I currently use VirtualDub but that's crappy and the help sucks so I have no idea wtf i'm doing in it.

i want a simple video editor that will allow me take out (crop) certain parts of a video file and compress them so I can email them.

I don't know much about the types of encoding there are and what generally is the best form to compress a video that saves space AND is viewable by most users w/o the need for special plugins. I just want something simple that works well.

VirtualDub is weird and I don't like it, any other freeware programs out there?

FREEWARE ONLY PLEASE!!

i don't want to see posts like: "oh you can get xyz program but it's $40 bucks"

[Admin Edit: Text removed - Please tone down the language]

I've been making CS movies for some time now and I like to use Vegas. Unfortunately it costs several hundred dollars but its probably the best program out there. I also use Videomach which you can download a 15 or 30 day trial and it is very simple to use and works good. I use Videomach to convert my video clips from bmp to avi, then I make the movie in Vegas, and use VirtualDub for a 2nd compression of the video. So my advice is to try out Videomach and see how you like it. If you have any more questions feel free to ask.

Well, for your purposes I think Windows Movie Maker will suit you well enough. It'll do everything you asked and it's fairly intuitive so it shouldn't be hard to figure out. It's certainly not the best program out there but it's free and already installed on your computer, if you run Windows. To find it go to Start > All Programs > Accessories. It should be near the bottom of the list next to WordPad. :)

Sonic Foundry has a free editor, much more powerful than movie maker. Sonic foundry was bought by Sony (somewhat at least), who doesn't care if you take a copy since they didn't make thr product or support it. This is what my school did after Sony said that they didn't care if copies were made. But I don't have a link to it. Just try P2P.

Oh yeah, it's called "VideoFactory"

ok it seems like windows movie maker is perfect..

but... this video file i have is originally .avi and it's encoded in some DivX thing (I think).

when i take clips of it and save it using windows movie maker as .wmv ppl still have told me they can't watch it.

any way to "recode" it so they can watch it?

When you say "save" do you mean you saved it or exported it? They're completely different.

i mean export.

Do they have the Divx codec installed? Changing the file format isn't going to change the codec that's used. You can do that fairly easily in virtual dub. If you're interested in doing that rather than having your friends install the same codec you're using, let me know and I'll walk you through it. :)

thanks doogadooga (lol, i dig that name ;-))

the only problem i'm having with virtualdub is this message i get when I open the video file:

"VirtualDub has detected an improper VBR audio encoding in the source AVI file and will rewrite the audio header with standard CBR values during processing for better compatiblity. This may introduce up to 4102 ms of skew from the video stream. If this is unacceptable, decompress the *entire* audio stream to an uncompressed WAV file and recompress with a constant bitrate encoder. (bitrate: 133.1 23.6 kbps)"

what i do from there is click "file" then "save as WAV" which extracts the WAV file... then i click "audio" and then "wav source" and point it to the wav file i just extracted, however, when i seek through the entire video... say... in the middle of it, there is still a lag between the movement of his mouth and the words being heard.

i can't seem to work around this problem hence i wanted another video editor in the first place.

As for video compression, i have a HUGE LIST of codecs to choose from. I don't know which is A) the best and B) Will work with most users who don't have additional plug-ins.

Well, VBR audio for video isn't the greatest idea implemented so it's hard to work around. It's pretty much a big hassle, and probably more hassle than the clip/s you're trying to send are worth. So an easy way to figure out which codec the original source is using is to just
right click on it > properties > click summary tab > under video at the bottom there will be "Video Compression" which would most likely be Xvid (one of my favorites :P ) or Divx.
I think Divx can play Xvid and Xvid play Divx so you could just have them install Divx since it's good to have for just about everything video related on the net. I think even ABC News and CNN use it or some form of it. As for a solution to the Vdub problem you can do any of the following if you're so inclined :) :

Use NanDub or VDubMod to fix the file.

Transmux the whole file to a container format supporting vbr audio and edit that (eg Matroska, OGM).

Save AVI with uncompressed audio, do your editting, recompress audio.

Demux audio, recompress to cbr mp3, remux, do your editting.

EDIT: I forgot that when you check the properties of the file you may not see any of the details I mentioned, if so just click the advanced button in the summary tab. :)

hm i am wayyyyy too lazy to do all that :lol:

is there a way i can get my peeps to download JUST the divx codec (you were right, the video is xvid)?

on the DivX website i only saw the option of downloading a "bundle" which includes a DivX player... i don't wanna hassle them with yet ANOTHER media player... i just want the plugin/codec (whatever it's called) so they can play it on whatever players they use now.

btw thanks for the explanation... if i ever get around to it i'll try that stuff :-)

No problem :-)

You can choose to only install the divx codec with the installer provided at Divx.com. When you go to install it, it will give you two checkboxes, one for the divx player and the other for just divx. Simply untick divx player and you'll only get the codec. :) These are also some reputable sites for codecs, in case you find yourself needing some weird one.

http://www.divxmovies.com/

http://www.divx-digest.com/

Ah, it's too bad I didn't see this thread earlier. Im a professional video editor by trade :)

You seem to have a basic knowledge about the subject, so this is a good start. Obviously if you want to make your videos look professional, you need good software, such as Premiere, Final Cut or anything from the Avid suite. You can download a 30 day trial of Premiere Pro 1.5 from adobe.com and this time limit should be sufficient for the time frame you would be looking at. But to be honest, you are not going to find any 'freeware' software that is fantastic.

No problem :-)

You can choose to only install the divx codec with the installer provided at Divx.com. When you go to install it, it will give you two checkboxes, one for the divx player and the other for just divx. Simply untick divx player and you'll only get the codec. :) These are also some reputable sites for codecs, in case you find yourself needing some weird one.

http://www.divxmovies.com/

http://www.divx-digest.com/

Thanks doogadooga. :-D

Ah, it's too bad I didn't see this thread earlier. Im a professional video editor by trade :)

You seem to have a basic knowledge about the subject, so this is a good start. Obviously if you want to make your videos look professional, you need good software, such as Premiere, Final Cut or anything from the Avid suite. You can download a 30 day trial of Premiere Pro 1.5 from adobe.com and this time limit should be sufficient for the time frame you would be looking at. But to be honest, you are not going to find any 'freeware' software that is fantastic.

I'm not trying to do anything complicated. All I really need is something simple to crop and compress video files.

This would be analogous to a random user looking for a program like Paint just to crop, resize, and save images in different formats as opposed to Photoshop which will enable you to do far more than that.

I would LOVE to learn photoshop, flash, and/or popular video editing software, but frankly, I don't have the time or the patience to sit around and read read read then practice and screw around with the program(s) till I get something done the way I want it. I'm already busy studying for my full CCNA (i'm passionate about IT/networking), no time for other programs, lol.

I have another question relating to video editing (and since Koro is crazy on the spam thing I'd thought I'd just post in here rather than starting a new thread ;-)).

Is Xvid the best codec to use on videos? What are the best codecs out there? What I mean by "best" is: Highest quality vs. smallest file size

(and since Koro is crazy on the spam thing I'd thought I'd just post in here rather than starting a new thread ;-)).

I don't think that is exactly fair. I think realistic would be a better word. After all, he is paying for the costs to keep for forum up, so he should be able to dictate the level of spam etc.

These forums need to lighten up a little bit. I don't think DeltaOmega was being malicious with that comment. Hence the smiley face. If everyone has to worry about what they say, this forum will never grow to Koroush's vision. I'm not saying people should start calling each other names and such, but there's no need to be so uptight about every comment that's made. If you start to control too much of the content on a forum it won't ever grow. Forums need to be fun as well as informative and friendly. Playful banter goes a long way in setting a good mood on any forum. :)

As for your question Delta, there really isn't any perfect codec for video compression. You just need to tweak things out and see what kind of results you get on your system. From what I've seen, Xvid generally results in cleaner video at smaller sizes. I've also seen it go the other way. So, your best bet is to experiment.

These forums need to lighten up a little bit. I don't think DeltaOmega was being malicious with that comment. Hence the smiley face. If everyone has to worry about what they say, this forum will never grow to Koroush's vision. I'm not saying people should start calling each other names and such, but there's no need to be so uptight about every comment that's made. If you start to control too much of the content on a forum it won't ever grow. Forums need to be fun as well as informative and friendly. Playful banter goes a long way in setting a good mood on any forum. :)

As for your question Delta, there really isn't any perfect codec for video compression. You just need to tweak things out and see what kind of results you get on your system. From what I've seen, Xvid generally results in cleaner video at smaller sizes. I've also seen it go the other way. So, your best bet is to experiment.

Playful banter is one thing, spam/garbage is anouther. You obviusly dident think the full thing throught. How many fourms survive on nothing but garbage or spam by users just trying to get there name around or raise their post count. Keep the comments where the need to go. Keeping the fourms as clean and spam free as possible will make it much easier to read through and is the best way to expand.

I did not say everyone should start spamming and making pointless comments. DeltaOmega553's post was neither spam nor garbage. He was playfully explaining why he's posting in this existing thread, rather than create a seperate codec thread. There's no reason to get bent out of shape, sir ;)

Back to the topic, DeltaOmega553, I found this for you:

DivX 3.x
Advantages :
Good compression, even though less advanced compression features are used
Better compatibility
Disadvantages :
DivX 3.x not entirely legal (hacked codec)
Outdated - does not have advanced compression features of DivX 5.x
Hard to control final file size

DivX 5.x
Advantages :
Great for controlling final file size (eg. for fitting onto one 700 MB CD)
More advanced compression features (eg. DivX Pro : multi-pass, bi-directional enc, GMC, Qpel), which may give better compression
Completely legal solution
Disadvantages :
DivX Pro not 100% free (free ad supported version or purchase required)

XviD 1.x
Advantages :
Great for controlling final file size (eg. for fitting onto one 700 MB CD)
More advanced compression features (eg. 2-pass, bi-directional enc, GMC, Qpel), which may give better compression
Completely legal and open source solution
Disadvantages :
Less common than DivX
XviD slightly harder (less consumer friendly) to configure than DivX

Hope this helps,

Scorp.

I did not say everyone should start spamming and making pointless comments. DeltaOmega553's post was neither spam nor garbage. He was playfully explaining why he's posting in this existing thread, rather than create a seperate codec thread. There's no reason to get bent out of shape, sir ;)

This has nothing to do with DeltaOmega553, he was right to say what he did. Scor mearly stated why it is so important to keep the fourms spam free and i mearly though in my two sense. I think we might want to cool down here and end this but i dont like your attitude dogodaga and i suggest you loose it before it puts you in a bad position with other fourm members.

At ease.

PM sent. If anyone else has a problem with me, PM me as well. Now let's stop spamming this thread, which I apologize for starting. :)

Umm, I'll just ignore the few posts regarding the philosophical debate on spam. (btw, thanks for stickin up for me dooga. i didn't mean any wrongdoing with that message like u posted. hence the ";-)") :-)

Thanks for the codec info ppl. I think I'll stick with Xvid... it seems to work best for me.

*runs away before more threats/hostilities/debates on spam ensue*

just a quick "side question"... how did you get the graphical smilies? i can't seem to get those little buggers to show up on my posts.

ergh, nevermind.

It appears I've been typing in the smilies the wrong way.

:) =/= :-)

Smilies (http://forums.tweakguides.com/misc.php?do=showsmilies)

[Mod Edit: Please don't triple post, WarDragon]

Here's some more info. Doom9 Guides (http://www.doom9.org/index.html?/guides.htm)
It's a good source for a general know-how look at some processes involved. :)

Thanks! looks like good reading :)

Ok here's another question regarding videos and video editing (mainly size issues).

I took a couple of movies with my digital camera and put them on my computer. They are in .mpg format. They are pretty big files (up to 50 MB) so I wanted to decrease the size. I loaded them into virtual dub and saved it as an AVI file with the Xvid codec but it was no good.

How can I decrease the file size of these .mpg files?

Ok here's another question regarding videos and video editing (mainly size issues).

I took a couple of movies with my digital camera and put them on my computer. They are in .mpg format. They are pretty big files (up to 50 MB) so I wanted to decrease the size. I loaded them into virtual dub and saved it as an AVI file with the Xvid codec but it was no good.

How can I decrease the file size of these .mpg files?
Use .mov format with compression, or use a better codec with AVI files such as Divx.

Is .mov better or .avi using the Divx codec?

I don't know if virtual dub supports .mov :confused:

Is .mov better or .avi using the Divx codec?

I don't know if virtual dub supports .mov :confused:
I always work with Divx, but you can always experiment for yourself.
Divx gives me no worries, except for a watermark at the bottom right if you don't have a liscenced copy.

Ok I used DivX and it saved a tremendous amount of space (60 MB mpg movie to a 13 MB avi DivX movie).

However there was a price to that great amount of compression... the brightness of the video has been altered. I don't know if it's the contrast, brightness or whatever... but the movie is a LOT darker now than the original 60 MB .mpg format.

The quality and basically everything else remains the same except that one problem. Any way to make the movie brighter?

http://www.drdivx.com

Found that on the net today. It's an open source DivX encoder.

Does anyone know of some any good FREE video editing software? Windows movie maker is pretty good but i want somehing that has more. Anyone know some programs?

[Mod Edit: Threads Merged, Scorpion]

Well, theres Avid Free DV (cutdown of the excellent AVID Pro software)
http://www.avid.com/freeDV/index.asp

And for a bizarre open source alternative, try Jahshaka
http://www.jahshaka.org/component/option,com_docman/task,cat_view/gid,25/Itemid,49/

Well, theres Avid Free DV (cutdown of the excellent AVID Pro software)
http://www.avid.com/freeDV/index.asp

And for a bizarre open source alternative, try Jahshaka
http://www.jahshaka.org/component/option,com_docman/task,cat_view/gid,25/Itemid,49/

Cheers Effigy for these links! I had know idea that these programs existed :)

Does anyone know of some any good FREE video editing software? Windows movie maker is pretty good but i want somehing that has more. Anyone know some programs?

[Mod Edit: Threads Merged, Scorpion]my bad on that, for some reason my search on video editing didnt come up with this thread...

and thank you for the links Effigy