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| labboypro |
 Posted: Nov 24 2013, 12:12 AM |
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I'm a newbie, and was "just" hoping to do some quick carving up of some avi files I captured with a new dashcam toy. Sure, maybe some day I'll take it to the next step and 'Cecil B. DeMille' it. But for now...
I downloaded VirtualDub 1.10.4 from Sourceforge, and after scouring the Interwebnets, help files, and this forum, managed to get it to actually open my avi files (they use H.264 encoding) after installing ffdshow rev4525 (I don't know why, or what it did... just followed a forum post somewhere saying to install it). I then read more help files, and a great newbie tutorial on basic functionality I found via Google, so I knew how to operate the buttons. I then adding Mark In and Mark Out consisting of about 750 frames on my raw avi, and proceeded to "Save As" to a new avi filename. When I play the new avi file, it's just a single (first) IMAGE repeated for each of the 750 frames. In other words... it's a "video" of only the first frame. I'm just playing it with Windows Media Player, and the player appears to be working correctly (progress bar moves, can be paused, backed up, etc.). But that's it. WMP plays other avi files (like the raw one I'm trying to edit) just fine, so I don't think there's a player problem. Also (and I'm just guessing since I don't know how VirtualDub is supposed to behave), I don't get any "play" functionality within the program. I can manually advance frames (ie, the Forward and Backward buttons to see the "video" progression in VirtualDub... but only when I freshly open the raw avi. Once I add the Mark In and Mark Out, I no longer can even manually change the image (frame) displayed in either the Input or Output windows. Both panes are just static images of whatever frame happened to be up there last. When I run Tools | Test video in VD, it plays the sample as one would expect... so the sample video works in the app... just not MY video. And I can create Mark In and Mark out on it, and play back the new section fine. There must be something wrong with the codec or settings or ???? for the raw video I'm trying to edit. But I don't have a clue what to look for.
My efforts to find an Idiot's Guide for this application have failed me. So, I call on you... help the idiot, please 
System is WIN7 64-bit Home Premium with SP1, 3GHz processor w/8GB RAM |
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| meowmeow |
| Posted: Nov 24 2013, 10:15 AM |
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For some reason I newer tried to "mark" frames. Why it need?
To _select_ first frame meowmeow uses "Home" key, last - "End". Delete - "Del".
Copy/Paste - Ctrl-C/Ctrl-V. Applies on audio, too.
Works perfect with H.264 video if no b-frames and decoded with x264 VfW.
With b-frames safer to use ffdshow or directshow VD plug-ins (slower - full decode). |
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| raffriff42 |
| Posted: Nov 24 2013, 03:45 PM |
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> There must be something wrong with the codec or settings or ????
Agreed, it sounds like a codec problem. Could you go to the File menu and select File Information, click the Copy button and paste the report?
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| labboypro |
| Posted: Nov 24 2013, 03:47 PM |
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That's the basic functionality of the software... to mark frames for editing. |
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| labboypro |
| Posted: Nov 24 2013, 03:50 PM |
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| QUOTE (raffriff42 @ Nov 24 2013, 03:45 PM) | > There must be something wrong with the codec or settings or ????
Agreed, it sounds like a codec problem. Could you go to the File menu and select File Information, click the Copy button and paste the report? |
Here's file info. Thanks!
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| dloneranger |
| Posted: Nov 24 2013, 05:19 PM |
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Are you using direct stream copy mode?
If so are there any key frames anywhere in your marked section?
Direct stream copy can only start at a keyframe, and it's possible that the closest keyframe is after both the start and end of your marked section - cant see why if would be the same length though and not just 1 frame long.... (maybe the bframe count is huge? drop frames? couldn't say without the origional)
If you're using full processing mode then it should be fine?
If that's still causing trouble then you might want to save the full video with a lossless codec like lagarith and do your editing using that file
--------------------
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All FccHandlers Stuff inc. Installers for acm codecs AAC, AC3, LameMp3 |
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| labboypro |
| Posted: Nov 24 2013, 05:46 PM |
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| QUOTE (dloneranger @ Nov 24 2013, 05:19 PM) | Are you using direct stream copy mode?
If so are there any key frames anywhere in your marked section?
Direct stream copy can only start at a keyframe, and it's possible that the closest keyframe is after both the start and end of your marked section - cant see why if would be the same length though and not just 1 frame long.... (maybe the bframe count is huge? drop frames? couldn't say without the origional)
If you're using full processing mode then it should be fine?
If that's still causing trouble then you might want to save the full video with a lossless codec like lagarith and do your editing using that file |
I honestly don't know how to answer your questions. I am absolutely, completely newb with this stuff. I downloaded the app, and when it balked with error message that it couldn't open the avi file, I went searching the web for a "fix." I then installed the ffdshow software, which appeared to "fix" the problem... because I could then open the avi file in VirtualDub.
Here's what I'm doing...
Start VirtualDub application.
Click File | Open video file, and then browse to the avi file that came off my dashcam.
I get 2 "windows" (I presume these are showing me "raw" and "VD-edited" views).
If I slide the little block on the bar below these windows, it manually advances the frames in the video in both windows.
When I find the frame I want to "start" with (I'm just trying to crop down a very long video for just the meaningful part... so, let's say frame 9700), I click the Mark In button (it's the next-to-last button on the toolbar at the bottom of the app. It has arrow-like image pointing left). That puts a "mark" on the slider bar at frame 9700.
I then slide the slider bar to frame 10500 and click the Mark Out button (the last button on the toolbar, with an arrow-like image pointing right). That markes a light blue section of the slider bar to show what I have "selected."
I then click File | Save as AVI and a window pops up and processes.
When it's done, I have a new avi file on my desktop with the name I gave it (test123.avi). When I open that file, it is clearly MUCH smaller than the original (presumably because I heavily cropped it by getting rid of zillions of frames when I selected the Mark In/Out buttons above). However, if I play that file in WMP, there is no MOVING video. It's just ONE frame... for the whole approximately 30 second video.
When I do the exact same steps above using the TEST video I mention in my OP, it works exactly as I expected. The saved avi file is only the frames I selected for inclusion, and plays normally (as in, it's a moving video... not just one frame doing nothing).
That is truly all I know about what I've got. I don't know codecs, bframe, drop frame, or other terms you're using (I understand at a high level what a codec is, but I have no clue which ones I need/use/whatever).
I have temporarily posted the unedited avi here-- https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4742164...41/DR043359.AVI if you're interested. It is of course, huge. I will take it down later today so it doesn't sit out there for people to abuse bandwidth.
I have also posted the "resulting" avi file from my steps above here-- https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4742164...641/test123.avi
I had no idea this "simple" task would have become so excruciatingly difficult. I really am getting old 
Thanks for your help.
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| dloneranger |
| Posted: Nov 24 2013, 06:25 PM |
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Ok I'll have a look at the source file
The result file is 2Gb though so I'll skip that it's enormous
Just from the size I'll say you used full processing mode, but didn't pick a codec to compress with
Just as some background for you
Part of the things that codecs usually do to compress the video is to save 1 complete picture and then for the next frame, only save the changes between that and the first. They keep repeating the 'save only the changes' for a while (usually about 300 frames or a scene change) before saving another complete picture
That is a problem if you're using direct stream copy mode (on the video menu there's direct, fast and full) because you can't start anywhere apart from a complete picture otherwise you'll only have the moving parts
So if you start anywhere other than a key frame, virtualdub will try (in direct stream copy mode) to find the closes one and start at that instead
In full processing mode you can start anywhere, but you'll need to pick a codec to compress with (on the video menu) and configure it
X264vfw and xvid are popular codecs - settings can be found all over the place but here's a decent start for x264vfw
http://forums.virtualdub.org/index.php?act...1157&hl=x264vfw
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Windows7/8 Codec Chooser
All FccHandlers Stuff inc. Installers for acm codecs AAC, AC3, LameMp3 |
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| labboypro |
| Posted: Nov 24 2013, 06:39 PM |
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| QUOTE (dloneranger @ Nov 24 2013, 06:25 PM) | In full processing mode you can start anywhere, but you'll need to pick a codec to compress with (on the video menu) and configure it
X264vfw and xvid are popular codecs - settings can be found all over the place but here's a decent start for x264vfw
http://forums.virtualdub.org/index.php?act...1157&hl=x264vfw |
Thanks for the link. Sadly, it's all just words at this point. I don't understand what I'm supposed to be doing. I understand I need a codec for the results file or it will be too big, but what codec? is this something already in VirtualDub that I just have to enable or configure? or do I have to download something else and install? or???
Also, it makes no sense to my why, when I click the Output Playback button (third from left on bottom toolbar), it wouldn't play something back to me. It seems to me that, at least, the right window (the "results" window would play a video? The progress bar is moving... but no video movement (which is why I think that the saved avi file doesn't have any movement... in other words, something is wrong INSIDE of VirtualDub, and I'm guessing it's configuration since other people seem to use the app without this issue).
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| meowmeow |
| Posted: Nov 24 2013, 06:39 PM |
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| QUOTE (labboypro @ Nov 24 2013, 12:12 AM) | just a single (first) IMAGE repeated for each of the 750 frames
Once I add the Mark In and Mark Out, I no longer can even manually change the image (frame) displayed in either the Input or Output windows |
I miss-wrote. If you accidentally MASKED selected frames before saving - it produces this same effect. |
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| dloneranger |
| Posted: Nov 24 2013, 06:42 PM |
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There's something really iffy with the original video
You can open it and resave if you use the directshow plugin to open it
The directshow input plugin is here http://forums.virtualdub.org/index.php?act...=ST&f=7&t=15093
Extract DShowInputDriver.vdplugin from the release folder to virtualdubs plugins32 directory (or if using 64bit virtualdub the one in x64\release into the plugins64 directory)
Then start virtualdub, and from the file menu, open a video, select the one you want but before clicking ok change the 'files of type' to directshow
Go to the video menu, click on compression, click x264vfw then click the configure button and make the settings match those in the link I gave in the previous post
Click ok on all the dialogs until they're all closed
Then you can mark any parts and save them
[edit]
corrected the link for the directshow plugin
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Windows7/8 Codec Chooser
All FccHandlers Stuff inc. Installers for acm codecs AAC, AC3, LameMp3 |
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| labboypro |
| Posted: Nov 24 2013, 06:49 PM |
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Thanks for your patience. The link for the directshow appears bad. It takes me to the forum home. I did a search, but didn't find what seemed to be the correct post.
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| dloneranger |
| Posted: Nov 24 2013, 07:02 PM |
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oops
correct link
http://forums.virtualdub.org/index.php?act...=ST&f=7&t=15093
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MultiAdjust JoinWav WavNormalize FFMPeg Input Plugin v1827 UnSharpMask
Windows7/8 Codec Chooser
All FccHandlers Stuff inc. Installers for acm codecs AAC, AC3, LameMp3 |
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| labboypro |
| Posted: Nov 24 2013, 07:23 PM |
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That seems to have solved one problem... VirtualDub actually showing MOVING video images. When I open my raw avi file, and then click on the Input Playback button on the toolbar (or if I choose File | Preview input), it plays moving video image in the lefthand pane. However, if I try to show Output Playback, I still get nothing. In fact, once I've allowed it to play the Input Playback, even that won't work again without me exiting and restarting the program.
However, when I follow the steps I outlined in my OP about cropping down the video, the resulting saved file is still just one frame being "played" for 30 seconds or so in WMP.
edit: Hang on... I didn't follow the rest of your instructions. Let me try that.
edit2: When I follow your above instructions... start VirtualDub, click File | Open , then on file type, choose DirectShow input driver... the 2 avi files in that folder disappear from selection. Files are named whatever.avi.
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| dloneranger |
| Posted: Nov 24 2013, 07:36 PM |
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click the video first, then change the files of type
when the videos opened , you can go to the file information dialog and it should look different, you can click on it's config button to add any file types you want displayed in the open video dialog
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MultiAdjust JoinWav WavNormalize FFMPeg Input Plugin v1827 UnSharpMask
Windows7/8 Codec Chooser
All FccHandlers Stuff inc. Installers for acm codecs AAC, AC3, LameMp3 |
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