How do I brighten dark video (mpg) files before burning to dvd?

[denise4gb]

I have video files (mpg) that were converted from old vhs tapes. I don't know why, maybe b/c the vhs tapes were 20 years old, but all the mpg's are really dark. Before I burn the files to dvd I want to brighten them up.

I've done some searching about this issue on the site and from what I can gather, the program TMPGEnc is suggested multiple times for doing this type of thing. Is that right? I am looking for freeware programs. And I don't want a program that is really complicated with a big learning curve. The less messing with the videos I do, the better! So if TMPGEnc is what I need, great! If not, please suggest a program to brighten the mpg's.

Are there any tutorials/guides/how-to's on TMPGEnc or whichever program is suggested. Thanks.

[redwudz]

TMPGEnc is a good choice as any and fairly easy to use. But be aware that you will have to re-encode the video, causing more quality loss. Better to do that with the original encoding to MPEG.

And a common complaint with encoded videos viewed on a computer is they are dark. That's more a problem with a video monitor. When those same videos are viewed on a TV, they will appear brighter. You might want to check that with a DVD-RW before you change your videos and they end up washed out on a TV.

Lots of guides for TMPGEnc encoders. Look to our 'Tools' section for them under the TMPGEnc tools, towards the bottom of each tool page. Or look to our 'HOW TO' section in 'CONVERT'.