Editing movies.

I edit recorded documentaries/movies to remove mainly advertising.
Ulead MovieFactory does exactly what I want, but it costs about $80.
Any good freeware out there, before I spend money ?

 

Virtualdub, free and does exactly what you want.
You need some time to get used to the interface and options, though.
It actually is able to cut commercials without reprocessing the video. (configure video and audio for direct stream).

 

Thanks. I will try that one.
I had the same problem with the interface and options of Ulead MovieFactory and it took me awhile to understand it, because all this video editing is new to me. So each video editing software looks STRANGE to me, because I don't understand the vocabulary, nor the meaning of the functions, but it's getting better every day.
I work with DVD+RW's, so it doesn't matter if I make a mistake or not.

 

More on that program: http://www.techsupportalert.com/more/extended.htm#82

 

VOBBlanker is a good free program. DVDRemake Pro is a good one to buy.

 

i've never used it, but there's this too -
http://www.jahshaka.org/

edit: i'm not sure it's very stable after reading through the forums :|

 

Thanks for all the suggestions.
Keep in mind that this software has to remove pieces inside the movie and that images, audio and subtitles must stay synchronized in the final result.
DVD Shrink couldn't do it, VideoRedo couldn't do it, only Ulead Moviefactory was able to do this.

 

That is why you should look for a video editor that doesn't recode/reprocess the data.
Besides Virtualdub, also TMPGenc is able to do that. But you need to pay for mpg-2 support (DVD format)

 

Hello,
I use VirtualDub, it's excellent...
Mrk

 

OK. I will give VirtualDub a fair chance first.
I only need it for recorded video's on TV and I will use DVDShrink for all the rest, which is a very good and userfriendly software to backup long movies (more than 120 minuts) on a 4.7gb DVD with an acceptable quality.
I hate it when a movie is spread over 2 DVD's and double layer DVD's are just too expensive and even more expensive in Belgium.

Regarding top quality :
According my readings a DVD of 4.7gb is only good for 60 minuts and not 120 minuts as mentioned on the package, IF you want the very best quality.
So I gave up on top quality very quickly, because it isn't practical enough and too expensive.

 

I use Final Cut Pro. Quite happy with it.
http://www.apple.com/finalcutstudio/finalcutpro/

 

Well, VirtualDub doesn't recognize anything what is stored on my DVD's (BUP,IFO,VOB).
Do I have to convert these files first ?

 

I capture tv shows with a ATI TV Wonder or Plextor Video Converter. And then I edit the video file first before I write it to CD/DVD.
The Plextor is excellent!

It sounds like you record the show first to DVD+RW and then edit the video?

Here is a bunch of excellent guides concerning video editing:
http://www.afterdawn.com/guides/
http://www.videohelp.com/

 

Yes I do record the movie first to DVD+RW and then I edit the movie on my computer, because I don't know any other method.
At this moment I have a VCR/DVD-recorder to record movies on video-tapes or dvd and play both.
After reading your post it seems to me there are other ways to do it, but that's another ball game for me of course and I don't know what I need to make that work.

My idea was to buy a HDD/DVD-recorder in the future, but I hesitate to do it, because I have to edit the recorded movie on the HDD of my HDD/DVD-recorder first and then write it to DVD.
I'm not sure how good HDD/DVD-recorders really are in editing movies, how userfriendly it is and how much time it will take.

Until now, I always separated my computer from my TV and never connected them in any way.
Maybe I have to change that.

 

It seems that it should be your next step. You'll do a better job, and save DVD's.
wilbertnl is on a roll here Some great links

 

Well, I'm not an expert in this area either, but I try to limit the amount of encoding steps.
I started with an ATI tv tuner card, which gets the signal straight from the cable/antenna. I recorded the show in lossless AVI (hufyuv encoded). That requires an lot of disk space, though.
Then I edited the AVI and recoded it in DivX, which compresses an hour an a half long show to fit on a CD (!). These days you can buy DVD players that support DivX.

Anyway, if you are able to rip the DVD-RW without decoding, then you won't sacrifice the mpeg-2 quality. It's pretty easy to edit mpeg-2 like cut and paste. Thus without reprocessing all the data.

That way the encoder in your DVD recorder defines the quality of the final result.

 

I waited as long as possible to change from VCR-tapes to God knows what.
TV's, recorders, computers, ... and even storage-media change all the time.
If you want to keep up with the latest developments, it will cost alot of money and it's IMO quite useless to change constantly, because it doesn't change the movie itself. A movie on tape is still the same movie when it is on DVD.
And Belgium is quite an expensive country to buy these things, compared with its neighbor countries, like the Netherlands and Germany.

 

http://heroinewarrior.com/cinelerra.php3
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinelerra
http://cvs.cinelerra.org/about.php

 

True that we can't buy everything that is new, specially when you can do it yourself. But you have to appreciate that the pc alone can do what you want, provided the right hardware/software.
Also, the Netherlands isn't far from there

 

Virtualdub will only handle AVI files. You would need to use Virtualdubmod which will import mpeg2/vob(plus other formats) files

 

Thanks man. I will try again.

EDIT :
VirtualDubMod can read VOB-files indeed, but I still have to figure out how to use it for my needs.

 

I'm back with this old thread to say something and to ask something.

I don't have a problem with cutting pieces out of a movie and keeping the audio synchronized and most video editors are userfriendly enough to do this.
Subtitles are however a problem, but not in recorded movies from TV.
In recorded movies the subtitles seem to be part of the image and that's why I can keep them, even when I remove pieces.

The problem occurs on movies, I bought on DVD and in Belgium most of these DVD's have many subtitles in different languages, including my own language DUTCH.
If I edit such movies, the images and audio are not a problem, but I lose the subtitles completely.

So the final result is a cutted movie with images and audio, but without subtitles and none of these video editors seem to have a setting for subtitles either.
They all talk about images and audio, but never about subtitles.

So it seems to me that I have to find a way to put these subtitles on the images (like on recorded movies) and then cut the pieces.

Until now I worked only with .BUP, .IFO and .VOB-files, which is called (I think) the MPEG-2 format.
I know there are alot of other formats and many conversion programs, but I need a format that allows me to play all my DVD's on a DVD-recorder, like for instance divX.
I'm not planning to play my DVD's on my PC with a monitor of 19", while my TV in the future will be 32" or 40" (16:9).

So my question is : which is the most interesting format for movies to play on a DVD-recorder/player ?
Is there a format that has a smaller volume than MPEG-2 and still keeps the quality reasonable and fits on a 4.7gb DVD+R/-R ?

I don't need a complete explanation, I just need hints or arrows in the right direction.
I solved all my wishes with movies, except subtitles on non-recorded DVD's and a good format

Thanks in advance.

 

Hi ErikAlbert.

Well, you mastered video and audio editing, but now comes the tricky part. The subtitles. First of all, I would say that the DivX (XVid) is the most convenient format (it is widespread) for standalone players, you don't need to look further. You can easily adjust the bitrate in codec options for the quality you require, in other words DivX doesn't have to reduce any quality from the original DVD, if you give it enough bitrate. Just take care the audio remains in AC3 format, if you want surround sound. The subtitles commonly used in DivX are simply text files which can be read with apropriate codec (Vobsub, DivXG400 i.e.), but they cannot be read on all standalones, so it is always a better idea to have a hardcoded subtitle with a DivX if you intend to watch it on your player. Subtitles on DVDs are not text files, but in fact pictures which are embedded in VOB files. This is the tricky part. You will have to rip your subtitles from DVD's VOBs using OCR capable software.
Try this one, it is free:

SubRip

I believe there are better options, in fact I had a perfect one on my comp I used a lot, but I can't find the installation, and I don't remember its name either. When you are finished ripping the subtitles, you will now need a separate software to incorporate them with your video/audio. This one is great, and also is free:

AVI ReComp

It has all the necessary codecs, you don't need to install them separately. When you do all this, you will have the subtitle pasted on video, and you can easily cut out the pieces you don't need.
Sorry for an extensive reply and I hope I was of some help.

My best regards,

 

Hi ErikAlbert
if you haven't checked out this site already it might be worth a look, they seem to have most areas of video covered with lots of links to free software,
http://www.videohelp.com/tools.htm
28 enties for subtitles

 

Thank you very much for all the info !!!
Now I can continue with my bungling and attempts (it gets better and better every day).
Your post will complete my arsenal to do what I want with movies.