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

Splitting an MPEG video file using TMPGEnc

Note: If it is an AVI file you need to split, see my Splitting Avi Files article.

To split your mpeg file, we will be using the very popular and highly regarded utility, TMPGEnc, which comes in both a free and paid version
For splitting typical mpegs, the free version will do, but note that if the mpeg is mpeg2 (DVD format), there is a 14 day trial limit on using TMPGEnc's mpeg2 feature in the free version.

To download the free version of TMPGEnc and learn more about it go here:
http://www.tmpgenc.net/e_main2.html

The latest version as of this writing is 2.521, which is what we will be using for this tutorial.

Once downloaded, simply extract the zipped files to a folder of your choice and double click TMPGEnc.exe to start the utility. No install is needed.

Here we will assume you want to split your mpeg file into two separate files, but as you will see by the process involved, you can split your file into as many segments as you need and the segments can be any portion of your video.

Start TmpGenc and if the Project Wizard comes up click Cancel. Then click File>MPEG Tools

You should now see the window below.

Under the Merge&Cut tab click Add to browse and choose the file you need to split.

Once you add your video file, make sure the file path is selected and then click Edit.

4. After clicking Edit, your video file will be loaded and you will see this video editing window which is where we will be marking our split points.

We will use the slider bar handle to set the start and end points of your splits.

To set the start point

Drag the slider handle to the point you want your first split to begin and then click the first button with the { bracket symbol, as indicated by the mouse pointer in the above screenshot. This marks your start point - notice the little marker arrow under the start point.

In the above screenshot, we wanted to begin the first split at the "Showtime Presents" intro frame so we dragged the slider to reach that point and then clicked the button to mark it. As you can see, it so happened to be 29 seconds (00.00.29) from the beginning of the video.

To set the end point

Continue dragging the slider handle to the point you want the first split to end and then click the second bracket symbol button, as indicated by the mouse pointer below. This marks your end point and your first split is now marked - highlighted in blue.

Note that the 39.20 you see to the left of the slider indicates the position of the end point (not the total time of your split). The Range fields indicate your actual start and end times.

Tip - If you need to adjust the start or end time points more precisely, you can use the left and right arrow keys on your keyboard to advance the slider one frame at a time. (The above video was captured at 30 frames per second so that would mean it would take 30 key presses to advance the video one second.) You can also use the Range up and down arrows, instead of the slider bar, to mark your start and end points by actual time.

Once you are satisfied with your start and end points, you are ready to save your first split. Click OK, which will close the video window and bring you back to the previous window.

Now we are ready to save our first split. Click the Browse tab to select where you want to save your first video split and give it a name. The extension will be mpg. Then click Run.

The process to save your first split will now begin.

The time it takes to process and save your file will depend on how large your file is and/or how fast or slow your computer is. In this example, the file size is 31.06 mbs and took about 2 minutes to save using an older computer - a Pentium 400 with 255 mbs of ram on a Windows 98se system.

Once saved, click Edit again. This will take you back to the video window and you will see your first split - the start and end points - still there. Just repeat the method you used for the first split to mark and save your second split.

Here's a screenshot showing the second split marked with the start point beginning at the end point of the first split (39:20:46) and ending at (Last) which means the end of the video. You would then just click Ok and repeat the save steps.

And that's all there is to it - actually much less to it then it was to explain it. LOL

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, which is the premiere publication for digital videophiles. Free sample issue available. As a bonus, you get a free trial cd of five Ulead video programs when you subscribe. Subscription is only $14.97 for 1 year (13 issues)

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.