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May 31, 2026

How to Use Claude AI to Find New Streaming Movies for Family Movie Night 

Instead of manually searching through each of my streaming apps to find new film releases each week, I did this instead using Claude.

In our house, streaming a movie on a Friday night isn’t just fun, it’s become something of a family tradition. Each week for more than a decade, I’ve curated a list of films for my wife and son to stream with me. (We usually choose one after I play all the trailers.)

As you can imagine, the movie choices were more limited when our son was younger. (Don’t ask how many times we watched, “The LEGO Movie.”) Now that our boy is in high school, he’s ready for a wider range of options. 

But that still doesn’t make our movie selection process easy. We’re three people with three different tastes in movies. I can often predict what our son will like, but not always. 

“John Carter?”

I’ve got a running joke going with him regarding Disney’s “John Carter.” That flick’s been on my list since our son was in elementary school. Even though it was an absolute box office bomb, I thought this silly adventure on Mars was fun. Plus, its parallel Civil War era dark vibe provided an interesting stylistic twist. 

I’ve always felt it was the perfect Friday night choice. But he’s probably turned it down at least 100 times. (I think I might want to take it off the list.) 

I Always Need More Choices

The truth is Barrett’s movie list doesn’t always contain a collective choice to watch each week.

So, I’m always looking for new options to offer up. And it feels crazy to say that with eight streaming platforms to choose from, it’s been challenging to find enough fresh releases. (This has become increasingly difficult since the pandemic and the overall decrease of movies being made today.)

Hurry!

Every Friday evening before dinner, I find myself quickly scouring through all my streaming apps in search of any new releases to add to my list.

And let me tell you, this process always feels like it takes forever as I hunt around! 

Wouldn’t it better if I could put a little AI-oomph into this process to speed up my search?

And that’s exactly what I just did.

Set up a Claude Project

So, I went to my Claude AI assistant and asked it for help on how I should set up this movie search to repeat regularly. It suggested I create a Claude Project.

You can do that by navigating to the left sidebar and clicking on “Projects.” 

  • Click on “New Project”
  • Add in the “Description”
  • Then add in the “Instructions”

The “Instructions” field is for your prompt, which provides the directions for Claude to follow.

Here’s the prompt that Claude created for me to use:

  • When I ask for new streaming movie releases, search each service individually with separate web searches — one each for Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Max, Hulu, Apple TV+, Peacock, and Paramount+. Cross-reference with Rotten Tomatoes and JustWatch. Do NOT use a single combined search. Group results by service and include: title, date added, genre, and Rotten Tomatoes score where available. Only include movies, not TV shows or specials. Include results for the most recent seven days. (I added in that last sentence.)

You, of course, can use this prompt as well. Just modify it with your particular list of streaming services.

Creating My Movie List in Seconds

So, I quickly set up this Claude Project and then ran it. It instantly got to work searching a variety of websites that track new streaming movie releases for the platforms I listed.

And then about ten seconds later, Claude provided me a report with all the new movies I should consider, sorted by streaming service and complete with brief descriptions.

It was perfect.

(You don’t need to set up a Claude Project for this. You can just run the prompt as part of a regular chat question. But the project makes it ready to go for the next time.)

A Huge Time Saver

Wow. Why didn’t I think I this sooner?

Claude isn’t the only AI assistant out there that can do this trick. (It just happened to be the one I used for this exercise.)

Now, I can accomplish this movie search in seconds. That’s quite the time saver.

Barrett’s Movie List

I must admit that presenting my movie list has become a bit of an eye-rolling moment for my family after all these years. But they still let me do it.

And you might be asking… where are their lists? Exactly.

Somehow, I’ve fashioned myself as the all-knowing movie critic in our family. (In my defense, I have been writing movie reviews as a hobby since I was in college.)

But that doesn’t really make me an authority any more than you.

Thank You, Claude

At best, my movie list is a quaint family tradition. We’ll leave it at that.

And by the way, our son is growing up. Did I mention he’s in high school already?

So, Friday movie night doesn’t happen regularly anymore. And when we do sit down together after dinner, it’s often to watch the next episode from a series we’re watching. (We’re currently enjoying “Dark Matter” on Apple TV.)

But I will always have a few movies to suggest whenever the moment calls for it.

And now, Claude gets to do all the research work for me.

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May 24, 2026

Why You Shouldn’t Use Your Phone to Take All Your Vacation Photos

Dropping your phone on vacation while snapping a photo can really dampen the fun. Here’s a strategy that will help you avoid coming home with a cracked phone screen.

Listen to excerpt – 1 min 20 sec *

My father loved his tech throughout his life, and he was swift to adopt his first iPhone. That said, he was not quite as quick to learn all its functions. But he did okay, especially for his age. (Plus, he always had me as his personal tech support line.)

My dad was also something of a critic on many topics and enjoyed making fun of the delicate nature of smartphones. 

He used to enjoy repeating a particular conversation with me comparing his iPhone to his leather-bound pocket agenda, which was a little booklet he kept in his jacket.

It went like this… 

He would turn to me, pull out his agenda and hold it in front of him. Next, he would drop it onto the floor. Then he would pick his agenda up, dust it off and put it back in his pocket.

He would stare at me as he did all this, smirk and then ask if I would please do the same with my iPhone. When I wouldn’t, he would burst out laughing.

I let my dad have his fun. But he had a point.

My father wasn’t exactly subtle. However, he was quite effective at stripping things down to the bare truth. 

He’s been gone over three years now, and I do miss these little moments.

Don’t Destroy Your Phone on Vacation

Yes, my dad liked to point out that a mobile phone doesn’t always do so well when you drop it (even if you’ve got a case protecting it). 

Years later, my father’s wisdom serves as a useful reminder to help frame this week’s blog post.

And I would like to point out that dropping your phone is more likely to happen when you’re on vacation moving fast and sometimes distracted.

As we enter the summer season and a traditional vacation period, let me offer a solution. You might think this is a simple equation. 

  • Just take your phone and don’t drop it. 
  • To reduce additional risk, leave other cameras at home. 

Your phone can take all the photos you’ll need, and unless you travel with a professional camera rig, why would you want to bring another camera other than the one built into your phone?

Vacations Can Require a Tougher Camera

But this assumes you can keep your phone undamaged, and quite frankly, many vacations are often hazardous to your phone’s health.

So, if you’re uncomfortable putting your expensive phone in harm’s way, you might want to invest in a more durable and less expensive camera solution, like a GoPro or DJI Action Camera.

Depending on the model, you can pick up one of these tough little bricks at the $300-$400 price point. They’re not impervious to all threats, but they’re designed to handle a pretty big drop. Plus, they’re waterproof.

Yes, I’ve watched lots of vacationers happily hold their phones while skiing, sledding and kayaking. But not everyone will succeed.

As one data point, I’m sure you’ve seen many people walk around with cracked phone screens. I’d hazard a bet that some of this screen damage was caused by vacation-related activity.

Stories of Wreckage

I’ve learned the hard way to be more cautious with my own tech on vacation. I’ve certainly made a few mistakes along the way…  

Fortunately, my drone survived its crash. The other two did not.

Using a GoPro or DJI Action Camera for vacation photos and videos can be a better strategy to help maintain the long-term health of your phone. And of course, you can still use your phone for other (less dangerous) needs.

The Right Tech for the Task

I always pack my GoPro when I go on vacation. No, I don’t always need to use it, but I have this little cube in my pocket when the moment calls for it. 

And since my GoPro is tiny, it never factors into the ‘packing-too-much’ equation.

If my father were around today, I’d be very happy to drop my GoPro on the floor in front of him.

Happy next vacation, and here’s to always keeping your phone safely in your hand.

*Audio excerpt at the top is AI voice generated, using my own voice as the original source.

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May 17, 2026

How to Quickly Save a Video Frame Using QuickTime

If you record a birthday party video that captures the blowing-out-the-candles moment, you may miss the opportunity to also take a photo. Here’s how to export a frame from your video using QuickTime Player and the Preview App on your Mac.

Have you ever watched one of your videos on your Mac using QuickTime Player and wished you could easily pluck out a perfect frame to create a photo? Well, you can’t exactly do that. There’s no “Export Frame” or “Save as Photo” option in QuickTime.

Use Another App Instead

Sure, you can move your video file instead into iMovie, Final Cut Pro or the Photos app. And from there, you can scrub to the perfect frame and then save it.

But that takes a whole separate set of steps and file management. It’s not exactly fast.

What About Taking a Screenshot?

And yes, you can take a simple screenshot of your video window to freeze the action. But that can get you a lower resolution image. 

Frustrating, right?

Copy the Frame to QuckTime’s Clipboard and Open in Preview

Fortunately, there’s a simple workaround using QuickTime and the Preview app. Here’s how:

1. Open Your Video in QuickTime Player

First, double-click your video file. It should open in QuickTime by default. If not, choose “Open With,” and select QuickTime Player.

2. Find the Frame You Want

Quickly scrub through to the general location of your desired photo moment and then use the left and right arrow keys on your keyboard to move the video action frame-by-frame. This will get you to the exact frame you want. 

3. Copy the Frame to Clipboard

With your video paused at your desired frame, go to the top menu in QuickTime and click “Edit.” 

Then select “Copy” in the dropdown.
(Or you can use the keyboard shortcut for “Copy” – Command (⌘) + C.)

It will seem like nothing is happening. But don’t worry. You’ve copied the frame to your clipboard.

4. Open Preview and Create a New Image from the Clipboard

Next, open your Preview app. Then go to the menu and click on “File.” 

Then click “New from Clipboard.” 
(Or use the shortcut Command (⌘) + N.) 

Preview will create a new untitled image, containing exactly the frame you copied from QuickTime.

5. Save Your New Photo

Go to “File” and select “Export.” (I recommend you save it as a JPEG.)

That’s it. You’ve successfully created a photo file from your video freeze frame! 

Three Tips for Best Image Results

  • Choose High-Resolution Videos
    The quality of your exported photo depends on the resolution of your original video. 4K videos will yield much sharper images than lower-res files.
  • Avoid Full-Screen Mode
    When copying frames, it’s best to keep QuickTime in its default windowed mode to ensure you’re capturing the original pixel size of the video… not a scaled version.
  • Use Arrow Keys for Precision
    Sometimes the perfect photo is just one video frame away from where you are. Don’t rush it. You may need to go back and forth a few times with your left and right arrow keys to determine the best frame with the clearest image.  

When Would You Need to Export a Frame?

Exporting a frame from one of your family videos can really save the day. For example, if you’re documenting a birthday party, you’ll inevitably come to the happy birthday song and candles moment.

But when you’re recording that, there’s no time to simultaneously snap a photo.*

But you don’t need to stress. Just remember that you can later pull a few frames from your video to generate the sharable photos you need!

*Disclaimer: If you’re talented at multitasking on your iPhone, you can actually snap a few photos while simultaneously recording your video. Simply tap that little white circle on the screen to save each video frame. 

But this takes some coordination. I think it’s much easier to simply pull your perfect frame later in post.

Use the QuickTime/Preview Solution

All your videos contain a wealth of individual stills that you can choose to convert into photos.

And the next time you need to save that perfect frame from a favorite family video, the QuickTime/Preview handoff is a simple and quick path to the finish line.

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