Avidemux .. I must be stupid

[bvdd]

I downloaded Avidemux version 2.4.4 but the GUI looks totally different from all the screenshots I'm seeing.

I'm trying to simply convert an FLV to an AVI using default settings and everything's in place but
WHERE is the button I click to do the conversion?

When I click the 'SAVE' button it doesn't bring up the same 'Save as' box that these tutorials show ..
it simply (instantly) creates a tiny file (4 kb) with the name I specify.
It does not create an AVI. There is no progress bar or any indication that a conversion is taking place.

Am I just stupid? Is there another button? Do I have the wrong program version?

[FulciLives]

Try Ctrl-S

Do this after you have it set up how you want it.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

P.S.
Yes you are stupid. It's clearly in the menu :P
Ctrl-S is short for the menu location which you apparently can't find ...

[Ai Haibara]

The screenshots/guides are probably also from the older GTK+ interface for AVIdemux, and you're probably looking at the newer QT4 interface. The AVIdemux install usually installs both versions, I think, but I could be wrong.

[deadrats]

I downloaded Avidemux version 2.4.4 but the GUI looks totally different from all the screenshots I'm seeing.

I'm trying to simply convert an FLV to an AVI using default settings and everything's in place but
WHERE is the button I click to do the conversion?

When I click the 'SAVE' button it doesn't bring up the same 'Save as' box that these tutorials show ..
it simply (instantly) creates a tiny file (4 kb) with the name I specify.
It does not create an AVI. There is no progress bar or any indication that a conversion is taking place.

Am I just stupid? Is there another button? Do I have the wrong program version?

first things first: the look of the avidemux gui is dependent on the theme that the host window manager is running, thus it will look different if you are running xp/vista with the "classic" look or if you are running either with their respective custom looks or if you are running it under gnome or kde for that matter (the screenshots on the site are from the linux version btw).

as for how you use it, launch the app (which ever interface you like, gtk+ or qt4), load your source file (file->open), configure the audio and video parameters on how you want the file processed, then file->save->save video, choose the target directory and that's it, another window opens up to show you the encoding progress and just wait.

[bvdd]

Try Ctrl-S

Do this after you have it set up how you want it.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

P.S.
Yes you are stupid. It's clearly in the menu :P
Ctrl-S is short for the menu location which you apparently can't find ...

Well 'Fulci', .APPARENTLY you didn't read my post. I CLEARLY said I clicked the Save button but
it did NOT convert the file. And I'm aware that Ctrl+S is 'SAVE' .. I'm saying that it's giving me the
window to name the new file but then it isn't doing what it's supposed to do.

And I was confused because the GUI is very different from the screenshot.

Thanks for the clever response, though.

[bvdd]

first things first: the look of the avidemux gui is dependent on the theme that the host window manager is running, thus it will look different if you are running xp/vista with the "classic" look or if you are running either with their respective custom looks or if you are running it under gnome or kde for that matter (the screenshots on the site are from the linux version btw).

as for how you use it, launch the app (which ever interface you like, gtk+ or qt4), load your source file (file->open), configure the audio and video parameters on how you want the file processed, then file->save->save video, choose the target directory and that's it, another window opens up to show you the encoding progress and just wait.

Thanks, deadrats.

I switched from XP Classic Look back to Custom Look and it's the same issue.
It appears I'm doing everything correctly but for some reason there is no window showing an encoding process.
Strange.

[poisondeathray]

What are the specifics of your .flv input file? Use mediainfo

If it is the h.264/aac/.flv variety, avidemux won't work. You can use the new flvextract to extract the raw streams, either mkvmergemerge or yamb to put into an .mkv or .mp4 (respectively) , and then use avidemux on the re-wrapped file - beware that some flv's are VFR (variable frame rate; you can check with the timecodes sheet generated), so you would have to either convert to CFR (constant frame rate) , or mux it into the .mkv or .mp4 with the timecodes sheet to keep it in sync

[bvdd]

Thanks Poison,

Mediainfo says it's On2 VP6.

Maybe FLV's can't be converted WITHOUT quality loss. I still don't know.

[Ai Haibara]

That type can be converted to an AVI without quality loss, certainly - FLVExtract can create an AVI video stream (it'll be encoded with the VP6 codec, however, so you'll need to have a codec capable of recognizing VP6 video streams in an AVI installed, like ffdshow), and an MP3 audio stream. Both can easily be muxed together into a new AVI, and no quality will have been lost in the process.

However, given your other post, if you're intending to make a DVD-Video disc with the FLVs, then... no, you can't create one without quality loss. (The FLVs/AVIs will end up being converted/recompressed to DVD-compliant MPEG-2 video for the process.)
Unless, of course, you make a data disc. No quality loss. But there aren't any stand-alone DVD players capable of playing FLVs, as far as I know.

[poisondeathray]

There must be something else going on - avidemux can handle vp6/flv no problem.

What else does mediainfo say (view=>text) ?

Just to expand on what Ai Haibara was asking, can you clarify what are you trying to do? Are you trying to re-wrap the .flv into .avi (i.e. no quality loss, just a container "swap"), or make it playable on a standalone device (e.g. xvid/avi DVD player), or make a DVD-Video ?