Using Virtualdub to join a few clips without re-rendering

[mrtristan]

I have some video clips that I want to join with Virtualdub. I'm familiar with simple editing, such as joining two or more clips and editing out content. I'm curious if there's a setting that I'm missing that will allow me to join clips without re-rendering. Basically something like Tmpgenc's tool to join mpeg clips.

[IJM]

Hi,

In what format are your source clips? Size, fps, video codec, audio codec etc.

Ian.

[DJRumpy]

Assuming your AVI's are the same frame size, and framerate, you can join them easily in VirtualDub. Open the first. Set the Video to 'Direct Stream Copy'. Set the audio to 'Direct Stream Copy'. Select FILE | APPEND AVI SEGMENT, and open the next AVI in sequence. Repeat as necessary, and then select FILE | SAVE AVI. It will produce a single AVI as the output.

[energy80s]

Although this does re-render the file. The simple answer to the question is NO, VDub can't do what you want.

[nerdboy69]

Although this does re-render the file. The simple answer to the question is NO, VDub can't do what you want.

Um. You sure about that? Isn't that what 'Direct Stream Copy' is all about?

[DJRumpy]

In my opinion, I don't believe it re-renders the file. The DirectStream copy can merge hours of video in a few minutes at hundreds of fp/sec in VirtualDub. It simply recreates a new integrated AVI made up of all the parts. It would seem to be about the time it takes to copy the file. A quick copy of a simular sized file to/from the same drive should give you a good idea if this is what it's doing. That, or a confirmation from the author

[spidey]

I agree with DJR, it doesn't re-render it at all, just sort of recompiles and joins the frames you want.

If this is too traumatic for you, you could simply follow the joining and editing instructions above, then frameserve your edited version, while not ever saving it.

[energy80s]

If this is too traumatic for you, you could simply follow the joining and editing instructions above, then frameserve your edited version, while not ever saving it.

You've lost me there!! If something is frameserved then it has to be rendered to be viewed.

[Craig Tucker]

I think there may be some confusion between the defenitions of re-rendering and re-encoding here. Vdub can join video clips without doing either.

Rendering to me is the process of displaying the image on the VDU, encoding is the process of changing data from one form into another according to a set of rules specified by a codec.

[spidey]

By rendering I assumed you meant outputting to a new avi or compositing the edited version

To frameserve via Vdub, you could easily join your clips, make any edits, and frameserve from that "working" copy without actually saving the "edited" avi down as a new clip.

Hope this helps clarify what I'd meant.

[rtacadena]

DJRumpy said :
Assuming your AVI's are the same frame size, and framerate, you can join them easily in VirtualDub. Open the first. Set the Video to 'Direct Stream Copy'. Set the audio to 'Direct Stream Copy'. Select FILE | APPEND AVI SEGMENT, and open the next AVI in sequence. Repeat as necessary, and then select FILE | SAVE AVI. It will produce a single AVI as the output

I'm assuming that you can't save with the same file name. I tried this with editing out commercials, and realized i need almost double the space to do this. Now I just frameserve to tmpgenc. For example, if I have a 12gb file named "Test.avi" and take out the commercials, I can't save with the same name 'Test.avi'. I have to save with a new name. Am I doing this correctly?

[Craig Tucker]

Yes you need to give it a new filename, so you do need a lot of space at least temporarily. Once you have joined the 2 parts to create 1 new file, the original 2 parts can be deleted.

[DJRumpy]

I should point out, that if you do have the space available, then you should never delete your source files, until you happy with the finished product. I can't stess how many times I've deleted a source file, or conversion (temporary) file, only to find out I needed it later. If you have the space, save yourself the grief and keep them handy

[Craig Tucker]

Well if it was a simple joining process, you could always cut them up again, its not like encoding where you are going to incur losses in quality each time. But I know what you are saying

[ZippyP.]

And if you are pressed for space then frameserving may be the answer. No need to create an intermediate file before encoding.

[mrtristan]

Agreed. I like to keep my drives clean, so I'm somewhat of a delete freak. It's bitten me in the ass many times.

Anyway, I was mainly concerned about speed, not hard drive space. According to Craig Tucker's definitions, the method that you explained didn't re-render or encode the clips. It combined the files, just like Tmpgenc's mpeg tool does.

I went ahead and joined all of the clips that I wanted to and it went by pretty fast. My computer was able to acheive something like 2,000fps with some of the clips. I didn't belive it while it was combining them, but 15 minutes of video were done in less than a minute.

I should point out, that if you do have the space available, then you should never delete your source files, until you happy with the finished product. I can't stess how many times I've deleted a source file, or conversion (temporary) file, only to find out I needed it later. If you have the space, save yourself the grief and keep them handy