UKBouldering.com
technical => computers, technology and the internet => Topic started by: Andy Harris on April 13, 2009, 10:56:30 am
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Need some advice and a few Q's answering so I make sure I have a basic understanding of this area.
Basically I have a normal PC and just want basic video editing / compression / conversion software.
I have vista with windows movie maker and player software.
I have a panasonic lumix FX150 camera which creates .mov files
-windows software can't play these
-i tried downloading a codec bundle which should have made all files viewable?
Ideally i'd like 1 piece of free software that allows me to do all i want including compression to my ipod
Can anyone rec comend anything suitable or do i need multiple programmes do do all this. I'm not interested in super techy programmes where you can fiddle with everything as i know i wont use this. To be honest the windows stuff i have is ok but won't let me do anything with my camera files.
Any advice / links to simple tutorials would be most appreciated
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couple of extra Q's
what is the best file type to convert video to (quality + siz + compatability)
what's the best file type to upload to sites like Vimeo to
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how frustrating, i convert my .mov file to .wmv with avs video converter, make a little vid with tittles and music in windows movie maker.
then try to upload it to vimeo but it won't recognise file type.
so i think i'll use avs to convert from movie maker file to something else but it won't f****** read it.
it is a wonder anything ever gets done in this world.
yours in despair
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I asked a similar q. a while back.
http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,11191.0.html (http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,11191.0.html)
The free software I downloaded didn't work, so i gave up at that point. Need to get on it again.
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I've not done any video for ages, but last time I did, Sorenson Squeeze (http://www.sorensonmedia.com/products/?pageID=1&ppc=3) was an amazing program for compressing vids.
Unfortunately it's extremely expensive but I suspect it's available via the usual channels.
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Andy, to play.MOV files download this and install:
http://files.3dnews.org/pub/soft/multimedia/player/quicktimealt280.exe (http://files.3dnews.org/pub/soft/multimedia/player/quicktimealt280.exe)
You don't need to convert or compress video to upload it to Vimeo, it does it all for you
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Good point re Vimeo Jim - in a similar vein doesn't apple supply software that will compress a vid down for use on the iPod? Nokia did this for my N95 - you'd just open the video and the software would compress it as necessary.
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Basically I have a normal PC and just want basic video editing / compression / conversion software.
There's your first problem I'm afraid, without a doubt the easiest solution is to befriend someone with a Mac and use iMovie. .MOV is a Quicktime (Apple) native format hence needs no conversion. iMovie also exports to iPods as a standard option.
I have vista with windows movie maker and player software.
I have a panasonic lumix FX150 camera which creates .mov files
-windows software can't play these
-i tried downloading a codec bundle which should have made all files viewable?
Firstly Moviemaker is a nightmare, they didn't really do any major upgrades for Vista. You may hear rumours about a new version but don't get too excited
http://download.live.com/moviemaker (http://download.live.com/moviemaker) it even worse and still in Beta.
Standard quicktime will play .mov files
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/ (http://www.apple.com/quicktime/)
as will the Klite mega codec pack (including 'Quicktime alternative')
http://home.hccnet.nl/h.edskes/mirror.htm (http://home.hccnet.nl/h.edskes/mirror.htm)
Ideally i'd like 1 piece of free software that allows me to do all i want including compression to my ipod
Can anyone rec comend anything suitable or do i need multiple programmes do do all this. I'm not interested in super techy programmes where you can fiddle with everything as i know i wont use this. To be honest the windows stuff i have is ok but won't let me do anything with my camera files.
The obvious answer (other than a Mac) is Quicktime Pro on a PC.
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/pro/ (http://www.apple.com/quicktime/pro/)
http://store.apple.com/uk/product/D3381 (http://store.apple.com/uk/product/D3381)
For £20 it seems the obvious choice for working with .mov files. Compression, playing, basic editing (trimming etc), exporting to different formats including iPod, but as you can see from the reviews, QTPro on Windows is a world away from QTPro on a Mac. You may have no problems but I'm not sure if there is a trial version so if it doesn't work well it's £20 wasted.
The next step up is something like Adobe Premiere Elements 7
http://www.adobe.com/products/premiereel/ (http://www.adobe.com/products/premiereel/)
I think this is great, although it does get mixed reviews, some people find it unstable. £60 from Amazon, £30 if your in education or even cheaper?? (http://tinyurl.com/ct2koe)You can download a trial version, I think it puts watermarks on any exports
The other thing to try are online video editors, these have come on quite a bit recently but it is still early days for them really. Jaycut, jumpcut, motionbox etc. I haven't played with these yet so can't recommend any particularly.
what is the best file type to convert video to (quality + siz + compatability)
Totally depends what you want to do with it. Most programmes will have presets for things like iPods etc.
what's the best file type to upload to sites like Vimeo to
As Jim says, most video sites automatically compress and convert from most file sizes and formats, the major issues time it takes to up load a full quality file. If you have time and and unlimited broadband you may as well upload in full quality.