Website Tech

Category: Video Editing

  • Copying DVDs to Watch on Other Devices

    Handbrake can save a DVD (that it can read; for copy-protected DVDs need the LibDVDcss add-on that might not be automatically included)

    You can specify a common format, e.g. in Preset select Hardware > “Apple 720p30 Surround” which makes a high-quality MP4 file that pretty much plays on everything.

    If you want smaller file size, customize the settings (and save them) to Video tab RF:20 and Audio tab to use the highest quality audio available up to 320kbps, and set it to automatically include the subtitle language you want. 

    VLC Media Player is superb, plays wide range of video and audio formats, and lets you set keyboard entries so LeftArrow rewinds 10 seconds (great for “what did he say” and RightArrow is forward 1 minute. 

    Plays subtitles Cmd-V I think is the keystroke, and lets you select the subtitles you want. 

    I use VLC Media Player to play a DVD to find out what Title you want Handbrake to convert. Many copy-protected DVDs have numerous tracks, to trick you; most will be jumbled mid-scene. VLC will read the DVD menu properly to find what title to play. 

    https://www.macxdvd.com/mac-dvd-video-converter-how-to/handbrake-libdvdcss-error-fixed-windows-mac.htm

    If you want better subtitles than the crazy low-resolution ones that are on DVDs

    https://www.opensubtitles.org/en/search/subs

    Rename the subtitles to have the same filename (without changing the file extension) as the video name, in the same folder as the video. VLC Media Player (and most other players) will display the subtitles using fonts on your computer. 

  • MPEG StreamClip convert Sony HandyCam videos

    MPEG StreamClip for Mac and Windows is from SQUARED 5, http://www.squared5.com/svideo/mpeg-streamclip-mac.html

    I use it to convert files from a Sony HandyCam that Final Cut Express can’t play properly (no audio) into a format that plays audio and doesn’t need to be rendered.

    Plus, from the site: “MPEG Streamclip (with or without the MPEG-2 Playback Component) can also convert MPEG-2 transport streams into muxed MPEG-2 files”, another format the HandyCam can write.

    Free, OSX and Windows versions.

  • Final Cut editing without rendering again and again

    Do you spend too much time rendering as you edit videos in Final Cut?

    This YouTube clip, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XEjAOFsDVQ “No more rendering in Final Cut Express” shows how to cut rendering to one time.

    There is a free utility mentioned in that video. Use MPEG StreamClip to convert video and audio to a format that Final Cut recognizes without rendering.

    Use the free utility MPEG StreamClip to export your video to Apple DV/DVCPRO – NTSC format at Quality 100%, Sound settings: Uncompressed 48KHz. No more rendering in Final Cut!

    Note: Make sure the Clip settings match the Sequence settings.