video merging software

I need a free program that can take numerous video clips and combine them into one big video clip. Any Suggestions???? They are much appreciated.

 

Virtual Dub http://www.majorgeeks.com/VirtualDub__d5523.html Not the most user friendly program around, but it works great. If your video clips have variable bit rates (VBR) you may need to use a different version of Virtual Dub like VDub MP3 Freeze or NanDub or VDub Mod.... a Google search will connect you with what you need. You can also try these:
Avidemux http://www.majorgeeks.com/Avidemux__d5930.html
Kate's Video Joiner http://www.majorgeeks.com/Kates_Video_Joiner__d5682.html

Good luck! I hope this helps!

[dlb]

 

I'm afraid V dub will be more a pain for him than any good until he knows his way around it. If you want to join alot of little files they have to have the same resolution and framerate as well as Audio type before V Dub will accept them. Sure, you can go thru each one and reencode to the same format and bitrate and then you will be able to append them to one another, but it takes some time and knowlege of what your doing.

I remember seeing a program that said it could join files of any type together but I would bet it would do it at the expense of TIME cause it would have to do the same thing as you would do with V Dub and its time consuming.

Of course if all the files are the same resolution and they all have mp3 audio all you have to do is open the first one, select FILE > APPEND SEGMENT and select the next and repeat until all segments are selected in order, and save the file. With both the Video and Audio sections in Direct Stream Mode, no encoding would take place, all that would occur is joining the files and copying the video and audio together as it goes.

 

I find Windows Movie Maker quite adequate for exactly this type of editing. It comes with all Microsoft's OSs. In XP Home: Click Start - then point to All Programs -> click Windows Movie Maker. I use Windows Media Encoder 9 Series (freeware) to finish the production for upload on for instance YouTube.

 

Online converters are also very useful. Media Converter and Media Convert. Papa John can answer all you questions and Windows Movie Maker also have an expert Forum.