Best MP4 video editing and compression software?

aggravated... · Jul 21, 2015

I've not used any video editing software for several years and was wondering what the best options are nowadays. I'm looking for ease of use with good compression abilities. Nothing fancy, just a good solution that gets the job done without breaking the bank.

Jubalr · Jul 21, 2015

I've used several but for quick easy edits I like this one. About $59 and does a good job..http://www.avs4you.com/AVS-Video-Editor.aspx

aggravated... · Jul 21, 2015

Jubalr said:
I've used several but for quick easy edits I like this one. About $59 and does a good job..http://www.avs4you.com/AVS-Video-Editor.aspx

Looks good, how does it do on reducing the file size? Bandwidth sucks here and need to get these large MP4 files down to where they are manageable.

Jubalr · Jul 21, 2015

It has a great deal of pre-set parameters for different file sizes, compression, resolution, bit rate, etc. Should be easy to get what you need.

aggravated... · Jul 21, 2015

Not bad, testing it now. Thanks

Earldgrayjr · Jul 21, 2015

Dont forget the GoPro Studio... Nothing fancy, but does templates, clips, music, fisheye, protune, etc. etc. And it is free... I use that for simpe youtube stuff. I use Adobe and Red Giant for other things, but they aint easy or cheap...

tesmithp · Jul 21, 2015

Handbrake is a great tool for transcoding/compressing/resizing

rrmccabe · Jul 21, 2015

tesmithp said:
Handbrake is a great tool for transcoding/compressing/resizing

Yea its actually amazing. Great way to reduce file sizes without loss.

aggravated... · Jul 21, 2015

I've tried the GoPro Studio but probably not long enough. I'll look at Handbrake. What is your favorite Codec for compression in Handbrake?

Scott Bush · Jul 21, 2015

tesmithp said:
Handbrake is a great tool for transcoding/compressing/resizing

That's what I'm using to reduce file size.
Great free app...

rrmccabe · Jul 21, 2015

Well GP studio is quick and easy. Good way to remove fisheye and add filters like ProTune. However you cant really edit with it except for trims.

Handbrake you cant do anything with. Just makes files smaller. I normally just export in the H.264 codec.

tesmithp · Jul 21, 2015

aggravated... said:
I've tried the GoPro Studio but probably not long enough. I'll look at Handbrake. What is your favorite Codec for compression in Handbrake?

H.264 is what you want to use. This is probably the most common codec HD video is encoded with, they're just in different containers sometimes (MP4, WMV, MKV, MOV, ...)

Scott Bush · Jul 21, 2015

tesmithp said:
H.264 is what you want to use. This is probably the most common codec HD video is encoded with, they're just in different containers sometimes (MP4, WMV, MKV, MOV, ...)

He's right on the money with H.264. (MP4 and MOV are most used)
I think the main thing with handbrake is experimenting with Bitrates and quality settings.
Once you get those locked in to a video quality you like, SAVE it as a preset so you have it next time you launch the app.
Note: Handbrake has lots of settings to play with, just be patient….. and your find the one you like.

aggravated... · Jul 22, 2015

Excellent, thanks all!

kistent · Jul 28, 2015

yes, you can try handbrake, but you may be confused about its settings. This post can help you know about the detailed settings, three different tools are recommended. reduce (MP4) file size

aggravated... · Jul 28, 2015

Thanks Kistent

TonyZink · Apr 7, 2016

Is it best to compress video before or after editing? Does it matter?

rsimcox · Apr 7, 2016

I use Adobe Premier. Works great and with my cloud subscription, didn't cost anything extra.

franknitty69 · Apr 7, 2016

TonyZink said:
Is it best to compress video before or after editing? Does it matter?

you want to edit with the purest footage that your computer can handle. and compress when you are exporting. every time you convert you lose some quality even if it can't be seen. with gopro, the raw file is a compressed mp4 and if you go through gopro studio to convert it, the output is an uncompressed avi or mov (cineform). the conversion loses just a tiny bit of quality but cineform is so good you won't even be able to see it.

in general you want to edit with the raw file if possible. if your computer can't handle the raw file its ok to convert it to friendlier format, just know that you are losing quality. and then export to your desired format. and an alternative is to use proxies which lets you edit with a low quality copy and then when its time to render, replace the low quality source files with the raw files.

Oliver11 · Dec 15, 2016

Have you ever tried to use Video Converter Studio? It always work well for me for compressing videos. You can use it to set the file size and video format based on your needs. The disadvantage about using it is that it will make your computer run a little slow if you don't have enough memory on your computer.