mp4 editing software

[Old Grumpy]

I have a 6.2GB mp4 video taken on a smartphone. The video transfers to a laptop from the phone with no problem. I have tried to transfer the file to a 16GB memory stick and separately a 32GB SD card but about 60% into the transfer a message pops up saying there is not enough space on the recipient device. This even happens with a 0.5TB external hard drive - where there is patently enough space. I would like to divide up the mp4 file into smaller segments. Can anyone recommend safe, free simple mp4 editing software, that might do this task?

OG

[Bryn]

You could try formatting a USB stick to NTFS. It all depends on whether the device you want to play the file with can handle NTFS. FAT 32 has a file size limit of 4GB, IIRC. Otherwise, I have not tried "Free Video Cutter Joiner" but it seems to have some positive reviews.

[MrGongGong]

I have a 6.2GB mp4 video taken on a smartphone. The video transfers to a laptop from the phone with no problem. I have tried to transfer the file to a 16GB memory stick and separately a 32GB SD card but about 60% into the transfer a message pops up saying there is not enough space on the recipient device. This even happens with a 0.5TB external hard drive - where there is patently enough space. I would like to divide up the mp4 file into smaller segments. Can anyone recommend safe, free simple mp4 editing software, that might do this task?

OG

If you are using a windows machine I think (and I don't really use them much these days) the problem could be the file size limit which used to be 4GB ?
So if that is the case then you might need a different solution (such as a different OS)

(and what Bryn said .... definitely not FAT 32)

[Dave2002]

If the problem is due to a 4 Gbyte limit as posited above - which is plausible - though how did the file upload to the laptop - then a possible solution might be to try Handbrake, which sometimes can compress files by quite a considerable amount with very little perceptible loss in quality. Sometimes it can even improve the perceived quality, as some large video files may cause problems - jerkiness, halting etc. - which disappear if the files are compressed a bit, and any loss in video quality on individual frames is then insignificant.

https://handbrake.fr/

I think it's also possible to change the size of the output display, which may also reduce the file size sufficiently, and again this may not affect the perceived quality - though in this case it will depend on the size of display which is actually targetted.

I use these techniques sometimes for sending small (previously larger...) videos through email (possibly using other tools as well, such as Apple's Compressor - though Handbrake is often as good and free.).

[Old Grumpy]

If the problem is due to a 4 Gbyte limit as posited above - which is plausible - though how did the file upload to the laptop - then a possible solution might be to try Handbrake, which sometimes can compress files by quite a considerable amount with very little perceptible loss in quality. Sometimes it can even improve the perceived quality, as some large video files may cause problems - jerkiness, halting etc. - which disappear if the files are compressed a bit, and any loss in video quality on individual frames is then insignificant.

https://handbrake.fr/

I think it's also possible to change the size of the output display, which may also reduce the file size sufficiently, and again this may not affect the perceived quality - though in this case it will depend on the size of display which is actually targetted.

I use these techniques sometimes for sending small (previously larger...) videos through email (possibly using other tools as well, such as Apple's Compressor - though Handbrake is often as good and free.).

Thanks for all your contributions. Firmly applying the handbrake has reduced the file to a more manageable 650-odd MB. A quick squint on the laptop did not suggest any great reduction in quality.

OG

[Dave2002]

Thanks for all your contributions. Firmly applying the handbrake has reduced the file to a more manageable 650-odd MB. A quick squint on the laptop did not suggest any great reduction in quality.

OG

Good to hear that Handbrake helped, and you seem to have discovered that the file size reduction can be quite significant.

With that margin of compression, if you do eventually decide you'd like a better quality output, then it is possible to play with the various parameters to give better quality, though for a larger file size - from the original of course not the already processed one. It may be that what you have already is actually good enough. Otherwise you might have to spend time reading the manual and experimenting.

Quite a lot depends on what you want the video for. I sometimes make very quick videos of software using Quicktime to record, and tbey are purely instructional. For those there isn't always a need to keep the original quality, so quite hard compression works, and can be achieved with Handbrake. However, if there were some individual frames in the video which really needed to be clear, I'd either deal with them separately, or use much less severe compression. For music, art or drama types of video I would choose a level of compression I'd be comfortable with - probably as little as possible even if the files end up large, though constraints such as email and upload/download time also have an impact.

I always try to keep the original files unchanged, and only work on copies.

[johnb]

Just to clear up one thing:

As Bryn indicated, Windows per se doesn't have a 4GB filesize limit. The filesize limit depends on which file system the particular memory stick or HDD is formatted as. If they are formatted as FAT32 there will be a 4GB filesize limit. If they are formatted as NTFS the filesize limit is 16GB.

The problem occurs because most memory sticks and many External HDDs are formatted as FAT32 by default. If is a simple matter to reformat them BUT you will loose all the data they contain if you do.

[Bryn]

Just to clear up one thing:

As Bryn indicated, Windows per se doesn't have a 4GB filesize limit. The filesize limit depends on which file system the particular memory stick or HDD is formatted as. If they are formatted as FAT32 there will be a 4GB filesize limit. If they are formatted as NTFS the filesize limit is 16GB.

The problem occurs because most memory sticks and many External HDDs are formatted as FAT32 by default. If is a simple matter to reformat them BUT you will loose all the data they contain if you do.

Plus, not all devices designed to read from USB memoy sticks can handle NTFS. It is therefore advisable to check this out by, say, formatting a low capacity stick and loading something onto it aa a trial. It it does not read, just reformat to FAT 32 and look to an alternative solution to the problem.

[Old Grumpy]

All useful advice, thanks. I did indeed keep the original file and Mrs G has a copy on her laptop too.

OG

[Beppe]

Thanks for all your contributions. Firmly applying the handbrake has reduced the file to a more manageable 650-odd MB. A quick squint on the laptop did not suggest any great reduction in quality.

OG

I rip all my DVDs with handbrake. Very economical in file size. I don't have a huge screen (about 22") and the videos look fine to me. The other advantage is that I can burn in the subtitles on operas and bypass the cumbersome DVD menus.

I would love to be able to break up a MP4 or M4V file into parts, but don't know how. Not sure if Handbrake can do it.

[Dave2002]

I rip all my DVDs with handbrake. Very economical in file size. I don't have a huge screen (about 22") and the videos look fine to me. The other advantage is that I can burn in the subtitles on operas and bypass the cumbersome DVD menus.

I would love to be able to break up a MP4 or M4V file into parts, but don't know how. Not sure if Handbrake can do it.

Are you an Apple or Windows person? [or other - e.g. Linux?]

It's not that difficult with video editing software, but that may not be free these days. iMovie in Apple systems should be able to do that, as can Final Cut Pro X. Also Adobe Premiere is an option for both Apple and Windows. In Apple systems very simple editing can be done using Quicktime - even the newest versions - though some people preferred the older version for a while.

However, having said that, sometimes there are problems which get in the way, such as file formats. It's possible to have an MP4 file which isn't compatible with some editing systems, even though they "should" handle mp4s. This is usually because mp4 is only a container, and the codecs may not be compatible. If that happens, a conversion tool is needed - even to convert mp4 to mp4!

Once the source file is in a format which the video editor can accept, then it's not too difficult to do what you want.

Your mention of burning in subtitles is interesting - I'll have to try something like that with Handbrake. That could also be done using a video editor, but it might be overkill for that application.

I think DaVinci Resolve is still free to download and use - though it's slightly complicated - https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/uk/...avinciresolve/

Ideally you should start with a simple video editor - and really Quicktime and iMovie are good enough, if you can get round the input file problems. In fact I think I have previously used Handbrake to do the kind of mp4->mp4 conversion I've mentioned as a problem.

m4v files may be more tricky - I'd have to think about those.

There are some free video editors, but some of them, even "recommended" ones, are really bad - depending which search engine you use to find the advice.

This has some hints - https://www.techradar.com/uk/news/be...-paid-and-free
Lightworks is also good - but like Resolve it's probably overkill for what you want to do, and complicated to learn.

[Beppe]

I am on Linux Mint Cinnamon. I also used a subtitle editor program to write subtitles for a video then Handbrake to integrate them to the video. Came out pretty good. Breaking up an MP4 is not critical for me but could be handy at times.

[Dave2002]

Ah - I'm not so familiar with Linux, though I have used it. I got rid of a couple of machines which were capable of running it.

Here is a list of Linux compatible editors - https://itsfoss.com/best-video-editing-software-linux/

I note that it includes Blender, which I use a bit. It's cross platform. Blender is very good, though a bit of a pain to get used to. Primarily it's a 3D modelling tool (can also be used to create 3D video .... see separate thread on 3D TVs ... ) but it can also be used to edit regular video films. If it can import your mp4 then it should be able to do the job. I might have a go at testing that out. Trying to find your way round Blender to get to the 2D video edit section is tricky, though when you know how to do it it's not so bad on subsequent occasions.

If you try that - Andrew Price - Blender Guru - might be able to help, though mainly he's into 3D modelling.

I'm intrigued by the video caption feature for Handbrake - will look into that.

See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AveiZhv2xHs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_g7Ef0mIBw

https://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/33563/how-do-i-add-mp4-files-to-edit

https://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/47278/importing-mp4-into-blender

[Beppe]

Thanks for the above post. Your link for Linux compatable editors has a nice list. From it I decided to try VidCutter, which the article lists as "Simple video split and merge." I am installing it out of my software center but will not have time to give it a try for a few days or so. I'll report back any success.

If that does not work, I will chase down the other links you provided.

If it works, I could splice my Beethoven Fidelio back together. I had cut out the Leonore Overture from before the finale as it was a separate chapter, so that left me a two part video using Handbrake. However VLC Mediaplayer will seamlessly transition from one part to the next, so it does not have to be spliced, but would be nice since the finale is only about 25 minutes. Why did I cut the Leonore Overture? Because I read that Beethoven wanted no more than 7 seconds to elapse in transitioning to the finale.

[Old Grumpy]

You could try formatting a USB stick to NTFS. It all depends on whether the device you want to play the file with can handle NTFS. FAT 32 has a file size limit of 4GB, IIRC. Otherwise, I have not tried "Free Video Cutter Joiner" but it seems to have some positive reviews.

I have just uploaded the original 6GB video to a memory stick reformatted to NTFS. Worked a treat, thanks. I was also able to view it again on re-inserting the memory stick into my laptop.

Success all round.

OG