Railfan Technology > DVD Editing

I recently had a batch of 8mm movies that I had taken in the early '60's transferred to DVD.  They are a real mishmash, but there are a few reasonably good segments which I would be happy to post on T.O. if I knew how to copy just a segment from the DVD.  I have no specialized equipment and as you have probably guessed I am not terribly computer-competent.  Any thoughts?

Gordon

Well, you're going to need some version of a video editing program, not necessarily expensive, unless you already have one.  Mount the DVD in the computer's drive.  Then, however the program does it, you want to load the actual video.  Navigate to the DVD, and click the title folder name.  Then you will see two folder names under that:  AUDIO_TS and VIDEO_TS.  Click the VIDEO_TS to open up that folder.  You should see one or more files named thusly:  VTS_01_1.VOB, VTS_01_2.VOB and so on.  If it is rather short, there will probably be only one.  Those are the actual video files.  Ignore files with other extensions, such as BUP or IFO.  Import (load) one into your editing program, and put it on the Timeline. At this point, what is on the Timeline is generally referred to as a video "clip." Then you can move (scrub) through the timeline to find the segment you want.  At that point, programs differ in function, but you'll want to shorten that clip at both ends until only the section you want to export is on the Timeline.  Make sure it is moved to the beginning of the Timeline.  Then, as a final step, you can export the video.  The best format would be as an MP4 file. 

This description doesn't give specifics, such as how to import (or load) that video file, or move it onto the timeline, or shorten it to the start of the desired segment, etc., as video software varies in how they label these functions.  Probably the only sure thing is "Timeline."  That seems to be a universal term in these kinds of programs.  Also, even those there is a separate audio folder as described above, both video and audio are embedded in the video file(s) -- the ***.VOB ones.

Hope that helps a little.
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/24/15 22:39 by norm1153.

I'm pretty much a newby at DVD editing myself.  About a year ago, a friend had a couple of VHS tapes of his 50s revival band performances transferred to DVD, and now wanted them on Youtube.  So I had to learn everything the hard way.

One of the first things needed was a program to 'rip' the DVD and put the contents on your hard drive.  Simply Google 'free DVD rip program' or something like that and there's a number of options presented.  Before selecting a product, double check the link address provided.  Stay away from sites like 'best video software' in their name.  I generally stick to websites whose 'owner' I've at least heard of or have dealt with previously.  I've found some great software by Googling "free xxxxxx". 

SPECIAL WARNING TO ALL---almost all 'free' downloadable software comes with a bunch of other 'trash' (aka bloatware) including a new toolbar for your browser, special file transfer programs, and new browsers, worthless anti-virus software, a new kitchen sink, and just about anything else they can plug up your computer with.  Rule #1: NEVER take the 'standard installation' option when offered, as that will download all the trash, too.  Always choose the 'advanced' installation option.  Rule #2: Accept or reply 'yes' =ONLY= to the software product you want.  Decline or reply 'NO' to everything else.  Rule #3: "Well behaved" software will offer a choice of what folder or file to load the software to.  For most users, simply accept the defaults chosen.  You'll save yourself countless headaches and degraded computer performance if you follow these rules.

For what it's worth, about 6 months ago, I purchased a commercial movie from Amazon, and I could not get either of the 2 DVDs to play on any of 4 different computers and 2 DVD players.  I ultimately got a refund from Amazon, but they didn't want me to return the $5.00 DVD.  As some of the 'extra' segments played (previews of other movies), I figured there had to be a way to see it all.  What was happening is that when played on a computer, it wanted to contact a website that does not exist any more, even when not connected to the internet. And on DVD players, it wouldn't get past the menu screen.  I tried the free DVD rip program I had been using and it refused to rip it.  So I purchased a downloadable program and that failed, too.  However, I tried another movie I had purchased and it ripped perfectly.  That crazy DVD that required a website link was driving me nuts!  I even tried a couple of other freebies and 'trial copy' ripper programs, all without success.  I finally found a another ripper program on the web ($$) that basically guaranteed it would work.  And it did!   It took a lot of frustration and more money than I wanted to spend, but I finally got to view "Standing in the Shadows of Motown".  It's a fantastic movie about the musicians that played on all of Motowns' records of the '60s.  When I was in high school, perhaps 50% or more of every record played on the radio were Motown!  Great Stuff!  But I digress...

Once you've got the DVD contents on your hard drive, then it's time for a video editing program.  Again, Google 'free video editing program' and try a couple of them.  Having used the free audio editing program Audacity extensively, I thought I had a pretty good 'feel' of what to expect for video editing.  Yes and no.  For simple cut and past operations, most of the video editing programs work similarly to Audacity with a 'timeline' of the movie that you can expand and contract to 'zero in' on a specific editing point (begin/end cut, etc).  I recently wanted to improve the sound on my friends VHS movies.  THAT was a trick and a half to save separately from the video, edit it, then put it back with the video.  

In short, don't be afraid to use the 'help' or "?" button, usually on the upper right of the screen.  That's how I learn most software...a lot of 'help' usage. 

One other warning...You'll need A LOT OF COMPUTER HORSEPOWER to do video work!  I got tired of waiting 5 minutes or more for some actions while editing videos.  And saving the finished product would routinely be 30-60 minutes!  My slightly overclocked quad processor computer was more than fast enough at Photoshop and Lightroom, but videos really 'killed me'.  I ultimately upgraded to an 8-processor computer because of video editing!  Fortunately, I build them, so the upgrade was not a real problem.  I strongly recommend you do not attempt video editing on a laptop computer as it will run all night just to load a 1 hour video!
 
 

Thanks very much to both of you.  I'll act on some of your suggestions and if successful, I'll post the results!
Gordon