Capturing Stills from Video?

[labdogs42]

I have a Canon Optura 20 digital video camera. I took some video Christmas morning that I'd like to try and capture some still shots from (that was the day of the infamous hard drive crash that ate my Christmas pictures!). I have never done any digital video editing or anything like this. Any recommendations? What software do I need? I don't want to spend a fortune, is there a free program I can use or maybe something I already have? Any help would be appreciated!

 

[TinksDH]

What does the software that came with your camcorder do? I just picked up a Sony Handycam and I believe that it has a feature in the included software that allows me to capture a single frame out of a clip.

The Handycam records to an internal hard drive, so it's already in mpeg format and only needs to be "dragged and dropped" onto my PC. I am unsure if Canon bundles any NLE (Non Linear Editing) software with their cameras.

 

[MOmousefan]

I have used a free program called VirtualDub that allows you to capture individual frames. I have since used Adobe Premiere and Premiere Elements to do the same thing.
I thought that I had used Windows Movie Maker to do the same thing, but I cannot figure out how I did it.