An ongoing problem when using Flip Mino’s, Kodak Zi8′s and Creative Vado type camcorders is that when editing the footage from these HD cams computers have a tendency to implode and become reduced to a smoking pile of rubble.

Ok, maybe that’s exaggerating but let’s face it, MP4 or H.264 video files can still be a royal pain in the butt to deal with.

There can be any number of reason for this, from conflicts with other processes running in the background on the computer to insufficient resources available.

But even after addressing these issues some people still have problems regardless of the software they are using.

The root cause of the problem really is that these cams record in MP4 (H.264 .mov etc) and it just seems to be the nature of these files to be problematic. Remember, they were developed as distribution formats, not editing formats. So the very structure of the files and the way they achieve their compression is working against you from the start.

Combine all of the above with footage that has been produced on a cam that is as tiny as these and there is ample opportunity for error. In fact one of the main sources of error is in tiny corruptions of the original video file. This type of corruption does not interfere with playback but does make editing a nightmare because when the editing software is trying to do its thing it hits these tiny errors and chokes.

If you have had problems with this type of file in the past and have done most of the stuff  listed on these pages for video editing computer maintenance then there is still hope!

You can use a free video conversion software called Handbrake to process the files and in doing so it will correct any internal errors (especially time codes) and maintain the quality of your footage. Hopefully after that you can edit with ease.

Go to www.handbrake.fr to get a copy of the software and install it.

Open the software and use the “Source” button to navigate to the files you want to correct.

Next look for the “Destination” button and use that to select where you want the processed files to go.

Underneath those you will see a series of tabs. Select the “Video” tab, look to the right and you will see a slider control that has some radio buttons. Select “Constant Quality” and the slider will become active.

Move the slider to about 70%. There is no quality advantage in going higher than that, just choose 70% and your file will retain original quality.

That’s it! Even though there are numerous other settings the beauty of Handbrake is that all the defaults are just fine for this purpose.

Finally hit the “Start” button top left of the window and let it run.

When it has finished load the newly processed MP4 files into your editor of choice and you are all set.

Sometimes its not about the video editing software you choose alone. Most of us don’t have a dedicated video editing computer and have to make do with the one we have. These are ten of my favorite free utilities that I use to make the job of video editing a little less stressful…on me and the computer!

1. CCleaner

Starting off life many years ago as Crap Cleaner (my preferred name for this program!) CCleaner remains one of the great freeware programs available for Windows users today. Video editing is a resource hungry activity and it is not helped in any way by piles of useless temp files, folders and goodness only knows what other…well.. crap that builds up over time.

CCleaner run once a week or even just before you start a video editing session will go a long way towards a stress free experience. As a bonus CCleaner also has a rather nice Windows Registry cleaner in it as well.

www.CCleaner.com

2. Smart Defrag from IObit.com
Once you have used CCleaner to take out the garbage then the next order of business is to get organised. Give that hard drive a good defrag and keep it defragged.

Smart Defrag is a full-featured disc optimization tool with a well-designed interface. It has an auto defrag function or you can schedule defragging for when you are not likely to be using your computer.

On the downside the first run through your hard drives may take a little time but it is a good idea to use the “deep optimization” for this first run then leave it in “set and forget” mode from then on.

It may be a good idea if your are a little short on computer resources to suspend the program while running your video editing software.

Smart Defrag

3. Lupas Rename
Video editing software programs are a little inconsistent regarding how you can name the files you import or capture for editing. VideoStudio is the perfect example of no control whatsoever potentially resulting in hundreds of cryptically named video files that give no clue as to what they are and where they came from. Other programs differ widely.

Lupas Rename is a handy little utility that allows you to select and entire folder of files or more and have it rename those files with more meaningful names. It will respect the file sequence of the originals so you don’t have a bunch of files that are now renamed and out of order!

When you are working on large projects organization of your video, audio and still image assets is a must if you want to retain your sanity…Lupas Rename can help there!

Lupas Rename

4. Smart Close
Smart Close is a tiny little program that you can use to quickly shut down any unnecessary service or programs running in Windows prior to embarking on a video editing session.  Instead of searching around trying to find them all and shut them down you can do it with one step using Smart Close.

I have already mentioned the resource intensiveness of using your computer as a video editor so it is wise to shut down everything you can and give yourself a break.

Smart Close

5. CleanMem
CleanMem is a tiny app that once installed, calls up Windows every half hour and tells Windows to release the memory being used by any programs that are idle. Just a great little program all round. Not just for video editing but for general computer use.

Once you download, install the program and it automatically sets itself up to run. You never have to touch it again and it will keep as much memory free as possible while you are working on your computer. I have had this on my workstation for a few months now and the difference in speed is noticeable. Especially good for video editing when you need all the memory you can get devoted to the video editing software functions.

CleanMem

6. LightBox Advanced Digital Image Editor
Blown your entire budget on a video editor? Afraid to approach the wife/husband/partner/credit card/bank manager or other financial overlord for additional funds for a good image editor? Fear not!

LightBox is a great digital image editor with lots of features to tidy up your shots before placing them in a video project. The free version should be all you need and although you can unlock more advanced features by buying a license, the free stuff should be enough.

LightBox

7. Audacity
Simply a great free audio editor. For those times when the built-in audio capabilities of your video editing software isn’t enough.

Audacity

8. Windows Media Encoder
Most video editing software will have the capability of outputting to WMV files. They generally do this by calling up the Windows Media Encoder in the background and instructing it what to do. Now Windows is not exactly renowned for their…cooperative software! The usual result is slow encoding with reduced options and control.

A faster and far more controllable process is to install this encoder yourself and you directly tell it what to do. More often that not you will get better, faster results and let’s face it, WMV is still a very widely used format for many distribution situations.

Windows Media Encoder

9. Super
Super is kind of a strange piece of software but either way it gets the job done. It will input and output to a wide range of file types and these days this is very often what you may need.

The new highly compressed files of today are not that great for editing and sometimes you may need to convert them to a more editor friendly format. Super gets the job done. It does have a rather confusing interface which presents a vast array of choices. Worth the time to get to know it.

Super

10. CamStudio
Not up for paying $300 to buy Camtasia? Your existing video editing software doesn’t do screen captures for all those “how to” screen casts you are planning…no problem! Camstudio is small and effective allowing good control over screen capture and will output to .avi or .flv files.

CamStudio

So, how about you? Know of any great (or not so) free programs or utilities to use when you are stretching the home computer with the rigors of video editing?

Video File Import and Export Choices

As I mentioned in another post in this series on how to choose the best video editing software for you one thing to keep in mind during the selection process is, “What is it that I am REALLY going to do with this software?” There is absolutely no point in spending extra money on software that handles all sorts of exotic video file formats because it seems cool to be able to have that capability if you are never going to use it.

Many video file formats available today are owned by software companies and this involves paying a license to use their technology. Paying all sorts of license fees that are included within the video software package that you have no need for makes no sense at all.

Similarly, incurring extra expense for High Definition Video features or Blu-ray features when you you don’t have a Blu-ray burner or player and don’t have a High definition TV or camcorder is just wasting money.

In choosing the correct video editing software for you probably the first point to consider is (realistically),

“What will be the main video format (or formats) of the raw video files I will be importing into the program for editing?”

Secondly,

“What will be the main video file format that I will be producing so as to playback, store or distribute my final productions?

Here is a quick round up of the current video formats you are most likely to be using as input into your video editing projects:

1. Standard Definition (SD)

DV.avi
This is the video format recorded to mini DV tapes on many camcorders. As a format it is still very popular because it is a virtually uncompressed video format and provides the best quality in standard definition video combined with the greatest suitability for editing. The video format itself was developed specifically for this purpose which is why it is so video editor friendly. It requires the least amount of computer resources of all the various video file types.

MPEG2 video recorded to mini DVD either on a camcorder or DVD recorder.
MPEG2 video recorded to an inbuilt hard disc drive on a camcorder or DVD recorder.

MPEG2 was originally designed as a distribution video file type for the DVD standard. It was never designed to be edited so of course as soon as it became available on the original Sony DVD camcorders…everyone wanted to edit with it!

What ensued was about three years of heartbreak and a lot of whining and moaning from the public until the video editing software engineers finally got the format sorted out and presently this is the easiest of the compressed video file formats to edit.

It is reasonably easy on resources but because of the compression involved can be a little twitchy if your computer gets stressed. Provided you don’t keep re-copying and re-compressing the files the quality will maintain pretty well.

MPEG4, H.264, H.263, .MOV, .WMV, .FLV, DivX, Xvid and on and on and on!
This group represents the rest of the pack and all fall under a general heading of highly compressed files most often used for distribution online (YouTube etc.) or for replay on a computer monitor. They produce tiny files and considering the size of the video files they can produce some excellent quality.

The main point to remember with these files is that they were specifically designed to be video distribution formats, the final product after you have used a more video editor friendly input format. There is nothing in their design specs that included how to edit them. So it is important to note that editing with these formats will always be a hit and miss affair and should be avoided if possible. (See the note at the end of this post.)

2. High Definition (HD):

HD MPEG2 recorded to mini DV tape on a camcorder. This format is called HDV and is kind of like MPEG2 on crack! Of all the new HD formats this one has proven to be, by far, the most conducive to video editing.
AVCHD (an MPEG4 variant) usually recorded to inbuilt hard disc drive on a HD camcorder.
AVCHD recorded to DVD on a camcorder.
AVCHD recorded to solid state (flash etc.) memory on a camcorder.

AVCHD in any format and from any device is the baby of the bunch and is currently the bane of the video editing forums. It’s day will come but for now is beset with editing problems and requires huge processing ability from the computer.

On to output formats:

DVD.
This will be in the form of MPEG2 files authored (organized and written) to DVD in standard definition. It is possible to write a high definition video file structure to a standard DVD and have a High Definition player and HDTV handle it however compatibility at present is is not widespread.

Completed projects or edited material written back to the original recording device. E.g. A completed project written back to a tape camcorder for archival purposes in the original format.

High Definition material written to a Blue Ray disc or what is called a “hybrid” disc. This is an AVCHD file and file structure that can be played back on a Sony Playstation connected to a HDTV.

Finally, any of a number of very highly compressed formats for viewing on computers, hand held devices or loading on to internet services such as YouTube.

As an added note here you also need to be aware of the various sound recording and playback formats. If your particular recording device, camcorder or DVD recorder uses Dolby Stereo (AC3) or 5:1 Surround or you wish to output these audio file types, a license for that technology is needed. Check the software to see if it is included in the purchase price or whether it must be purchased as an add on.

A note on video compression.
The term compression when speaking of video files tends to give an incorrect impression regarding exactly what is happening to your files. You would think that what is happening is that your video file is being squashed in some way so as to occupy less space. Nothing could be further from the truth! The truth is that the compression software is throwing away a large part of the original information and it is this point that causes the problems in video editing.

Of course if the software marketers called it video trashing, or data dumping I don’t think, somehow, it would convey the hi-tech sexiness that they are trying to promote!

So, your first task in deciding on what video editing software is suitable for you is to work out what your most common source files will be and what your most common output will be. That represents the core of what you will be using the software for and should be your main focus. After that look through any other formats you may need to narrow down the choice.

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