How to cut out clips from DVDs and convert to AVI, MP4 using free software

[Baldrick]

This guide will help you to easily cut out clips from a DVD and convert them to AVI, MP4, WMV etc using only free software.



Tools required:
DVD Shrink
WinFF (or Xvid4PSP or Encode360)
DVDFab Decrypter if you want to rip DVD from newer commercial DVD releases



Guide

Cut out clips from DVD
In DVD Shrink Open Disc (or choose File->Open Disc Image from ISO file or File->Open... to open a VIDEO_TS folder on your HDD) and DVD Shrink will index the DVD. If DVD Shrink wont read the DVD then try LATEST DVDFab Decrypter to rip the DVD to the HDD, see here.

Select the main movie.
Just choose one audio track
Click on Re-Author to start CUT.



Select the Main movie title and drag it to the DVD Structure.
Click on Set Start/End frames button to cut.



Set start and Stop
You can add more clips from same movie by drag the Movie title again and cut it, each clip will be one file.



Last hit Backup to save the clips
Output to Hard Disk Folder




Convert
You can now use several tools to convert the VOB files from DVD Shrink to other video formats. Like WinFF or Xvid4PSP to convert to AVI or MP4(like for Ipod, PSP, Xbox 360, PS3, etc) and Encode360 to convert to WMV.



Convert to AVI, MP4 using WinFF
WinFF, easy to use and can batch convert but you can not crop and add other filters.
Add all the VTS0X_1.VOB clips from the VIDEO_TS folder that DVD Shrink made.
Under Convert to choose the profile you want to convert to like
AVI with XVID 16:9(choose 16:9 if you source is anamorphic, check the back on the DVD cover)
MP4 with H264
Convert! A command line window will popup and show you encoding information, do NOT close it until it's done.



Convert to AVI, MP4 using Xvid4pSP
Xvid4PSP is easy to use and has more settings like cropping but no batch mode.
Click on the DVD and choose the VIDEO_TS folder that DVD Shrink made
Choose the Title you want to convert
Select a Format, Video and Audio Codec
Under Video->Resolution/Aspect can you easily resize the video
Encode!



Convert to WMV
You can open the VOB directly in Windows Vista Movie Maker if you have installed ffdshow. Or else can you use Encode360, open the vob and convert to WMV.


Convert to MPG
You can just try rename the .vob to .mpg and it should work fine in most DVD/mpeg players and mpeg editors. But you might sync problems because of ac3 audio delay. You can then remultiplex it to mpeg2 using Xvid4PSP, open DVD and choose the VIDEO_TS folder from DVD Shrink, select title and then choose MPEG2-PS under Format and under video and audio choose Copy. Encode.


Problems
DVD Shrink does not support newer commercial DVDs. Then try use LATEST DVDFab Decrypter and rip to an ISO file or to folder on your HDD.
In the free DVDFab Decrypter choose your DVD Drive
Set output target and click on the folder-icon to output to folder(VIDEO_TS) or the image-icon to output to an ISO-file
Then open the ISO or folder in DVD Shrink and cut as above

[dumdum]

Many thanks Baldrick

I usually find the pop up toaster a bit of a challenge, but even I could follow your instructions.

[imthenats]

Thanks for this guide, it definitely got me started. I had some probs though. I wanted to cut out parts from a couple of videos, but I ended up getting the video split up. I needed to rejoin, but since you need to have the same bit rate it wouldn't work. So what I did was I used Xvid4PSP and Joined them and then reconverted; everything was in sync now. Then again maybe I can join the separate Vobs before converting, perhaps that was my mistake. Anyways, just some thoughts I hope will help others.

[Kbro]

This was absolutely the most useful information I found online! And.... it actually worked! Thank you!

[fwawrzniak]

This is a great guide but I have one problem. I am cutting several clips from several different DVD's. DVD Shrink does that great. After I have all my clips I "backup" with DVD Shrink to a seperate output folder. I then want to convert the folder I just created into one .AVI file. But when I use WinFF to do the conversion it creates a seperate .AVI for each VTS_0#_1.VOB file.

How can I create one .AVI file?

Am I missing a setting?

Is there a way to change the .VOB files to be VTS_01_#. VOB structure instead before running WinFF?

Thanks in acvance

[bolognese]

After converting the cut out parts with Winff to avi the video contains nothing but squares.

[dora]

if I am to convert a whole movie this way, wouldn't it create several .avi files? Do I have to join them together?

Thanks!

[Baldrick]

fwawrzniak:Join the vobs using vobmerge.

bolognese: You might have to decrypt the dvd using dvdfab decrypter first. Or try another converter like format factory, xvid4psp.

dora: Don't use this method to convert a whole movie, use instead just autogk, handbrake (click on them for guides).

[prop99]

Just a note:
DVDShrink can also output bigger VOBs, just untick the "split VOBs into 1GB" checkbox.
I haven't tried this myself but the setting is there...