Extremely Newb help about editing video.

[Blizzardstar]

Hello to everyone,

I bought a TV capture card, and I'm using DScaler to record, however when I record a 9min. video it goes over 10GB, so I need something to edit or compress my video. So I went to the guides, however it seems like another completly different language. And I was wondering if someone could help me so I can edit my vids in the "lossless" thingie, so I can post in Youtube, using "easy" words please.
These are the things I'm using:

Card:WinFast TV2000 XP Expert (Leadtek)
Recording: DScaler
PC:
2010Mhz
AMD Opteron 146
Windows XP
Editing:--

[Awatef]

You should apply compression while capturing. Popular capture codecs are Huffyuv or MJPEG, the first is freeware, the second shareware, the first lossless, the second a bit lossy.
I do prefer MJPEG because it takes much less space on the disc than Huffyuv and still offers much higher quality than what you would get if you would capture directly to DivX or XviD.
You have to choose the right codec before you begin your capture in DScaler.

[Blizzardstar]

Thank you for your reply.
However, I really don't know which one too choose, is MJPEG difference in space important?
Also how do I "apply" them to DScaler after downloading them. Thanks.

Edit: So I went Actions>Recording>Options>Compress Options>Video Configure>Huffyuv and choose it.
I made an 8minxxsec video but it's still to big. How can I further compress the already recorded video?
I became a 3.xxGB vid instead of over 10GB but it's still too big, the limit in Youtube is 100MB.

[Awatef]

Well, that's about the size you should be getting with Huffyuv (I get around 400MB per minute with full PAL resolution). With PicVideo MJPEG at Quality 19, you should be getting around 150MB per minute -- useful if you don't have a lot of disc space and want to record long footage. So I would say you better stick with Huffyuv, since you're dealing with small clips.
But don't hope getting through with it with the original capture file. You have to process it anyway, like deinterlacing, cropping, resizing, and then certainly compress it to a lossy format like DivX, to reach your target size.
YouTube actually recommends 320x240 resolution, so don't go all out with the bitrate when compressing to DivX (think about people with slower connections like me :D). I would not go beyond 450kbps overall bitrate (for example, 96kbps for audio and 350kbps for video is good), leaving the size under 4MB per minute.

[Blizzardstar]

I see, but that what confused me about the guides, I don't know how I do the deinterlacing, cropping, resizing etc... Which program should I use and how do I do it? :confused:

[Awatef]

The most popular program for AVI editing is VirtualDub.
VirtualDub already has a whole bunch of filters, but you may need other ones. Other filters can be downloaded here:
http://neuron2.net/mine.html#virtualdub
Pay particular attention to the deinterlacing filters, since the one included with VD may not satisfy you.

[Blizzardstar]

Thanks, but that may be a little to advanced for me.
I've downloaded VirtualDub but I don't even know what to press. =/ How does it work?

[jggimi]

Our capture guide discusses using HuffYUV or MJPEG with VirtualDub.

VirtualDub is both a capture software tool (like DScaler) as well as a linear editor.

For someone at your professed level of technical acumen, I'd like to recommend you give strong consideration to trying one or more of the "consumer-grade" commercial video editing suites. If you have a broadband connection, you can download several of them as 30-day demos to see if they will meet your needs both operationally, and technically.

One such suite you might consider is Ulead's VideoStudio. It supports analog capture, has a complete set of Non Linear Editing capabilities, and can encode your video, even author and burn DVDs for you. I've experimented with it in the past, primarily because Ulead offers download and free trials.

All of these various products are designed for end-users with little (or no) technical skills, but who want to capture from their camcorders and produce digital A/V output. They're all around US$100, too.

[Blizzardstar]

Thank you for your post. I already have Ulead VideoStudio 9, it came with my capture card; however I don't know how to use it either. Also I was worried that it might not be as good as VirtualDub or others.
I was wondering if someone in the board could kindly help me learning from my "no skill at all" point; or if at least could point me to a "... for dummies" guide.

[setarip_old]

Hi!

Here's a link to a guide:

http://www.doom9.org/index.html?/capture/start.html

[jggimi]

But that is not a guide for dummies. It is a guide for ex-dummies. :D

Blizzardstar isn't an ex-dummy yet.

[Blizzardstar]

Yes, please teach me the basics. It's not really important that I make perfect videos for now, I just want to reduce my 3GB vid to 100MB, so I can post it in Youtube. :thanks:

[Awatef]

Here a basic guide based on VirtualDubMod, a modified version of VD.
I suppose here that XviD (http://www.koepi.org/xvid.shtml) is installed on your machine.
* Go to FILE - OPEN VIDEO FILE, and double-click on your captured AVI file.
* Go to VIDEO - FILTERS, click ADD, double-click on DEINTERLACE, click OK.
* Click ADD again, double-click on RESIZE, keep 320 and 240 in the first 2 boxes, but change FILTER MODE to PRECISE BILINEAR, then click OK.
* Click OK.
* Go to VIDEO - COMPRESSION, choose XVID MPEG-4 CODEC, then click CONFIGURE.
* Check that you have UNRESTRICTED as PROFILE, SINGLE PASS as ENCODING TYPE, and 4.00 as TARGET QUANTIZER. If you see TARGET BITRATE instead of TARGET QUANTIZER, click on it to change it. Click OK.
* Click OK
* Go to STREAMS - STREAM LIST
* Right-click on the speaker symbol, then click FULL PROCESSING MODE.
* Right-click again on the speaker symbol, then click COMPRESSION.
* Choose MPEG LAYER-3, then 56kBit/s. Click OK.
* Click OK
* Go to FILE - SAVE AS, choose a name for your new file, then hit ENTER.

That's it. When VDM is done, you'll have a small neat file, perfectly suitable for the internet.
PS: if you feel like making the video quality better (at the expense of bigger files -- that take longer to download through the internet), you can lower the QUANTIZER value in XviD to 3 or even 2.

GOOD LUCK!

[Blizzardstar]

WOW! Thank you a lot! Really, really; but I'm stuck,
I don't have the XVID MPEG-4 CODEC, what should I do?
Thanks again for your extremely newbie guide :goodpost: :thanks:

[Awatef]

Click on the red XviD word in my post...

[Blizzardstar]

I'm sorry, but where is STREAMS (-STREAM LIST)? I can't find it :scared:

[Awatef]

I said, the guide is based on VirtualDubMod, a modified version of VirtualDub. Make a google search, you'll find it.

[Blizzardstar]

Thank, I got it now! It became 116MB Thank you so much!!
Any other tips? For it to get over less than 100MB, or how do I cut the video in parts or add text?
Thank you, you've already helped me so much. :D

[Awatef]

Try using a higher quantizer value, like 5 or 6. The size should go down substantially. If it doesn't you're doing something wrong in the audio part. If you don't use MP3 compression, the sound alone will take around 10MB per minute!

[Blizzardstar]

Thanks, it became 29MB! You've been really nice. Thank you :)
How could I cut videos? into diferent section, also adding text or skipping some parts of the video?

Yay! Finally did it!

[Awatef]

You're welcome, but from here on I'll leave you on your own.
I would suggest you read the Doom9 guide about VirtualDub (http://www.doom9.org/virtualdub_procedures.htm), as well as the help included with VD.
A little bit patience, a little bit adventure-spirit and you'll be fine (remember that you can't damage anything in your computer, nor damage your file as long as you use SAVE AS, so... ;))

[jggimi]

And as I suggested last week, an Non Linear Editor can be used to add text, do video effects, mix in your own soundtracks, and the like. These things are possible to do with a Linear Editor like Vdub, but they are not as quick and easy to do as with an NLE.

You already own a copy of VideoStudio; it might be time to peel the shrinkwrap off of it, install it, and learn to use it.

[buzzqw]

Go to VIDEO - FILTERS, click ADD, double-click on DEINTERLACE, click OK.
keep 320 and 240 in the first 2 boxes

afaik there is no need to deinterlace since height is half of original...

BHH

[Nut]

Thanks, it became 29MB! You've been really nice. Thank you :)
How could I cut videos? into diferent section, also adding text or skipping some parts of the video?

Yay! Finally did it!

you can use a tool that's called PresentaVid (http://www.presentavid.com/PresentaVid/) to get everything you mentioned above, it's a simple video editor and costs 99.95, but of course there's a full-functioned trial version

[Blizzardstar]

I've been using Ulead Videostudio, and can cut vidoes, but it seems they save themselves as a type of file that only works with that software itself =/, I don't know what to do...
Also is there any other way of lossless capturing, a smaller one? I'm getting almost 8min with 3800MB with just Huffyuv.
:thanks:

[jggimi]

To the best of my recollection: VideoStudio comes with documentation and a tutorial. You can create and burn DVDs with it, or create and burn two types of Video CDs with it (SVCDs or VCDs). You can also create either RealMedia or WindowsMedia video with it, depending on release. You can create a custom .avi file in any VfW codec you have installed, though I found this to be less simplistic than any of the other choices. An internet search using the keywords videostudio and forum found several support forae, managed both independently and by Ulead.

As for lossless codecs, there are a number of other choices. Our Capture Guide discusses the use of PicVideo MJPEG and HuffYUV for lossless capture. See the apprpriate sections of Chapters 1 and 6 of our guide: http://www.doom9.org/capture/start.html