Overview
There are two slightly different operations we perform with VirtualDub, depending on whether it's the final product or we're getting the file ready for VideoStudio. The process is the same but the settings are different.
The Process
File Menu, 'Open', load the file.
If the original video (AVI, MPEG, WMV, etc) loaded straight into VDub, then you don't have to worry about the audio track. If you want to adjust the volume, see the bottom of the page.
If this was a demuxing and you loaded an M2V or MPV file, then you'll have already converted the AC3 audio track to WAV with BeSweet. To load the audio track, Audio Menu, 'Audio from other file', load the WAV file.
From the Video Menu, select 'Filters', 'Add', 'resize'. If you're getting this VC-ready, set it to 720-wide by whatever it says for the height. If it's a computer or online file, set it to 640-wide.
Video Menu, 'Compression':
- If you're making this for VS and you have tons of hard drive space, or this is an intermediary step, select 'Huffyuv'. This is a 'lossless' codec so not a bit of quality gets lost during the process, but the files are huge.
- If you're making this for VS and don't have a lot of hard drive space, or you're making the final production for the computer, click on 'Xvid', click on the 'Configure' button. The box to the left will either say ‘Target bitrate’ or ‘Target quantizer’. Click on the box, move the ‘bitrate’ slider all the way up, move the ‘quantizer’ slider all the way down.
If you're getting the file VS-ready, there's no need to fuss with the audio. If this is the final production, go to Audio Menu, select 'Full processing mode'. Now select 'Compression'. Select 'MPEG Layer-3' over to the left, then '128/48' if it's just a voice track or '192/48' if it's music. This compresses the audio track the same way Xvid compresses the video track.
Testing the Aspect Ratio
The first thing you have to do is make a short test clip and see if the A/R looks off. If it's a standard 'letterbox' clip with a black border across the top and bottom, you'll need to play something else that you know is correct and compare the size of the borders. There's also another type of letterbox format that has extra-thick borders, just so you know. If it's from TV, it'll be the former. If it's from a movie, it could be either.
Down near the bottom of the program is a slider. Move it just a tad to the right. Now click on the 'Mark out' button, the last one to the right. That'll tell the program to only render to that spot.
From the File Menu, 'Save as AVI'.
Check out the test clip. If it's lookin' good, click on the 'End' button to move the slider all the way to the end, then click on the 'Mark out' button again. You want the entire slider bar area highlighted. 'Save as AVI' and you're rolling.
If the A/R is off, go back to the Video Menu, 'Filters', open the 'resize' filter, click the 'Disabled' gadget next to 'Aspect ratio' and change the height. Make another test clip, compare the border thickness to a known good clip. It'll take a few tries but you'll get it.
If you're going to be doing a lot of video files from different sources, start keeping a log of what came from where and what settings it used, since most files from the same source will be similar. As a quick example, I downloaded some TV episodes a while back that arrived in hi-def MKV format and looked outstanding when played on the computer, but when getting them ready to convert to DVD (720-wide), VDub said the height should be 426, whereas 404 was actually correct, and every episode needed the same correction.
Interlace Lines
If you notice some tiny, thin horizontal lines running across the screen, especially trailing moving objects, open Video Menu, 'Filters', 'Add', 'deinterlace'. OK, OK back to the program, do a test clip. If you have a second 'deinterlace' option, try it if the first one doesn't clear up the problem.
Cropping
Cropping is merely a matter of using the two 'Mark' buttons. The only thing to note is that the frame that's displaying is part of the mark-in or mark-out you're doing.
When you want to go all the way to the start or end, use the 'Start' and 'End' buttons, rather than the slider, just to make sure.
If the video has already been rendered and all you're doing is cropping, set the Video Menu to 'Direct stream copy', then save. If you don't, and leave it in 'Normal recompress' and don't select a codec, it'll save it as raw video
Adjusting The Volume
Set the Audio Menu to 'Full processing mode'.
Audio Menu, 'Volume'. Click the box. If the source file originally came from a disc, it'll probably need raising to meet standard computer levels. Kick it up to 200%, mark off a spot with the loudest noises (guns, explosions, etc) and make sure it doesn't crackle when played back. If it doesn't seem to be doing a very good job, haul out Normalize.
Also, you'll note VDub doesn't lower the volume, so if that's what you want, pop the WAV file into Normalize, put in an output file name, set the 'Normalize to' box to 60% and see what happens. If you've loaded a full video (no separate WAV track), go to File Menu, 'Save as WAV' to get the WAV file, then load it back in through the Audio Menu after processing.