Timecode To Frames Converter
Convert between SMPTE timecode, total frames and real seconds at any frame rate, with correct drop-frame handling.
About this tool
Timecode To Frames Converter
Convert between SMPTE timecode, total frames and real seconds at any frame rate, with correct drop-frame handling.
The Timecode To Frames Converter moves between SMPTE timecode, an absolute frame number and real elapsed seconds at any frame rate from 23.976 to 120 fps. It implements the SMPTE ST 12-1 drop-frame rule exactly: at 29.97 fps the frame labels :00 and :01 are skipped at the start of every minute except minutes divisible by ten, which removes 108 labels an hour and keeps timecode aligned with the wall clock. Non-drop timecode at 29.97 runs 3.6 seconds slow per hour, and the tool reports that drift alongside every conversion so you can see exactly where a session, an EDL or a delivery spec will disagree.
How to use Timecode To Frames Converter
- 1
Open Timecode To Frames Converter on AltFTool — it loads instantly in your browser.
- 2
Set From to Timecode, Frames or Seconds and type the figure into Value — it starts at 01:02:03:12.
- 3
Pick a Frame rate from 23.976 fps (24 / 1.001) up to 120 fps and tick Drop frame for the 29.97 family; a timecode label that does not exist is refused with an error instead of a result.
- 4
The four cards report Frames, Active TC, Real clock and Drift in seconds, and Copy puts the frame count, active, non-drop, drop and real time on the clipboard while Reset returns to 01:02:03:12 at 29.97.
Why use Timecode To Frames Converter
Drop frame done properly
Rejects labels that do not exist and converts both directions with the canonical SMPTE algorithm.
Real time as well as timecode
Uses the exact 1000/1001 rates, so 29.97 is 30000/1001 rather than a rounded decimal.
Shows the drift
Every result reports how far non-drop timecode has wandered from the wall clock at that point.
Common use cases
- Converting a shot's in and out timecode into an absolute frame count for a VFX or conform spreadsheet
- Checking why a one-hour drop-frame programme measures 3,600 seconds while its non-drop equivalent measures 3,603.6
- Finding the exact frame number to cut on from a note written in seconds during a review session
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert timecode to frames?
Multiply out the hours, minutes and seconds by the nominal frame rate and add the frame field: frames = (3600×h + 60×m + s) × fps + ff. At 25 fps, 00:01:00:00 is 1,500 frames. For drop-frame timecode you then subtract 2 frames for every minute that is not a multiple of ten.
What is the difference between drop frame and non-drop frame?
Drop frame skips frame *labels*, not pictures, so that timecode keeps pace with real time at 29.97 fps. Non-drop counts every label in order and therefore falls behind the wall clock by 3.6 seconds every hour — over a one-hour programme that is 108 frames. Drop frame is written with a semicolon before the frames, as 01:00:00;00.
How many frames are in one hour of 29.97 fps video?
107,892 frames of real picture, which is exactly what a drop-frame reading of 01:00:00;00 represents. A non-drop reading of 01:00:00:00 counts 108,000 frames, which takes 3,603.6 real seconds — one hour plus 3.6 seconds.
Does 23.976 fps use drop frame?
No. Drop frame exists only for the 29.97 fps family — 29.97, 59.94 and 119.88 — where skipping 2, 4 or 8 labels a minute makes timecode match the clock. At 23.976 the arithmetic does not work out to a whole number of skipped labels, so the format is always non-drop and simply runs slow against real time.
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