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discuss!
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discuss!
Need to send giant video files, but don’t want the hassle of FTP? There’s a proliferation of free sites that will allow you to upload a giant file (100 MB to 1 Gig) and provide someone else with a URL or e-mail so they can pull it down. Some require “client” software, but many need only a web browser and are supported by advertising or upsells to fancier versions. I used to be a loyal Pando user, but there are three problems:
Now I’m finding a wealth of alternatives, and the web interfaces have improved. The ads are still there, but it’s a small price to pay for free storage and upload/download. Here are just a few… No doubt Google will invent a free one that will crush this marketplace, but you gotta love ’em all for trying.
Sorry. Bait and switch. This post isn’t giving the answer, it’s asking the question. But no worries. Someone will come along with the answers, and may even direct you where to buy Percocet online without getting ripped off.
So here’s the question: how do I replicate this image? I want to subtly watermark my URL on the black area beneath the letterbox. Of course in iMovie that bar doesn’t really exist. It’s like the most important part of the cup. The space in between. Ever elusive but essential for the lifeforce.
The black bar is created after I export to QuickTime. So I imagine I could export the “DV normal” into a high-resolution QuickTime file, then reimport it into a DV Widescreen Final Cut Pro Express file (which I still am too lazy to learn). Then use some image overlay and export it again.
But all that sounds like so much work unless you’re a total geek like TheMightyThor1212 or CharlesTrippy. Isn’t there some widget or some magical software that does it for me? If not, why don’t you get some programmer to make it. I’ll pimp it and even buy it. Because I’m too lazy and impatient to find free software on bit torrent.
My favorite new software for converting avi and mov files to Quicktime or Mp4s for iMovie is called Visual Hub.
I have paid to download countless Quicktime pro and WMV converters, and most of them frustrate me endlessly. Visual Hub is easy (drag and drop) and hasn’t failed me yet. It also has a free trial without annoying watermarks or frequency limitations (although it does limit duration to under 2 minutes).
Most importantly, when it’s done its work, it boasts a lovely “ding” that sounds like a toaster. I sometimes salivate when I hear that ding.
A nice blog post here from “Virtual Hosting Blog.” It’s called “The Video Blogging Toolbox: 100 Tools, Resources and Free Software Packages.” ‘Nuff said.
It’s the age old problem. You import an MPEG, Quicktime (.mov) or AVI into iMovie, and get a video with no audio. Or the dreaded white screen with working audio. That, of course, plunges you into countless hours of Google searches, flings you into the black hole of forum & help sites, and ultimately convinces you to buy several $20 downloads that don’t work. Then you finally figure it out, but the next time you forget what you did.
Today, after spending $100 on Flip4Mac’s WMV and upgrading to Quicktime Pro, I found the solution in free software from Squared 5. It’s called the MPEG Streamclip. It also allows you to rip videos from YouTube and other video sites (see picture), and save them in a variety of ways.
When I do collaboration videos, I’m often sending large files (using free Pando software or YouSendIt), and the video files usually work fine.
But sometimes video files present problems because they are muxed (the audio and video are mixed). The odd part is that the clips sometimes play fine on Quicktime but won’t import into iMovie. That’s because iMovie doesn’t support muxed files. So you need to demux the puppies.
First, download and launch MPEG Streamclip, and then open your problem video file. Next, select “File>Demux>Demux to M2V and AIFF.” This may give you a strange video file that still won’t open in Quicktime or iMovie. But at least you can import the audio portion, since AIFF exports separately, and imports as audio to iMovie without problems. To patch up this “Grant Giggles” video built from ancient .mov files, I had to import the videos as Quicktime .mov files, then import the audio separately as AIFFs (which I created in Streamclip). I next locked the audio and video using Apple-L (a nice trick Charles Trippy taught me).
This may not solve all problems because the file extensions “.mov and .mpeg” can be deceiving. There are lots of different CODECs (ways to code them), and some versions are Mac friendly and others aren’t.
Still, Streamclip is free (thanks, guys) and has a lot of different import and export/convert options that I would have thought would come with Quicktime Professional or Flip4Mac’s WMV professional studio (and I have no idea what I just payed $100 for, since WMV can’t solve this, and I’m not quite sure what it does otherwise).
Here’s another site with a buttload of information about file conversions.
Got any better tips for solving PC/Mac or Mac/PC conversion problems? Please comment below!
Addition December 19: Thanks ChristopherMast for pointing out iSquint. If you’re on Mac and want an easy way to rip videos from the web, try Tasty Apps. Marquis- this is for demuxing your own clips if they’re old (like these, which I captured via MPEG on my digital camera). Also- sometimes you lose a video and have to go rescue it from Revver or something. And finally, when I make videos and want to show a highlight of someone else (usually ask permission if I’m not sure they’ll say yes).
Dec. 2 Update: This didn’t work. Garfield writes in the post that you need a blip.tv “pro” account which is almost $100 a year. Mike from blip.tv writes: “If the video you upload originally is iphone compatible it should work. If not, the pro account allows you to convert it to be compatible. We have full and automatic iphone compatibility on our roadmap.”
I was quite surprised to discover that iPhones can’t view the majority of online videos because they reject Flash and Quicktime. What’s with that?! But the solution lies in this microCHUNK.tv video. It’s rather slow, so here are the highlights:
Now it’s up on blip.tv. Here’s what’s next.
If someone knows a way to simply upload videos and post on a website to the iPhone can view them, please let me know! I’ve spent hours and hours today trying to get this solved. I can’t wait to post the solution!
Remember when hypertext was all the rage? Then hypervideo was going to allow Seinfeld viewers to click on the phone and buy one?
Asterpix has a somewhat new service that allows you to rip a video from YouTube or other sites, and then drag hyperlinks over the images. Your video, which would now be served via Asterpix (but can be embedded on your own site) can have small dotted-line squares that appear temporarily over a particular image. If your viewer “mouses over” the square, they can read a short description, see tags, and follow a hyper link.
This has been discussed for years, but I haven’t, until now, seen it deployed as a free and easy-to-use tool. I learned about this from Scobleizer, a braniac that called it the “coolest thing I’ve seen in a while.” The Asterpix’s CEO writes about hypervideo in this 3-post blog.
Why would you want to do this? It gives the viewer the ability to interact or learn more about specific objects or people in the video. Now the marketer can promote the product that is otherwise resigned to a preroll or subtle product placement. Your viewer can also learn more about a video’s actor/actress or object (or actress that is an object).
In my own experimental demonstration, I brought my YouTube video (Poor Man’s GPS) into Asterpix and dropped a few links over parts of the image (only in the first minute). This video is one of my sponsored videos for GPSManiac, so I wanted to see how I could introduce the client more visibly. It took about 15 minutes for me to figure it out, but that’s probably because Patrick was talking to me the whole time.
What I Liked:
What Needs Work
I am curious to see how the company monetizes this tool. Does it charge a flat or recurring fee for advanced functionality? Does it try to squeeze yet another ad into the video and feed itself via ads (which may repel people)?
I just counted. Nine hard drives. If you create videos, you probably have at least one or two backup drives.
So keeping with Number 9, here are 9 tips about hard drives that I’ve learned the hard way.
Hope this helps, and look forward to your tips. Especially from Windows users since some of this applies just to Mac folks.
YouTube is now offering live technical support via NALTS: North American Live Tube Support. It’s a volunteer-based system where you can get help with common YouTube problems such as file upload requirements, registration problems, account suspension problems, and other frequently asked YouTube questions.
To demo the live support feature, see Help: Live YouTube Technical Support. You’ll need to be registered before they can help you.
P.S. When you’re done, see the video to which it responds. And my strategy worked. It’s now the first video you’ll find if you search “help” on YouTube. 🙂