Avidemux
Quick & Fast: After VirtualDub, this is the second most popular video “conveditor.” It’s really VDub to the next level – more imported formats and more useful filters. Can edit/encode cell phone video. As with VDub, I use this mainly to encode.
IMPORT FORMATS: Only things I’ve found it can’t open is corrupted files and WMV.
EXPORT FORMATS: AVI, FLV, MPEG, MJPEG, OGM, MP4
Where to get it: http://avidemux.sourceforge.net/ For Windows, Mac, Linux, etc.
OK, this is the freeware I’ve been telling so many people about, the one that can edit cell phone video. Apparently, at least some cell phones shoot video in a format called 3GP. Avidemux can import this, as well as many other things, including the same MPEG2 file that VirtualDub-MPEG2 had a little trouble with.
Avidemux is a cool name for a pretty slick software. The site doesn’t have a whole lot, but the program is fairly easy to understand. As with VirtualDub, you can do some basic editing functions: just batch import your footage, trim, cut, copy and paste.
As with VirtualDub, Avidemux looks to be more for encoding and converting than editing, but you can still use it for editing. Avidemux takes it to the next level though, both in the more complicated interface, and the amount of choices you have. As one Avidemux user complained in the forums, VirtualDub will happily import your footage, while Avidemux asks a lot of questions first. This is one reason Avidemux works well, though. The answers you give help your editing or converting with Avidemux that much better, giving your video, quality.
I like MPEG Streamclip a lot better than Avidemux. Avidemux is more complicated, but it is only one program that does a lot - importing of more formats, and more useful filters. You can add subtitles, play the video backwards if you had some trouble with your recorder, sharpen, do some color correction, work with interlacing and more! This is one video freeware you should definitely check out. I admit that so far, my reviews of video freeware have been negative, whether it was VirtualDub or Windows Movie Maker. But I like Avidemux and it is very useful!
EDIT: It has also given me a lot of grief. I now recommend MPEG Streamclip and he original VirtualDub over Avidemux. For converting, I’ve switched to Any Video Converter.
Tutorials: A thoughtful person wrote a book about Avidemux which you can find Here. The book is mainly about installing Avidemux and importing footage. And there is a wiki Here.
But the best tutorial of all, is Here. This guy goes through everything you need to know. I learned more about Avidemux through this tutorial than messing around with it.
License and Use: GNU GPL!
No Demo for this freeware yet. Comment with your name and email address if you would like to link to your demo. I will not post your contact info without your consent.
