Can anyone recommend a good AVI editor?

[djdust]

Hi all

I've got a new video camera that creates AVI files and am finding the included software completely useless for my needs - can anyone recommend some software (free or fairly cheap) that's easy to use and will allow me to simply chop a big video into smaller chunks and allow me to add titles/credits at the beginning and end of them?

Hope someone can help

cheers

Darren

[jagabo]

VirtualDub

[djdust]

cheers for that, have managed to use it to chop my file up into smaller chunks (making sure to use the "Direct Stream Processing" mode). Is it possible to fade-in and fade-out the beginning and ending of each of those smaller files using the same program (and add some titles too)?

[jagabo]

Yes, you can fade in/out with VirtualDub and its Brightness/Contrast filter and the Blend/Curve Editor function. There's also a FadeFX filter you can use. You can apply (sub)titles with the TextSub filter or the Logo filter. Enable Smart Rendering and only the parts of the video changed by the filters will be reencoded.

[AlanHK]

Avidemux

[djdust]

ok, I'm attempting to do fade-in-outs first and am getting absolutely nowhere. I've tried downloading a "FadeFX" filter and installed the .VDF file in the plugins directory yet nothing is showing up on the Filters option. I also did some searching on these forums and tried another plugin called "FrameTweaker" yet, again, it's not showing up when I look in the Filters option. I'm stumped...

[jagabo]

VirtualDub should automatically load filters in its plugins folder. It only enumerates the filters when it starts up. So if you added filters while VirtualDub was running you have to exit VirtualDub and restart it.

[djdust]

Already did that - still nothing showing up...

[jagabo]

So you go to Video -> Filters, press Add, and FadeFX doesn't show up in the list? Are you trying to use a 32 bit filter with 64 bit VirtualDub? I'm pretty sure that won't work.

[djdust]

aharrrrrrr, nope didn't do that. Done it now!!

Thanks for everyone's help so far - no doubt I'll be back again...

[djdust]

ok... have got the FadeFX filter working. Have set it to do a 20-frame fade in and out at either end of the file. Now... how do I save the finished file? I've tried the normal "save file" option and the resulting file is identical to the original with no fades...

[jagabo]

Put VirtualDub into Video -> Smart Rendering mode and Video -> Full Processing Mode. That way it should only reencode GOPs with frames that are changed. Use the same compression codec that was used in the source file, with similar settings. Set up your filters, mark in, mark out, then Save as AVI to save the clip.

[djdust]

ok, giving it a go now. Will it compress the footage that's already compressed or will it leave it alone?

[djdust]

ok, folks, I used the FadeFX filter and got a perfect result!!

Now... is there a way to fade the sound in and out too in a similar way?

cheers

[DarrellS]

Nope! You've got to use an audio editor.

I like to use the Fill filter in Virtualdub in blend mode with the curve editor. You can fade in and out whatever color you want but black is default. There are no other settings that you have to deal with and it comes with Virtualdub.

The Box Blur filter makes a decent fade filter also using Blend mode and Curve Editor. Not a true dissolve filter but about the closest thing you'll get with Virtualdub. You can play around with a lot of the filters to see what kind of transitions you'll get. A few give pretty decent results.

[djdust]

ok, can you tell me HOW to edit the audio? Do I need to somehow split the audio and video apart, edit the audio, then put them back together again? Will the audio (that's already compressed) get compressed again as a result of this..?

[jagabo]

You can export the audio track from VirtualDub, use an external audio editor, then import the audio again. Yes, it will have to be reencoded.

File -> Open AVI File
Audio -> Full Processing Mode
File -> Save WAV
edit WAV file (Audacity is free, has fade-in/out functions)
Audio -> Audio From Another File... (select edited WAV)
Audio -> Compression... select codec and parameters
Video -> Direct Stream Copy
File -> Save as AVI

Alternatively, you could do the decompression and compression of the audio in the audio editor:

File -> Open AVI File
File -> Export -> Raw audio
edit audio file, save compressed
Audio -> Audio From Another File... (select edited/compressed audio)
Video -> Direct Stream Copy
File -> Save as AVI

If you're going to be doing a lot of this you will be better served with a commercial video editing package.

[DarrellS]

You should be able to open the file directly in Audacity without having to export as raw.

File > Open > Movie001.avi > Edit > Export Selection > Movie001.mp3

[djdust]

ok, I now have a great mini video with a fade out on both the volume AND the picture at both ends. Now, how can I add a simple title at the start (overlaying the video if possible) and a black mini credit at the end of the file..?

[jagabo]

Again, a commercial, non-linear editor like Corel VideoStudio or Sony Vegas would be a lot easier. But with VirtualDub you can use the TextSub or Logo filters. You can create a black clip from any video with the Brightness/Contrast filter. Or you can open an image, or series of images, and turn it (them) into a video

[djdust]

ok, looked into that a bit. It seems I need to create a simple .sub file to then import into the TextSub filter. I'm doing lots of searching but can only find guides on how to import the .sub file once its created but not much help on how to create the file in the first place! Can anyone point me at an idiot-proof guide?

(thanks for all the help so far btw folks!!)

[Gavino]

If you don't mind using scripts, all your requirements (editing, fades and subtitles) could be met with Avisynth.

[jagabo]

SRT subs are plain text files. You can use Notepad to create/edit them. They look like this:

1
00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:13,500
At the end of the Qing Dynasty, the great lands of China
were divided and being dominated by foreign powers

2
00:00:14,500 --> 00:00:17,200
Because of their inability to retaliate, the Chinese
were humiliated and subsequently
branded as "Sick Man of Asia"

3
00:00:17,567 --> 00:00:20,000
At that time, it seems that no one was capable of
standing up against this humiliation

The problem you'll have is positioning them. By default they will go at the bottom of the video. You should probably use the logo filter instead. A cheap trick is to use white text on a black background, then use the same image as the logo and the alpha channel.

(I used a BMP file but videohelp wouldn't let me upload a BMP)

[djdust]

ok, I've created an .SRT file as above. The TextSub filter only seems to accept .IDX and .SUB files though so, I've looked into how to convert the .SRT into a .SUB and found this page:

http://www.recipester.org/Recipe:Convert_SRT_to_SUB_Subtitle_33953031

I'm using Subresync as it says and creating a .SUB file (it appears to have option to edit and position the text too ) but, when I try to import this into the TextSub filter, nothing happens and it doesn't seem to accept it.

Stumped again

[jagabo]

TextSub works with SRT subs on my computers.

[djdust]

ok, the logo filter works a treat!! However, it's there for the whole length of the video - how do you time it so that it only comes on for a few seconds then switches off..?

[djdust]

in answer to my own question, I've used the blend feature and gradually faded it in and out - sorted!! Final simple question - is it possible to add a few more seconds of simple black footage at the end of the file so I can add some credits at the end too?

[jagabo]

is it possible to add a few more seconds of simple black footage at the end of the file so I can add some credits at the end too?

In theory you can Copy a section of your current video, paste it to the end, then apply the Contrast/Brightness filter to darken it (audio may still be a problem if it's not silent) and add another logo. But the Blend editor appears to get confused when you do this (at least in 1.9.8 that I currently have installed). So you have to use the File -> Append AVI file feature instead. The appended file must have the same properties and codec as the main file.

[djdust]

ok, I'm almost there!! I now have a main large file and a smaller "credit" file that I want to append onto the end. VirtualDub won't let me though and keeps coming up with an error:

"The video streams have incompatible data formats (mismatch detected in opaque codec data at byte 21 of the format data)"

except, I've made sure the files are the same (as far as I'm aware)!! Attached is the "file information" for both files...

Any ideas? I'm so close.....

[jagabo]

VirtualDub can be picky about what files it will append. In cases like this it's usually best to resort to AviDemux to append the two (or more) videos.