Is it possible to edit an MP4 file without reencoding?

[Snoopy329]

So, recently I made a post asking for recommendations for some simple editing tasks like deleting scenes, muting audio and adding a mosaic/pixelated square on screen to blur out faces or whatever. So, my top 3 software choices I settled on are Avid Composer, Hitfilm Express and Davinci. But, before I settle on any specific one I was wondering:

1. Will I have to reencode the video file I edit?. I don't want to lose any quality.
2. Is there a different software option I should look into to achieve no loss editing?

I will be working with a few 4k videos but mostly 1080p videos in MP4 format that I stream copied from MKV.

Thanks in advance.

[poisondeathray]

So, recently I made a post asking for recommendations for some simple editing tasks like deleting scenes, muting audio and adding a mosaic/pixelated square on screen to blur out faces or whatever. So, my top 3 software choices I settled on are Avid Composer, Hitfilm Express and Davinci. But, before I settle on any specific one I was wondering:

1. Will I have to reencode the video file I edit?. I don't want to lose any quality.
2. Is there a different software option I should look into to achieve no loss editing?

I will be working with a few 4k videos but mostly 1080p videos in MP4 format that I stream copied from MKV.

Thanks in advance.

You have to re-encode for operations that involve changing pixels within a frame, such as mosaic/pixelated , or cropping, or overlay, or grading / color adjustments. Whenever you re-encode with lossy compression you will lose some quality. You might not be able to see the loss if you use high enough bitrates

Muting audio segments can be done by changing only those sections then appending back to the original segments . Original segments will not lose quality. Most editors will not handle this type of audio operation, has to be done with other tools.

Deleting scenes can be done losslessly if you cut on keyframes. So it depends on the particular video and where the keyframes are placed and where you want to cut. The software you mention cannot passthrough most types of video (some types of I-frame /intra video can be with Avid, but most types of common video are long GOP) . Hitfilm and Davinci definitely cannot.

[Snoopy329]

You have to re-encode for operations that involve changing pixels within a frame, such as mosaic/pixelated , or cropping, or overlay, or grading / color adjustments. Whenever you re-encode with lossy compression you will lose some quality. You might not be able to see the loss if you use high enough bitrates

Muting audio segments can be done by changing only those sections then appending back to the original segments . Original segments will not lose quality. Most editors will not handle this type of audio operation, has to be done with other tools.

Deleting scenes can be done losslessly if you cut on keyframes. So it depends on the particular video and where the keyframes are placed and where you want to cut. The software you mention cannot passthrough most types of video (some types of I-frame /intra video can be with Avid, but most types of common video are long GOP) . Hitfilm and Davinci definitely cannot.

Thanks for your reply. So, some questions:

1) Is there a way to reencode with a lossless compression?
2) So you're telling me that an editor can't do a simple mute and that I need other software?
3) So then, what would be a better option for an editor (free or paid) that can delete scenes losslessly which can handle those long GOPs you mentioned?

[smrpix]

1) Is there a way to reencode with a lossless compression?
2) So you're telling me that an editor can't do a simple mute and that I need other software?
3) So then, what would be a better option for an editor (free or paid) that can delete scenes losslessly which can handle those long GOPs you mentioned?

1) Many ways.
2) You can, but you will need to re-encode.
3) You can delete scenes (with partial re-encoding) in smart rendering software such as videoredo or tmpgenc smart renderer. You cannot do the other things you asked about.

[Snoopy329]

1) Many ways.
2) You can, but you will need to re-encode.
3) You can delete scenes (with partial re-encoding) in smart rendering software such as videoredo or tmpgenc smart renderer. You cannot do the other things you asked about.

Ok. So correct me if I am wrong, I cannot perform any of the original tasks I mentioned with out reencoding but, I can reencode without losing any quality. So, if I am correct, then I have two more questions:

1) Is there an all-in one editor/program that will let me:

a) Delete scenes in any location of the video,
b) Mute audio anywhere in the video,
c) Add a mosaic/pixelated shape on the video (and preferably track it) and,
d) Let me reencode the video without losing any quality (lossless compression)?

2: If there is no all-in-one solution, what programs do I need/would be recommended (free or paid versions) to achieve the above mentioned tasks?

[poisondeathray]

1) note that lossless compression will increase the filesize enormously (unless you're starting with uncompressed or already lossless compression)

3) If your edit points are on scene changes, usually there are keyframes placed there already. Free software like avidemux could probably do it for most types of files

You'd only need smart rendering software to make cuts anywhere, for example in between a scene where there are no I frames . And that entire GOP , the region between I frame to next I-frame will be re-encoded

Note that some types of files can be tricky, ones with open GOPs. There might be long distances before you can make a valid cut

[poisondeathray]

1) Is there an all-in one editor/program that will let me:

a) Delete scenes in any location of the video,
b) Mute audio anywhere in the video,
c) Add a mosaic/pixelated shape on the video (and preferably track it) and,
d) Let me reencode the video without losing any quality (lossless compression)?

Basically any editor can. (Simple ones might not be able to motion track to help automate add the mosaic or overlays)

But lossless compression will increase the filesize enormously. Lossless compression works on the decoded(uncompressed) video. Then that uncompressed video is recompressed with the new lossless algorithm. Typical filesize might be 4-10x larger . It depends on what type of lossless compression too; you can have interframe (long GOP) or intra frame (i-frame) . Temporal compression with long gop offers better compression, but it's more difficult to play and edit

If you don't need mathematically lossless compression, then usually high bitrates are good enough. Maybe only slightly larger than original. You won't notice quality loss under normal viewing conditions. Maybe if you zoom in on still frames

[babygdav]

The feature you want is "smart encoding", which only renders the parts you've edited, copying the original video everywhere else.

Only some programs have this.
E.g. https://tmpgenc.pegasys-inc.com/en/product/tmsr5.html
https://www.cyberlink.com/support/faq-content.do?id=12763
http://nmf.nero.com/tutorials/files/33/Pdf/ENU-1046-Using_SmartEncoding.pdf
https://helpx.adobe.com/premiere-pro/using/bestpractices-export.html#SmartRenderingofcodecs
Etc
https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3763849

[Snoopy329]

The feature you want is "smart encoding", which only renders the parts you've edited, copying the original video everywhere else.

Only some programs have this.
E.g. https://tmpgenc.pegasys-inc.com/en/product/tmsr5.html
https://www.cyberlink.com/support/faq-content.do?id=12763
http://nmf.nero.com/tutorials/files/33/Pdf/ENU-1046-Using_SmartEncoding.pdf
https://helpx.adobe.com/premiere-pro/using/bestpractices-export.html#SmartRenderingofcodecs
Etc
https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3763849

Wow! What an awesome reply. Thank you so much. If you could answer a question for me that would be great:

Can these programs you've just recommended also perform the tasks I posted earlier I would like to achieve?:

a) Delete scenes in any location of the video,
b) Mute audio anywhere in the video,
c) Add a mosaic/pixelated shape on the video (and preferably track it)

I mean are they just reencoders or full editors?

As you can see I am a noob.

[Snoopy329]

Basically any editor can. (Simple ones might not be able to motion track to help automate add the mosaic or overlays)

I am guessing you are only referring to the mosaic/pixelation effect.

usually high bitrates are good enough. Maybe only slightly larger than original. You won't notice quality loss under normal viewing conditions. Maybe if you zoom in on still frames

So, how much over the original bitrate would be considered high and good enough? 10%, 15%, 25%, 50%, etc...

[poisondeathray]

Basically any editor can. (Simple ones might not be able to motion track to help automate add the mosaic or overlays)

I am guessing you are only referring to the mosaic/pixelation effect.

Basic editors can do everything in your list except motion track. Very basic ones might not give you lossless export options

usually high bitrates are good enough. Maybe only slightly larger than original. You won't notice quality loss under normal viewing conditions. Maybe if you zoom in on still frames

So, how much over the original bitrate would be considered high and good enough? 10%, 15%, 25%, 50%, etc...

You can't really put a number on it. It's not an easy question to answer.

What's "good enough" for person A, might look like pure garbage to person B. Person C might be able to see major differences, Person D might think they're all the same. Surely you've heard of people saying how great YOUTUBE quality is ? Others think it's terrible. So it depends on your preferences and tolerance for quality loss .

It also depends on what the original compression used, and what you use after . If the original did not use high compression, and you use something very efficient afterwards, it might actually be smaller

[Snoopy329]

Hitfilm and Davinci definitely cannot.

Basic editors can do everything in your list except motion track. Very basic ones might not give you lossless export options

So I am kind of confused now since those two statements seem to contradict themselves but maybe I am misunderstanding something.

I understand I must re-encode the entire video or use a smart renderer/encoder to just re-encode the edited frames and that I need to use a high bitrate to achieve a "good enough" result close to the original.

So, again I ask, is there or can you recommend a or a few editors (free or paid versions) that will allow me to do the tasks I am hoping to achieve?

[babygdav]

The feature you want is "smart encoding", which only renders the parts you've edited, copying the original video everywhere else.

Only some programs have this.
E.g. https://tmpgenc.pegasys-inc.com/en/product/tmsr5.html
https://www.cyberlink.com/support/faq-content.do?id=12763
http://nmf.nero.com/tutorials/files/33/Pdf/ENU-1046-Using_SmartEncoding.pdf
https://helpx.adobe.com/premiere-pro/using/bestpractices-export.html#SmartRenderingofcodecs
Etc
https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3763849

Wow! What an awesome reply. Thank you so much. If you could answer a question for me that would be great:

Can these programs you've just recommended also perform the tasks I posted earlier I would like to achieve?:

a) Delete scenes in any location of the video,
b) Mute audio anywhere in the video,
c) Add a mosaic/pixelated shape on the video (and preferably track it)

I mean are they just reencoders or full editors?

As you can see I am a noob.

Most noted are full video editing software.

...

https://tmpgenc.pegasys-inc.com/en/product/tvmw7.html
Tmpgenc is the only one that toots 1/single frame editing accuracy and mosaics in the product description.
It's been around over a decade, so naturally will do what you need including muting the audio.
...

https://www.cyberlink.com/products/powerdirector-video-editing-software-ultimate/features_en_US.html
Power director is likely able to do most, but unknown as to single frame editing accuracy.

Because tmpgenc is the only one I've seen that toots all the features you need, it would be the sure thing to try first.

...

The others like avid, davinci, premiere are all top video editing software used by professionals, but I have yet to find confirmation these use no-reencode output of video that hasn't been altered for mp4 files.

You can tell - if you drop a 1gb file into the timeline, export to the exact same file type and settings, and it takes dozens of minutes/hours, you know it's reencoding. If it exports like the speed of a file copy, seconds/minutes, it's not reencoding.

Specifically for Premiere, it can only smart render when using specific codecs (not mp4).
https://helpx.adobe.com/premiere-pro/using/smart-rendering.html

Avid is similar, wanting dnxhd/mxf file formats for "same as source" quick rendering to work.

Vegas video can do it for mpeg-2 files, unknown for mp4.

[Cornucopia]

Here's the gist of this...
Many editors can do it, if you know what you are doing (Avid, Premiere, Edius, Vegas, PowerProducer, Avidemux...). None can do it automatically, if you don't.

Do you know what you are doing in this regard? If not, are you willing to take the time to learn?

Scott

[Snoopy329]

Here's the gist of this...
Many editors can do it, if you know what you are doing (Avid, Premiere, Edius, Vegas, PowerProducer, Avidemux...). None can do it automatically, if you don't.

Do you know what you are doing in this regard? If not, are you willing to take the time to learn?

Scott

The only free fast-track way I know how to learn about a subject is to watch tutorials (which greatly vary in quality and don't answer my very specific questions) and to ask questions to those who have more knowledge and experience than I do so, It should be pretty self-evident that no, I don't know what I am doing yet, and yes, I am taking the time to learn.

Your "none can do it automatically, if you don't" makes absolutely no sense but implies that I may be stupid enough to think it can magically happen on its own. Your reply is of no value as it does not address any of my questions and reeks of an air of superiority and haughtiness.

Unless you can point me to a free crash course on video editing, then thanks for nothing.

[Snoopy329]

Because tmpgenc is the only one I've seen that toots all the features you need, it would be the sure thing to try first.

...

The others like avid, davinci, premiere are all top video editing software used by professionals, but I have yet to find confirmation these use no-reencode output of video that hasn't been altered for mp4 files.

You can tell - if you drop a 1gb file into the timeline, export to the exact same file type and settings, and it takes dozens of minutes/hours, you know it's reencoding. If it exports like the speed of a file copy, seconds/minutes, it's not reencoding.

Specifically for Premiere, it can only smart render when using specific codecs (not mp4).
https://helpx.adobe.com/premiere-pro/using/smart-rendering.html

Avid is similar, wanting dnxhd/mxf file formats for "same as source" quick rendering to work.

Vegas video can do it for mpeg-2 files, unknown for mp4.

So awesome! Thank you. I will study your comments and look into the software you have recommended. Hopefully I get you to reply again in the future as I am sure I will have many more questions.

[babygdav]

Sure.
If any have trial versions, play with those and see if they work for you.

Don't worry about editing. It's like starting using microsoft word - Soooooooo many buttons, options, functions.

But in reality, you only need to identify and use a handful of functions - easily learned in a half hour or less. (The other functions are for the pros, let's say.)

[Snoopy329]

Sure.
If any have trial versions, play with those and see if they work for you.

Don't worry about editing. It's like starting using microsoft word - Soooooooo many buttons, options, functions.

But in reality, you only need to identify and use a handful of functions - easily learned in a half hour or less. (The other functions are for the pros, let's say.)

I actually downloaded the trial version of TMPGEnc Video Mastering Works 7 and it looks really simple to use yet has the features I was looking for but, I am having trouble with the audio streams. Should I make a separate post about that here in this section or a different section on this site?

[babygdav]

Keep posting here because I'm sure the questions will vary between audio and video soon.

I'll assume you have a problem with trying to change the audio level?

https://tmpgenc.pegasys-inc.com/en/images/tvmw7/Timeline_main.png

Notice this picture.
1. switch to timeline mode.
2. In the VOLUME row, you can add KEYPOINTS (o) to the volume line. You can then adjust the volume up and down easily that way.
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=tmpgenc+volume+adjustment&&view=detail&mid=BFFA2A...6FORM%3DHDRSC3
eg. 9:30 onward shows you how easy it is to adjust the volume by dragging a KEYPOINT

[Snoopy329]

Keep posting here because I'm sure the questions will vary between audio and video soon.

I'll assume you have a problem with trying to change the audio level?

https://tmpgenc.pegasys-inc.com/en/images/tvmw7/Timeline_main.png

Notice this picture.
1. switch to timeline mode.
2. In the VOLUME row, you can add KEYPOINTS (o) to the volume line. You can then adjust the volume up and down easily that way.
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=tmpgenc+volume+adjustment&&view=detail&mid=BFFA2A...6FORM%3DHDRSC3
eg. 9:30 onward shows you how easy it is to adjust the volume by dragging a KEYPOINT

Actually my problem is a bit different but thank you for that info; I'll probably need it soon. So, the problem I am having is the following:

I have a video in MKV format. This MKV video has 2 audio streams. I verified it has 2 audio streams with MediaInfo. So, when I import the video in Tmpgenc, only one of the audio streams is imported and its not the one I want. I have looked thru the menu options to see if I can switch between audio streams but I don't see anything. When I click on clip properties it also shows that there is only 1 audio stream.

So, I converted the MKV file to MP4 using ffmpeg using the following command line: ffmpeg -i "nameoffile.mkv" -c:v copy -c:a copy "nameoffile.mp4" When I import the MP4 file into Tmpegenc, now there are no audio streams but I verified there is 1 audio stream (don't know what happen to the other audio stream when I converted) in the MP4 file using MediaInfo.

One thing I notice is if I play the MP4 video with windows media player, there is no audio, but if I play it with VLC there is audio. VLC also sees both audio streams in the MKV file.

Any suggestions?

[babygdav]

1. What does media info report on the specs of the video and audio streams?

2. "ffmpeg does not automatically map all tracks; default stream selection will only map one audio, one video, and one subtitle track to the output. If you want to map all streams, use -map 0. If you want to be able to select what to map, you'll have to parse the input file first (ffmpeg -i input.mkv) and use some scripting to construct the final conversion command. ffprobe can be helpful for that. See FFmpeg Wiki: FFprobe Tips for examples.

You can specify -c copy to stream copy all streams, no matter what type they are. You can also index video and audio streams separately, so your command can be shortened to:

ffmpeg -i input.mkv -c copy -map 0 output.mp4"

...

Gui for ffmpeg
https://sourceforge.net/projects/videoconvertertranscoder/?source=directory

...

Another mkv tool
https://mkvtoolnix.download/

....

Anyways, first thing would be to try the other ffmpeg commandline or mkvtool.

[Snoopy329]

1. What does media info report on the specs of the video and audio streams?

I'll try to upload the specs today If I can't figure it out

2. "ffmpeg does not automatically map all tracks; default stream selection will only map one audio, one video, and one subtitle track to the output. If you want to map all streams, use -map 0. If you want to be able to select what to map, you'll have to parse the input file first (ffmpeg -i input.mkv) and use some scripting to construct the final conversion command. ffprobe can be helpful for that. See FFmpeg Wiki: FFprobe Tips for examples.

I really don't know anything about ffmpeg but am trying to learn.

You can specify -c copy to stream copy all streams, no matter what type they are. You can also index video and audio streams separately, so your command can be shortened to:

ffmpeg -i input.mkv -c copy -map 0 output.mp4"

Could you maybe give me a command line where I can copy all streams no matter what type they are? I am a bit confused because I thought that is what I originally did in this command line :ffmpeg -i "input.mkv" -c:v copy -c:a copy "output.mp4"

Gui for ffmpeg
https://sourceforge.net/projects/videoconvertertranscoder/?source=directory

I will try that GUI. I tried a different GUI but I couln't make heads or tails with it.

Another mkv tool
https://mkvtoolnix.download/

I will look into this. Is it an editor like Tmpegenc?

[Snoopy329]

1. What does media info report on the specs of the video and audio streams?

I made a comment also above this one. So here is what I get from media info on the MKV file:

General
Unique ID : 283118542061738808788937261547464163214 (0xD4FEA5D602C53D19516282BC310BFF8E)
Complete name : C:\Users\Me\Desktop\BobHomeTV.mkv
Format : Matroska
Format version : Version 4
File size : 7.21 GiB
Duration : 1 h 41 min
Overall bit rate : 10.2 Mb/s
Movie name : BobHomeTV
Encoded date : UTC 2018-09-23 07:03:49
Writing application : mkvmerge v26.0.0 ('In The Game') 64-bit
Writing library : libebml v1.3.6 + libmatroska v1.4.9

Video
ID : 1
Format : HEVC
Format/Info : High Efficiency Video Coding
Format profile : Main 10@L5@Main
HDR format : SMPTE ST 2086, HDR10 compatible
Codec ID : V_MPEGH/ISO/HEVC
Duration : 1 h 41 min
Bit rate : 9 295 kb/s
Width : 3 840 pixels
Height : 1 600 pixels
Display aspect ratio : 2.40:1
Frame rate mode : Constant
Frame rate : 23.976 (24000/1001) FPS
Color space : YUV
Chroma subsampling : 4:2:0
Bit depth : 10 bits
Bits/(Pixel*Frame) : 0.063
Stream size : 6.57 GiB (91%)
Writing library : x265 2.8+40-0106f9f2f867:[Windows][GCC 7.3.0][64 bit] 10bit
Encoding settings : cpuid=1111039 / frame-threads=3 / numa-pools=8 / wpp / no-pmode / no-pme / no-psnr / no-ssim / log-level=2 / input-csp=1 / input-res=3840x1600 / interlace=0 / total-frames=145577 / level-idc=0 / high-tier=1 / uhd-bd=0 / ref=4 / no-allow-non-conformance / repeat-headers / annexb / no-aud / no-hrd / info / hash=0 / no-temporal-layers / open-gop / min-keyint=23 / keyint=250 / gop-lookahead=0 / bframes=4 / b-adapt=2 / b-pyramid / bframe-bias=0 / rc-lookahead=25 / lookahead-slices=4 / scenecut=40 / radl=0 / no-intra-refresh / ctu=64 / min-cu-size=8 / rect / no-amp / max-tu-size=32 / tu-inter-depth=1 / tu-intra-depth=1 / limit-tu=0 / rdoq-level=2 / dynamic-rd=0.00 / no-ssim-rd / signhide / no-tskip / nr-intra=0 / nr-inter=0 / no-constrained-intra / strong-intra-smoothing / max-merge=3 / limit-refs=3 / limit-modes / me=3 / subme=3 / merange=57 / temporal-mvp / weightp / no-weightb / no-analyze-src-pics / deblock=0:0 / sao / no-sao-non-deblock / rd=4 / no-early-skip / rskip / no-fast-intra / no-tskip-fast / no-cu-lossless / no-b-intra / no-splitrd-skip / rdpenalty=0 / psy-rd=2.00 / psy-rdoq=1.00 / no-rd-refine / no-lossless / cbqpoffs=0 / crqpoffs=0 / rc=crf / crf=18.0 / qcomp=0.60 / qpstep=4 / stats-write=0 / stats-read=0 / ipratio=1.40 / pbratio=1.30 / aq-mode=3 / aq-strength=1.00 / cutree / zone-count=0 / no-strict-cbr / qg-size=32 / no-rc-grain / qpmax=69 / qpmin=0 / no-const-vbv / sar=0 / overscan=0 / videoformat=5 / range=0 / colorprim=9 / transfer=16 / colormatrix=9 / chromaloc=0 / display-window=0 / master-display=G(13250,34500)B(7500,3000)R(34000,16000)WP (15635,16450)L(10000000,0) / max-cll=1000,169 / min-luma=0 / max-luma=1023 / log2-max-poc-lsb=8 / vui-timing-info / vui-hrd-info / slices=1 / no-opt-qp-pps / no-opt-ref-list-length-pps / no-multi-pass-opt-rps / scenecut-bias=0.05 / no-opt-cu-delta-qp / aq-motion / hdr / hdr-opt / no-dhdr10-opt / no-idr-recovery-sei / analysis-reuse-level=5 / scale-factor=0 / refine-intra=0 / refine-inter=0 / refine-mv=0 / no-limit-sao / ctu-info=0 / no-lowpass-dct / refine-mv-type=0 / copy-pic=1 / max-ausize-factor=1.0 / no-dynamic-refine / no-single-sei
Default : Yes
Forced : No
Color range : Limited
Color primaries : BT.2020
Transfer characteristics : PQ
Matrix coefficients : BT.2020 non-constant
Mastering display color primaries : Display P3
Mastering display luminance : min: 0.0000 cd/m2, max: 1000 cd/m2
Maximum Content Light Level : 1000 cd/m2
Maximum Frame-Average Light Level : 169 cd/m2

Audio #1
ID : 2
Format : AAC LC
Format/Info : Advanced Audio Codec Low Complexity
Codec ID : A_AAC-2
Duration : 1 h 41 min
Bit rate : 835 kb/s
Channel(s) : 8 channels
Channel layout : C L R Ls Rs Lb Rb LFE
Sampling rate : 48.0 kHz
Frame rate : 46.875 FPS (1024 SPF)
Compression mode : Lossy
Delay relative to video : 20 ms
Stream size : 604 MiB (8%)
Language : English
Default : Yes
Forced : No

Audio #2
ID : 3
Format : AAC LC SBR
Format/Info : Advanced Audio Codec Low Complexity with Spectral Band Replication
Commercial name : HE-AAC
Format settings : Explicit
Codec ID : A_AAC-2
Duration : 1 h 41 min
Bit rate : 66.2 kb/s
Channel(s) : 2 channels
Channel layout : L R
Sampling rate : 48.0 kHz
Frame rate : 23.438 FPS (2048 SPF)
Compression mode : Lossy
Delay relative to video : 40 ms
Stream size : 47.6 MiB (1%)
Title : Commentary
Language : English
Default : No
Forced : No

Text #1
ID : 4
Format : VobSub
Muxing mode : zlib
Codec ID : S_VOBSUB
Codec ID/Info : Picture based subtitle format used on DVDs
Duration : 1 h 40 min
Bit rate : 5 986 b/s
Count of elements : 871
Stream size : 4.30 MiB (0%)
Language : English
Default : No
Forced : No

Text #2
ID : 5
Format : VobSub
Muxing mode : zlib
Codec ID : S_VOBSUB
Codec ID/Info : Picture based subtitle format used on DVDs
Duration : 1 h 33 min
Bit rate : 4 678 b/s
Count of elements : 590
Stream size : 3.14 MiB (0%)
Language : Spanish
Default : No
Forced : No

Menu
00:00:00.000 : en:Chapter 01
00:04:56.713 : en:Chapter 02
00:12:21.073 : en:Chapter 03
00:17:06.608 : en:Chapter 04
00:26:24.291 : en:Chapter 05
00:32:39.165 : en:Chapter 06
00:36:23.764 : en:Chapter 07
00:42:15.241 : en:Chapter 08
00:45:32.396 : en:Chapter 09
00:55:01.715 : en:Chapter 10
00:59:26.729 : en:Chapter 11
01:06:12.635 : en:Chapter 12
01:14:15.117 : en:Chapter 13
01:19:12.164 : en:Chapter 14
01:27:28.993 : en:Chapter 15
01:32:23.996 : en:Chapter 16

[babygdav]

https://trac.ffmpeg.org/wiki/Map

Based on what I understand, something like this
ffmpeg -i input.mkv -map 0:0 -map 0:1 -map 0:2 -c copy output.mp4

This should get you a mp4 file with both audio tracks.
(Add -map:0:3 -map:0:4 if you want the subtitles)

...

Or simply copy everything
ffmpeg -i input.mkv -map 0 -c copy output.mp4

[Snoopy329]

https://trac.ffmpeg.org/wiki/Map

Based on what I understand, something like this
ffmpeg -i input.mkv -map 0:0 -map 0:1 -map 0:2 -c copy output.mp4

This should get you a mp4 file with both audio tracks.
(Add -map:0:3 -map:0:4 if you want the subtitles)

...

Or simply copy everything
ffmpeg -i input.mkv -map 0 -c copy output.mp4

So I used the command line you gave me and yes, that did transcode all streams over to MP4 but, so did the first command line I initially used. I am still having the same issue in Tmpegenc. It still only imports one audio stream and its not the one i want. I use the ffmpeg GUI (VCT) and that extracted everything as well, but again the same issue with tmpegenc. I tried extracting the audio only with VCT but I couldn't, it would extract the video stream as well.

So I am at a bit of a loss now.

[babygdav]

ffmpeg -i input.mkv -map 0:0 -map 0:1 -map 0:2 -c:v copy -c:a:1 libfaac -b:a:1 320k -c:a:2 libfaac -b:a:2 320k output.mp4

Try this.
1. Let's test TMPGENC to see how it handles a mp4 file with 2 audio streams.
We want to make sure it can handle the basics first.

Although we are converting the 2 audio streams into 2 aac 320kbps audio streams and there's always a quality loss when doing so, we're focusing on whether TMPGENC can handle 2 "standard mp3 or aac" audio streams first.

Not necessary, but a useful thing to know in the future - can TMPGENC handle 2 audio streams.

2. ffmpeg -i input.mkv -map 0:0 -map 0:1 -c:v copy -c:a:1 copy output.mp4
or
ffmpeg -i input.mkv -map 0:0 -map 0:1 -map 0:1 -c:v copy -c:a:1 copy output.mp4

Here, pardon if I don't get the syntax right, try copy only 1 of the 2 audio streams into a mp4 file, then open it in TMPGENC.
By testing 2 mp4 files, each containing 1 of the 2 audio streams, you will know if one of the audio streams is causing trouble.

2b. If one of the audio streams is causing problem, then you know you'll need to reencode as in #1 because TMPGENC just can't handle that 1 audio stream for whatever unknown reason. (Could be odd encoder settings in the original encode, corrupted bits in the audio stream, non-standard format, etc, etc.)

[Snoopy329]

ffmpeg -i input.mkv -map 0:0 -map 0:1 -map 0:2 -c:v copy -c:a:1 libfaac -b:a:1 320k -c:a:2 libfaac -b:a:2 320k output.mp4)

I tried this syntax but it gave me an "unknonw encoder libfaac" error.

2. ffmpeg -i input.mkv -map 0:0 -map 0:1 -c:v copy -c:a:1 copy output.mp4
or
ffmpeg -i input.mkv -map 0:0 -map 0:1 -map 0:1 -c:v copy -c:a:1 copy output.mp4

I tried the first syntax and it made an MP4 file using the audio stream i want. I don't know how to extract the 2nd audio stream by itself. Forgive my total noobness.

Regardless, I do know which is the file audio stream thats causing me issue, its Audio #1 listed in the Mediainfo text I posted above. When I open the new MP4 I just made with your syntax, it still doesnt show up in Tmpegenc. And this isn't only happening with this file, its also happening with another file. I can get the commentary audio stream to show up in Tmpegenc, but not the regular english audio stream.

Any more suggestions? Thank you so much for you help.

[babygdav]

1. Try " -c:a:1 aac "
https://trac.ffmpeg.org/wiki/Encode/AAC


2. Could be the #1 audio stream is in some format that tmpgenc doesn't support and needs converted to another audio format first with ffmpeg.

[Budman1]

Just adding my 2 cents to the great help already given but when I want to blur a face, and track it, I use virtual dub plugin Nveiler. It is not free but does a great job, especially if the face is moving. I have virtualdub set up to save in several formats such as mp4 utilizing call to external ffmpeg program.

Vdub is also capable of editing functions and subtitling thru its many plugin filters.
It does not have smart encoding and encodes the entire video with what ever specs you set , including bit rate, fps, etc.

The biggest time is setting up the export settings to save in other than AVI.

[Snoopy329]

1. Try " -c:a:1 aac "
https://trac.ffmpeg.org/wiki/Encode/AAC


2. Could be the #1 audio stream is in some format that tmpgenc doesn't support and needs converted to another audio format first with ffmpeg.

I am going to take the weekend and try to figure all this out. I feel information overload at the moment. side effects of being a noob. I will let you know what happens and hopefully you will keep helping me. LOL.