virtualdub
I have recently been downloading^h^h^H^h backing up my dvd's, but sometimes I get a file that is too big to go onto a CD. I spent all day talking to my new media students trying to find out how I could shorten them--chop off the ending credits, or cut it in half if it's a really big file--only to learn that I had to use either Premier or After Effects (or something like that). That was a pity, because it's a well-known fact that I'm completely illiterate at using the Adobe interface (no, I can't even photoshop), even though I can create enterprise-scale databases, write gimp filters, and created the world's smallest database-driven WikiWiki clone in Perl. Not only am I without grace with regards to Adobe products, but when i did finally figure out how to do it, it took a really long time.

"There has got to be a better way," I thought, relying on my old buddy, Google, to help come up with one. It had to be fast, easy to use, and, most of all, free.

Meet Avery Lee, codec guru and Open Source advocate of virtualdub.org. Virtualdub is the answer to all of these problems. From the web page:

I basically started VirtualDub in college to do some quick capture-and-encoding that I wanted done; from there it's basically grown into a more general utility that can trim and clean up video before exporting to tape or processing with another program. I released it on the web and others found it useful, so I've been tinkering around with its code ever since. If you have the time, please download and enjoy.

My problem was to split up or edit down a large file, and with virtualdub and the right guide, I can rock a house party at the drop of a hat.
- posted by frank crist @ 3:16 PM