Editing MPEGS

[chodges84]

I would love to be able to open my mpegs in a program, edit individual frames, apply a few affects possibly and then save at as an mpeg again w/out losing quality.

Chances are i probably cant do this, on the basis that it would be too easy to d that.

I know i could encode my mpegs to avi, edit them in some program (which programs anyone?), then convert it it back to mpeg and encode it, that seems like a very long way around and would like to avoid it especially as it is just music videos already encoded in VCD format.

So, that the background here are the quessies;

Can i load mpegs in to a program and edit individual frames?
If not, why not?
If not what is the best program for:
a) getting mpegs to avi format and
b) editing the individual framse in the avi file?
c) encoding back to mpeg, i use TMPGEnc, is this the best

Many thanks in advance,
Craig

[PigOnWing]

There are a few MPEG editors, aimed at mainly not re-encoding what doesn't need to be re-encoded. M2-Edit is one, check others in the 'Tools' Section.

You still have to keep in mind, that such an editor will not re-encode only those frames which you do not apply any changes to, and will have some limits according to GOP structures. Every image you apply 'something' to (and that 'something' can be a transition, a filter, a title, or whatever) will need to be re-encoded. Actually, that's true for any editing, video, still or audio, in any format: The only difference doing it with Lossless formats, is that you have the full data to manipulate, hence the full data retains when re-encoding, and when using Lossy formats each editing-generation loses something.

As for GOP-structure awareness, you have to keep in mind that in order for 'nothing' to be re-encoded, you have to make your cuts only on points between P & I frames.
You can 'start' a cut only on an I frame - so nothing will have to be encoded regarding anything previous or after taht frame.
You can 'end' (that is, join-to-a-start) only on a P frame (or I frame, if you really want to) - Cutting on B-frames will mean re-encoding the B frames according to the subsequent I frame.

M2-Edit will let you cut on any frame you want, just remember that if you don't follow the I-Frame cut-point principle, it will re-encode 1-3 frames surrounding the cut.

(If you're not sure what are I, P & B frames, TMPGEnc's site has a basic explanation)


As to all questions involving the 'best' title, I believe that Baldrick's words should be more absorbed here:

do not ask "what is best", there is NO answer to this question in any aspect. there is no best player, encoder, format, or anything else for that matter. the best is what works best for you and only YOU can tell what works best for you.

-- Piggie