Video Files Conversion Tutorials

Please use these tutorials to convert videos shot using digital still cameras and digital cameras for general web viewing. If you have comments/suggestions regarding these tutorials, please write to us at webmaster@irfca.org.

Convert Videos From Digital Still Cameras
Capture Videos From Digital Camcorders
Convert Videos Shot Digital Camcorders

Converting Videos From Digital Still Cameras

Software Needed

Xvid video compression codec - Download and install latest stable windows version of XviD codec (XviD 1.1.0 or later)

Virtual Dub - After downloading, unzip the package to a folder.

Lame MP3 encoder - Scroll down to download the latest stable version. Do not download alpha or beta versions. After downloading, unzip the package to a folder, right click on LameACM.inf and select Install.

Make sure you have first downloaded and installed the Xvid compression codec. If you haven't done so already, please download and unzip Virtual Dub too.
Locate the folder to where you unzipped Virtual Dub, then double click on VirtualDub.exe to start the application. Click File->Open Video File and select the avi video file you uploaded from your digital camera.

Click Video->Compression. From the pop-up window, select Xvid MPEG-4 Codec from the list on the left. It is all the way at the bottom.

Then click the Configure button. On the new pop-up window, click the Target Quantizer button. It will change to Target Bitrate (kbps). Change the target bit rate value to 500. This value determines the final size and quality of your video. The smaller the value, the smaller the final file size. I have found that 500kbps (kilobits per second) is an optimum value for videos. You can experiment a little bit here by changing this value. Click OK, and then OK again on the other pop-up window.

Now we need to configure the resize filter. Click Video->Filters. On the new pop-up window, click Add button.

On the new pop-up window, scroll down the list and select resize. Then click on OK button.

On the new pop-up window, enter the values for New width as 320 and New height as 240. For Filter mode, select Lanczos3 which is the last option on the drop down menu. Then click OK and OK again on the other pop-up window.

In this step you will configure the audio codec which will be mp3, and set the audio bit rate. Select Audio->Full Processing Mode. Then select Audio->Compression. In the new pop-up window, select MPEG Layer3->56Kbit/s, 24,000kHz, Stereo. Then click OK.

Note: On some sound cards the "56Kbit/s, 24,000kHz, Stereo" mode might not be visible by default. Please check the Show All Formats box.

Now you have the option of selecting new start and end points for your video. If you don't want to select new start and end points for your video, go to step 7 below. Move the slider at the bottom of the main screen to a new start point and press the "Home" key on your keyboard. Now move the slider to the new end point for your video and then press the "End" key on your keyboard. You can also advance or rewind the video one frame at a time by clicking on the >> and << buttons to get a better control on your start and end points. The portion of the video you have selected will be highlighted.

Note: Make sure you select the start and end points of the video such that the length of the video does not exceed more than 60 seconds. If your video is longer, please split it into two or more videos of smaller size.
Click File->Save as or F7. Give a new name for your encoded video and click Save. Depending on the length of your video and your processor power, this step will take some time. That's it! Check the file size of your new encoded video and play it to make sure it looks good.

Capturing Videos From a Digital Camcorder

If you already have the videos uploaded and ready from your camcorder, please proceed to the Converting Videos Shot Using a Digital Camcorder section

Software Needed

DVIO (Capturing tool) - Download and save DVIO.EXE

PC Requirements

Your computer must have a IEEE-1394 port, also known as FireWire port, to download DV videos from your camcorder. A FireWire port can also be added by adding a PCI FireWire card to your desktop computer or adding a FireWire PCMCIA card to your laptop. You will also need to purchase a FireWire cable to connect your camcorder to the computer.

Make sure you defragment your hard drive before you attempt to upload the videos. This is to prevent the dropping of frames during capture. Make sure you have sufficient free space on your hard drive. One minute of video will need approximately 200MB of hard drive space.
Connect the FireWire cable and switch the camcorder to 'VCR' mode. Wait till the computer recognizes the camcorder.
Start DVIO.EXE.
Click File and give a file name.

From your camcorder, fast forward or rewind to the spot from where you want to start the upload.
Click 'Capture Video from Camera'. Then press 'Play' on the camcorder. This will capture a .avi file

You will see the frames captured ticker going up. Make sure there are not too many dropped frames. It is best to aim for 0 dropped frames. If you get dropped frames, it is probably because you did not defragment the hard drive.
When you are done capturing the video section you want, click on 'Stop capture' and also press 'Stop' on your camcorder. Now you have the captured video file .avi. Proceed to the next section.

Converting Videos Shot Using a Digital Camcorder

Software Needed

Xvid video compression codec - Download and install latest stable windows version of XviD codec (XviD 1.1.0 or later)

Virtual Dub - After downloading, unzip the package to a folder.

Make sure you have first downloaded and installed the Xvid compression codec. If you haven't done so already, please download and unzip Virtual Dub too.
Locate the folder to where you unzipped Virtual Dub, then double click on VirtualDub.exe to start the application. Click File->Open Video File and select the avi video file you just captured using DVIO.exe in the section Capturing Videos From a Digital Camcorder above.

Click Video->Compression. From the pop-up window, select Xvid MPEG-4 Codec from the list on the left. It is all the way at the bottom.

Then click the Configure button. On the new pop-up window, click the Target Quantizer button. It will change to Target Bitrate (kbps). Change the target bit rate value to 500. This value determines the final size and quality of your video. The smaller the value, the smaller the final file size. I have found that 500kbps (kilobits per second) is an optimum value for videos. You can experiment a little bit here by changing this value. Click OK, and then OK again on the other pop-up window.

Now we need to configure the resize filter. Click Video->Filters. On the new pop-up window, click Add button.

On the new pop-up window, scroll down the list and select resize. Then click on OK button.

On the new pop-up window, enter the values for New width as 320 and New height as 240. For Filter mode, select Lanczos3 which is the last option on the drop down menu. Then click OK and OK again on the other pop-up window.

In this step you will configure the audio codec which will be mp3, and set the audio bit rate. Select Audio->Full Processing Mode. Then select Audio->Compression. In the new pop-up window, select MPEG Layer3->56Kbit/s, 24,000kHz, Stereo. Then click OK.

Note: On some sound cards the "56Kbit/s, 24,000kHz, Stereo" mode might not be visible by default. Please check the Show All Formats box.

Now you have the option of selecting new start and end points for your video. If you don't want to select new start and end points for your video, go to step 7 below. Move the slider at the bottom of the main screen to a new start point and press the "Home" key on your keyboard. Now move the slider to the new end point for your video and then press the "End" key on your keyboard. You can also advance or rewind the video one frame at a time by clicking on the >> and << buttons to get a better control on your start and end points. The portion of the video you have selected will be highlighted.

Note: Make sure you select the start and end points of the video such that the length of the video does not exceed more than 60 seconds. If your video is longer, please split it into two or more videos of smaller size.
Click File->Save as or F7. Give a new name for your encoded video and click Save. Depending on the length of your video and your processor power, this step will take some time. That's it! Check the file size of your new encoded video and play it to make sure it looks good.