scatter everywhere, causing chaos, the drive will develop bad sectors, resulting in videos not playing properly.

At this point, you need to defragment your hard drive.

Step 1. Click Start, type defrag in the search box, and select Defragment and Optimize Drives.

Step 2. In the main window, choose the drive and click Optimize to start. Wait for the process to finish.

Pros:

1. Long-term maintenance helps prevent future video stuttering issues.

Cons:

1. The cleanup process may take several hours.

Update Codecs

For skipped frames due to encoding lag issues, we recommend updating the codec.

Take playing videos with VLC Media Player as an example:

Step 1. Launch VLC media player.

Step 2. Click Help in the top menu and choose Check for Updates.

Step 3. If updates are available, click OK to confirm and wait for the installation to finish.

Pros:

1. Updating codecs may improve image quality.
2. Improves player compatibility.

Cons:

1. May consume more memory during operation.

Part 4. FAQs of Fixing Dropped Frames from Video File

How to skip frames in YouTube?

You can use keyboard shortcuts to speed up playback and skip parts of the video, or drag the video progress bar to skip specific segments.

What is frame skip?

Frame skipping refers to intentionally or unintentionally skipping some frames when playing or recording a video. This may cause the video to be discontinuous or stutter. We sometimes do this to save resources.

How to fix broken videos?

You can try software such as Vidmore Video Fix to repair videos that cannot be played. With AI technology, you only need one sample video to complete the repair.

Conclusion

In this article, we summarize the possible causes of dropped frames in videos and provide seven solutions to fix dropped frames from video files. If the video itself is problematic, you need to repair the video; if the player or device is problematic, you need to update the graphics card, codec, or cool down the device.
You can first determine which situation you are in and then follow the step-by-step guide to fix it.