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Vic's Newbie Video Tutorials
~~Vic Ferri, WinTips and Tricks

Splitting an AVI file with VirtualDub

Note: If the file you need to split is an mpeg, see my other article on splitting MPEG files.

To split avis, we will be using the extremely popular and excellent VirtualDub which is totally free but more capable than many video editing programs costing hundreds of dollars. You can waste a lot of time and money searching for a satisfying video editing program, when all you may really need is VirtualDub. Note however, that VirtualDub is mainly for working with avi files - not mpeg files.

With VirtualDub, the video you capture (i.e., from television, vcr, digicam, etc.) is saved as an avi file which you can then edit as desired and encode (compress) with whatever codecs you have installed on your computer. Encoding avi to divx is very popular. For mpegs (both regular mpeg1 and dvd format, mpeg2) I recommend Tmpgenc which like VirtualDub is excellent and a very highly regarded video utility.

As you will see, splitting avi files with VirtualDub is super easy.

First, download VirtualDub which you can get here:
http://virtualdub.sourceforge.net/

The current version as of this writing is 1.5.10 and that is the version we will be using for this tutorial.

Once downloaded, there is no install needed. Simply extract the contents of the zip file to a folder of your choice and double click VirtualDub.exe to start the utility.

This is the interface you will see when you open VirtualDub (after accepting the licencse agreement and terms)

As you can see, the interface is blank because we haven't opened any file to edit, so let's begin by opening the video file you wish to split.

Here we will assume you want to split your avi video into two parts, with the first part starting from the beginning of the video. But, as you will realize, you can split your avi in any way you wish using the same method.

1. On the menu bar, click File>Open video file
Browse to select and open the avi file you wish to split.

The interface will then change with two side by side video windows:

2. On the menu bar, click Video and make sure Direct Stream Copy is selected (what this means is that the file will be not be re-encoded, which would lead to deterioration of the video quality)

3. Next, on the menu bar, click Audio and, just as you did for video, make sure Direct Stream Copy is checked there too.

4. Notice the frame indicator at the bottom. It indicates the frame number you are on. Since we are beginning the split from the very start of the video, make sure the video is rewound to the beginning.

The frame status should read:
Frame 0 (0:00:00.000) [K]

5. Now, press the Home key on your keyboard. This will mark Frame 0 as the beginning point of your split and, on the status bar, it should read: Start offset set to 0ms. Notice the little up arrow under the slider bar handle. That's the split marker.

6. Next hold down the SHIFT key and drag the slider handle to the point you want to end your first split. When you reach that point,press END on your keyboard. This marks your end point and you should now see the the part you want to split highlighed in blue.

7. Now you're ready to save the first split. Simply click File >Save as AVI and choose the location where you want to save the file.

8. Once your first part is saved, press the Home key again, which will then set the beginning of the second split to where the first split ended. As you did before, hold down the Shift key, drag the slider to where you want the second part to end, press END and save it as you did the first part.

DONE!

As you should be able to surmise, you can split your avi in any way you wish this way. It is simply a matter of setting a starting point with the Home key and and ending point with the End key (just remember to keep the Shift key pressed down while dragging the slider to set your start and end points) Then save your file.

Can it get any easier than that?

P.S. If you'd like to learn more about digital video and keep up to date with what is happening in the digital video world subscribe to Computer VideoMaker magazine. Free sample issue available. As a bonus, you get a free trial cd of five Ulead video programs when you subscribe. Just click here or on the VideoMaker logo on the left sidebar of this page

Vic Ferri owns the very popular WinTips and Tricks and Registry Answers.  Subscribe to either and receive free Windows and Registry Tips.  He is also in charge of the Printing Tips  pages at Linda's Computer Stop.  Vic has also created a program which allows you to Lock & Hide desktop folders in Windows 9X/ME.  Read more and get the free demo here.  And, he now offers a service to convert PowerPoint presentations to .exe files which can be viewed on computers which do not have PowerPoint installed.