MPEG Streamclip Tutorial

MPEG Streamclip Tutorial

Introduction

MPEG Streamclip (or just Streamclip) is a program designed for Mac or Windows that allows the user to quickly clip various types of video formats, cut, and convert the file into any other type of video format. This program is a useful tool for quick cuts and macro film cutting as well as URL video downloading and audio extraction. All this is combined into an easy-to-use alternative to iMovie, Final Cut, or QuickTime, which are very expensive.

Download and Installing Streamclip

The coolest feature of MPEG Streamclip is the fact that it is free. If you follow the link http://www.squared5.com/svideo/mpeg-streamclip-mac.html you will find the Mac version of Streamclip. If you are a windows user, use the link http://www.squared5.com/svideo/mpeg-streamclip-win.html to find the windows version of Streamclip.

Mac Users

When the program is done downloading for a Mac, all one has to do is drag and drop the program into the Applications folder in your hard disk.

Windows Users

When finished downloading in Windows the program will need to be decompressed before it can be used. Simply open the folder containing the program and click on the file labeled MPEG Streamclip, the file will automatically decompress and the .exe (or application file) will be available to use.

Using MPEG Streamclip

Below is the main screen in Streamclip that you will see once you open the program. It includes your main user interface, the viewing screen, your time selectors and other important information.

Opening a File
To open a file in Streamclip click File, next click Open Files, select the video file you would

like to view or edit, then click Open.

Clipping and Exporting a Movie File

One of the primary functions of MPEG Streamclip is clipping and exporting a video file that you have shot, downloaded, or ripped from a DVD. To use this function, first open a file (see opening a file above).

Next, you need to select which part of the video file you have opened you wish to export from Streamclip. To do this we will use the In/Out function in the program. Your In time will be where the clip you wish to export will start and your Out time will be where you wish the clip to end. To position the cursor for your In time you may simply drag the time cursor to anytime you wish to begin. If an exact time is desired click Edit and select Go to Time and enter the desired time. To set your In/Out times, position your cursor where you would like the In/Out tobeandclickEditandchooseeitherSelectInorSelectOut. Whenyouarefinished making your selection the area selected should be highlighted in dark grey on the timeline.

In order to export and complete the process select File then there will be about 7 options which should cover all the major file formats one would need, but if preparing for iMovie or Final Cut select Export DV.

When you click Export DV a window will pop-up giving the user a virtual plethora of export settings.

Depending on the aspect ratio of the video file being used, adjust 4:3 if it is full screen and 16:9 for widescreen format videos. If exporting to iMovie or Final Cut make sure that Interlaced Scaling is selected and Split DV Stream in Segments is also selected. The user can also rotate or crop the video to their desire. When done, simply press Make DV, select a locationonyourcomputerforittobeplacedin,andaprogressbarwillappear. Whenthe progress bar is done the file will be located in the destination selected.

Downloading from a URL

MPEG Streamclip can also be used to download video and audio content from the internet. Using the Open URL function in Streamclip we can download video from websites such as YouTube and other video streaming sites.

The first step when downloading a video from a URL is to identify the URL where the video is located. On the YouTube website the URL you will use will be the page where the video is being displayed.

Highlight and copy the URL from the page. Next bring up Streamclip and go to File, then click Open URL. Paste the URL in the blank space and select Download to download the file to a location, Convert to change the video format and download, or Open to simply view the video file from the website.

The clip will then download to your place of choice and by default will be in MPEG format.

Extracting Audio Using Streamclip

Another extremely useful feature of MPEG Streamclip is its ability to extract audio from video that can be uploaded into the program.

In order to extract audio first open a file, or URL, in Streamclip. If you want to take the audio from a specific section first use the In/Out selection function described earlier in this tutorial (see Clipping and Exporting).

After you have selected the video you would like to extract audio from, select File, then Export Audio. A small audio exporter window will appear with the audio settings in it. The format AIFF is a lossless Apple format that can be used in most programs supported by Macintosh computers. However, if you would like to compress the audio in any way or if you wish to use the audio in Windows, select the format MP4-ACC. This format is the standard iTunes format used by Apple. MP2 will probably not be of use to you. Keep the sample rate on Auto. If you would like to compress the file you can vary the bit rate. The higher the bit rate the larger the audio file will be. 128 kbps is pretty standard for digital audio but 192 and 256 offer a higher quality of sound.

Click OK when done selecting settings. Once you select the desired file location, a progress bar should appear. When the audio is done extracting the file will appear in the location selected.