Chop long clips into separate files without re-encoding

[Angelo Lorenzo]

Download FFMPEG and read the documentation for the commands -ss and -t as these are the seek and duration commands.

An example command line would be something similar to:

ffmpeg.exe -r:0 29.97 -i input.mov -codec:v copy -codec:a copy -ss 3 -t 10 split_output.mov

The -r tag forces the framerate for the input file which FFMPEG can sometimes read incorrectly during splitting. The -codec:v copy and -codec:a copy means that I want to copy the video and audio without recompressing. -ss seeks in 3 seconds (this can be fine tuned, read documentation) and -t sets duration.

Should work fine. You may find that the first or last frame are black, but that’s the worst of things since most h.264 files are interframe.

A note for Premiere users: You may have to rename .mov files to .mp4 to dodge Quicktime processing, otherwise the file may not import for additional editing….. generally not good to split interframe codecs.

——————–
Angelo Lorenzo

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[Eric Nord]

Thanks, Angelo. That would definitely work. I’ve been using FFMPEG indirectly through various RAW conversion utilities.

I’m hoping there is an app that can give me both the ability to scrub and find in/out points, as well as doing the splitting. As a bonus, it would be nice to do it batch-style. But obviously I’m at the mercy of the software that’s available.

[Angelo Lorenzo]

You could try XMedia Recode (for Windows) which appears to be a front end for FFMPEG that has a preview area to set in and out. The interface is not beginner friendly but if you have experience with FFMPEG then the options presented will make sense.

https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.xmedia-recode.de%2Findex.html (site is in German, program installs in English)

In and Out marks are noted in text boxes under preview timeline, you won’t see markers.

——————–
Angelo Lorenzo

Need to encode ProRes on your Windows PC?
Introducing ProRes Helper, an awesome little app that makes it possible
Fallen Empire Digital Production Services – Los Angeles
RED transcoding, on-set DIT, and RED Epic rental services
Fallen Empire – The Blog
A blog dedicated to filmmaking, the RED workflow, and DIT tips and tricks
Can your post production question fit in a tweet? Follow me on Twitter

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[Eric Nord]

That worked! Thanks for the heads-up. XMedia Recode is a great tool. Tons of options.

I pick the input file type, set the video mode to “copy”… and it dupes without converting. Perfect! There’s no batch processing (but I’m making small clips, so it’s not a big deal).

Great find!