How to trim a Camera MPG video.

[marsheng]

My Canon camera can record video. How do I just simply trim my clip. I do not want to change it's format, PAL NTSC etc, just clip a few seconds off the end. Something that should take no longer than 2 seconds on the computer.

[Ron P.]

Welcome to the forums,

Have you already captured or transferred your video to your PC? If so just insert it to the timeline, then place the playhead at the position you want to trim. Then click on the scissors icon, this will cut the clip into 2. Now with the segment you wish to delete highlighted, press the delete key on your PC. Finally go to Share>Create Video File, and select Same as First video, or Same as Project Settings (if they match the properties of your video file). Provide a name and location to save the video file, and that's it.

By default VS has Smart Render enabled, so if your Project Settings match that of your video file, it should not take long to render.

You might want to read through From Camcorder to DVD tutorial, or at least skim through it. There's a lot of info included in it.

[marsheng]

Thanks for the quick reply.

I have done what you have suggested but when I save it still renders the new clip. If I just trim my clip, why does it still have to render to a new file ?

No problems with a 20 sec clip from my camera but my Canon DC40 Video recorder creates one file of 60 minutes made up of multiple clips (which are not accessible). Cutting this and rendering each clip will take hours.

I have a new problem. Possibly you can help. Once I save one clip, the second save causes Videostudio 11 to hang. My CPU usage goes to 100%. When I reboot and then I can save a new clip. I downloaded the 11 patch, but it made no difference.

Thanks Wallace.

[Black Lab]

Thanks for the quick reply.

I have done what you have suggested but when I save it still renders the new clip. If I just trim my clip, why does it still have to render to a new file ?
Because you have changed the clip.

No problems with a 20 sec clip from my camera but my Canon DC40 Video recorder creates one file of 60 minutes made up of multiple clips (which are not accessible). Cutting this and rendering each clip will take hours.
Probably not hours, but it could take a while.

I have a new problem. Possibly you can help. Once I save one clip, the second save causes Videostudio 11 to hang. My CPU usage goes to 100%. When I reboot and then I can save a new clip. I downloaded the 11 patch, but it made no difference.
What type of clips are these? If they are from your camera they are probably a highly compressed type that were not made for editing. You may have to convert them to an editable format first (DV-AVI or MPEG2). Right clip on a clip and post the properties.

Thanks Wallace.

[Ron P.]

I'll also add that one reason the VS renders a new video file is that it is a non-destructive process. It does not alter your original clips, just uses them to produce a new file. What you're seeing in VS, are Virtual clips, just thumbnail representations, linked to your source video, image, and audio files. If you done absolutely nothing other than import and share>create video file, using the same file type as your source, then VS would be just copy/pasting it.

Now since you must use MPEG-2 for SD DVDs, and your source clips might not be MPEG-2, but DV-avi, then VS must recode it, using the MPEG codec to compress it to fit onto a DVD.

Finally another example would be if your source clips are DVD compliant MPEG-2, and you made sure your Project Properties matched that of your source files, and you have Smart Render enabled, then VS will only render the parts that have been changed, or altered. The rest is just copied from the source file(s). Unless you're rendering to some other file type such as WMV, FLV, MPEG-4 and so on. In that case VS must recode the entire project.

[marsheng]

Thanks for the replies.

I have been playing with video edit for several years and always gave up as it took too long to do most things. I bought Pinnacles Miro hardware card and software many years ago but editing always took too long and I didn't do very much with it, except recover from the $1500 expense.

What I am looking for is a simple cut/ trim program that is quick. I don't mind if it changes the original. Once I have the small clips, I can then make a movie and don't mind waiting. (However adding clips of the same properties/formats also should only take seconds if there are no transitions.)

Back to step one.

The Sony Camera produces MPEG-1 24 bit 640x480 25 frames/sec Variable bit rate. MPEG Audio Layer 2, 32Khz 16 Bit Mono 64 kbps.

How do I trim the files quickly.


This should be able to be done as my LG DVD recorder can trim a recorded movie is seconds. No new rendering. (Different format however, but it somehow manages to move the file marker to the new points.)

[marsheng]

What type of clips are these? If they are from your camera they are probably a highly compressed type that were not made for editing. You may have to convert them to an editable format first (DV-AVI or MPEG2). Right clip on a clip and post the properties.

The files are MPG1, and it happens when I save the same clip a second time !!

[Clevo]

When you insert the first clip on the time line do you get a pop-up message to "Change project properties to match the clip?"

If not, you'll need to toggle this feature in Preferences/General Tab. This ensures your final edited video file is the same as the original when you select "same as project properties" when creating a video file.

But! any alteration to the original clip, trimming, adding sound etc etc you will need to create/render a new video file. This is un-avoidable as you have made changes to the original clip.

[Black Lab]

And I think you'll have to come to grips with something if you want to continue, and enjoy, your video editing experience. It is not a quick process. Period.

[Clevo]

Very True... Black Lab.

One needs to learn to enjoy the editing processes

[marsheng]

And I think you'll have to come to grips with something if you want to continue, and enjoy, your video editing experience. It is not a quick process. Period.

I'm not sure I agree, Video is made up of multiple photos and audio. What if I only want the first 250 images, (10 sec of 25 frames a second) All that should happen is the end of file marker is moved to the new end position. No rendering required.

When I clip a JPG photo, it does not recreate the photo, it just strips off the unwanted portion.

Is there another program that will do what I want?

Thanks Wallace

[Black Lab]

I think we may have a difference in terminology going on here. When we talk of trimming a clip it's usually about cutting out something, like a commercial or the footage of my foot when I forgot to stop recording.

I think what you want to do is simply shorten a clip. To do that just use the Mark In/Mark Out buttons. No rendering will take place.

[Clevo]

or grab & drag the yellow handles when you click on a video file in the timeline...

[marsheng]

Videostudio hangs when rendering, 90 % of the time. Have to reboot.

I thought I would try a different computer to see what happens.

I have a spare new computer with a fresh XP install, different motherboard , RAM and VGA Card. Installed VideoStudio 11.5 plus and the updates.

Exactly the same problem.

Open Clip, Mark start, Mark end (10 second video) Share, Create Video File, Same as Project settings, Enter a file name, Save.
Get message Creating file.. Press Esc to abort, and computer freezes. CTRL ALT DEL allows me to shut down VideoStudio.

After a bit more testing, I have found that I can save the original full file (22 Sec) without any problems. As soon as I clip the file, the rendering hangs.

Any suggestions ?

[Ron P.]

I'm not sure I agree, Video is made up of multiple photos and audio. What if I only want the first 250 images, (10 sec of 25 frames a second) All that should happen is the end of file marker is moved to the new end position. No rendering required.

When I clip a JPG photo, it does not recreate the photo, it just strips off the unwanted portion.

Is there another program that will do what I want?

Thanks Wallace

Like I stated, video editing programs are non-destructive. They are meant to be this way. That's the magic, and greatness of digital video. With the very old film type editing you actually used a cutter, or scissor to cut the film into pieces, then spliced certain pieces back together. If you made a mistake, that could possibly have destroyed your entire film.

So no video editing is not even remotely close to how photo editing programs work. However most of them have the ability to duplicate your image into their respective proprietary formats, such as UFO (Corel PhotoImpact), PSP (Paintshop Pro) and PSD (PhotoShop). That way if you make a mistake, and the program crashes, you don't risk destroying the only image you may have to work on. Also with photo programs they in fact do create a new image, however if you do not provide a new name (Save-As) opposed to just Save, the program over-writes the original, thus destroying the original untouched photo.

It seems to me that VS is having a fit with the codec your camera uses for recording MPEG-1. Corel uses Ulead MPEG Now encoder, which unless I'm mistaken (and could be), it is actually a Main Concept product.

You can try something to see if it may help VS work with your video files. Try downloading Super, a free conversion program. Run a video clip through it, converting it to the same format. In other words, your output file would be the same as your input. However Super may correct some problem with the encoding of the video file. Then try inserting the one encoded by Super into VS and see if it still poses the problem.