Video Editing

Over the last week have found out how to edit virtually every type of video file.

Three basic types:

1. AVI vids (.avi), handled by Virtualdub + XviD + LAME encoder; 
2. MPEG-4 vids (.mp4), handled by Avidemux;
3. Windows proprietary format vids (.wmv), handled by Microsoft Expression Encoder 3 

Additionally, I recommend downloading Mediacoder, since it can recode vids to different resolutions, useful for ripping vids from 1080p to a smaller, lower resolution file.

Using Virtualdub for AVI:

Open the file you want to edit (press OK for the possible audio incompatibility warning), and use the frame line and cut buttons to make needed adjustments to the video. You can even stick many videos together, privided they are the same resolution (which can be achieved with Mediacoder, if needed) - use the File->Append AVI segment option.

When done, open the Audio tab, set the mode to full processing and enter compression. Pick LAME encoder and 128kbps (no need to set higher audio quality for archive vids anyway). This procedure will ensure the final video has its sound fitting perfectly with the picture.

Then open the Video tab and set it to Direct stream copy - this way the video quality will be preserved maximally (some 5% loss will occur, but it is inevitable in lossy encoding AVI is using).

Press F7 to open the save as window and prompt starting of the encoding, you're done!

Using Avidemux for MPEG-4:

Open the file you want to edit, when warned about the H.264, press NO (you want frame accuracy). You can also skip the frame rebuild, I am not sure what it's good for.

The interface is similar to Dub's - cut what you don't want, leave audio and video to be copied, but change the output format to MP4.

Press Ctrl+S when done to set save location and begin coding.

Using Encoder for WMV:

Drag the file into Encoder and use the "Add an edit to the playhead" button to introduce a cut in the frameline. This interface is different from the previous two and somewhat less intuitive - cuts create separate video bits within the whole video. If you want to remove a bit, drag the bit's right length arrow all the way left or vice versa, thus making the piece of video you want to cut 0 frames long.

Make necessary adjustments to the Encode and Output tabs on the right hand side, specifically the output folder, otherwise the output file will be automatically saved in the program folder.

Press the Encode button on the lower left to begin encoding.

Using Mediacoder to change resolution: 

Drag the file(s) you want to edit in the coder's file window and consult the Picture tab on the lower left. Check resize and set the target resolution. The values in the drop-down menu are good as long as you know what they refer to. 1920x1080 refers to 1080p and you probably will not be using this option, since you want to lower it to save space. 1280x720 is 720p and will do well if you want to get a good BRRip (go from 1080p to 720p). Similarly, if you have a 720p video, going down to 800x600 is reasonable. Of course, you can use custom values that are somewhere between the standards and they will work just fine. Just keep the aspect ratio in mind. TV ratio is 4:3, widescreen 16:9, others exist too. Luckily Mediacoder displays all the information about the video file you may need in the top right window.

It is also important to know what bitrate to set for your output video in the Video tab. Naturally, the lower the bitrate, the less space the file will take up, but also the quality will become progressively poorer. I find that a 720p rip set to an average bitrate of 6000Kbps has exceptional quality, thus making a 800x600 resolution vid of ~3100Kbps the next best thing. If you want to keep the original video's quality and appeal even at a lower resolution, do not be afraid to reduce the bitrate. If you go from 1080p to 720p, you reduce the number of individual pixels by 56%! This means you can easily reduce the bitrate by a factor of two and expect the same per-frame quality as before.

Remember that high-resolution videos have .aac sound and the codec for that is called AC-3, similarly to .mp3 being coded by a codec called LAME, be sure to set it under the Audio tab if you want the resize to work properly.

Hope this come handy, cheers!