Preset Not Saving All Settings

[promoter]

Hi Major,

When saving an ffmpegX preset (I'm using 0.0.9p), all the settings don't appear to be retained. I'm converting some hard subtitled 640x480 DivX .avis to MPEG2 for authoring in Sizzle, burning to DVD with Toast, and viewing on TV. As with the poster in this thread <https://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=733452&highlight=letterbox#733452>, I'm adding a black letterbox so the subtitles won't get cut off in the overscan area.

After selecting the .avi and the "DVD [ffmpeg]" preset, I manually change the video size to 640x440. In the "Letterbox" section of the "Filters" tab, I enter "20 20 40 40" to set the letterbox width at the Top, Bottom, Left, & Right, bringing the final size to 720x480. In the "Options" tab I deselect "Decode with QuickTime" so the ffmpeg engine and my letterbox numbers will be used. Finally, in the "Tools" tab I deselect "Author as DVD," and then save the preset.

The preset works as expected as long as ffmpegX is running. However, if I restart ffmpegX later and try to use the preset, the Letterbox values are reset to zeros, and "Decode with QuickTime" is checked. Am I missing something, or is this behavior expected?

Also, although "Keep Elementary Streams" is checked, none are saved when using the ffmpeg engine. Is this normal? Thanks for your help.

[major]

Crop/letterbox values are not saved in the preset, as they could need to be adjusted depending on the input file. Perhaps it would be better to save them too.

About your second question: ffmpeg engine does not create elementary streams unless "Decode with Quicktime" is used.

[promoter]

Hi Major,

Thanks for your incredibly rapid response. Also, sorry for all the weird formatting characters-- I copied & pasted from Word. I've cleaned them up now for easier reading.

Crop/letterbox values are not saved in the preset, as they could need to be adjusted depending on the input file. Perhaps it would be better to save them too.

Yes, I'd suggest saving them. It takes care (or trial-and-error) to get them right, and saving them would yield a true "one-click" solution. Anyone careful enough to calculate them would likely know to edit them if they didn't fit the present coding attempt. Also, it's a useful visual check, as seeing values other than "0" in these boxes catches my attention and causes me to think before I start the encoding.

Any reason why the status of the "Decode with QuickTime" box isn't saved? It's a critical setting for this operation, and would be really useful.

About your second question: ffmpeg engine does not create elementary streams unless "Decode with Quicktime" is used.

Thanks for the explanation.

My ffmpegX learning curve was very steep, and I'll admit that many times I thought the interface confusing and odd. But as I press ffmpegX to new uses, I begin to understand the reasoning behind the layout and I'm impressed at just how much power you've harnessed behind this "mere GUI." I'd be busting my butt to make all the pieces work otherwise. Scratch that-- I'd not have the patience or skill to pull this off at all.

For me, the turning point was realizing that ffmpegX's interface, options, and abilities depend on what underlying engine I'm using. I guess that's why I wrote to thank you in another post for adding the engine name beside each Quick Preset. Before, I thought choosing an engine was for coding geeks to compare 5 second test clips, tweaking bit rates and checkboxes for the best quality. Now I understand that different engines offer different options, such that I must choose the one that best meets the task at hand (like my choosing ffmpeg for precise letterboxing).

Ramble, ramble, ramble, ramble.... I just wanted to thank you again, from someone who's finally beginning to appreciate this program and your efforts to make it shine.

[major]

Thank you. I'm adding in to-do list to extend "Save preset".