YouTube has added commands to the video hosting platform to correct the aspect ratio of already uploaded videos. While the end result won’t be as pretty as re-processing the video, it will save the director the troubles of doing that.

Take a look at the following two screenshots. The first shows a video that I have recently uploaded to YouTube. It has black bars on the right and left. The second screenshot shows the same video after making the changes on YouTube. It is now stretched. The bars are gone.

YouTube some time ago has added commands that are executed when added to a video’s tags. Commands are available to get rid of black bars on videos. Here are all commands that you can utilize.

• yt:crop=16:9 – This tag crops the video. It basically means that the player zooms in on the video so that contents at the borders may be not visible anymore.
• yt:stretch=16:9 – Stretches the video into a 16:9 format. This is the tag I have used for the video. Depending on the size of the black bars, it may make the video look distorted.
• yt:stretch=4:3 – Another stretch command. This stretches the video into a 4:3 format instead.
• yt:quality=high – Sets the video to play in high quality, if a hq version of the video has been uploaded by the owner.

You can apply tags by clicking on the Edit button next to the video in your YouTube videos listing.

Just copy and paste the commands into the tags text box and click Save Changes afterwards. Re-open the video on YouTube and watch how the tag modified the aspect ratio. You may need to reload it once or twice for that. If you are not happy with the result go back and use another tag or remove the existing one.

The options to crop or stretch videos will usually not result in optimal videos. Videos may look to stretched or important parts of the video may be missing if you have selected to crop it. In that case, you may have no other choice but to process it again on your local computer.

The main advantage of those video tags is the fact that you do not have to process and upload the video again to YouTube.

Here is a video that demonstrates use of the video tags.

As a content creator. How do you handle black bars in videos? As a user on YouTube: Do you prefer black bars over stretched videos?

VirtualDub is a portable software, which means that you can run it from anywhere without installation. Start by loading your video into the software. This is done via File > Open Video File. I suggest you check both the Video and Audio menus to make sure that Direct Stream Copy is enabled. This speeds up the splitting considerably.

Select the beginning frame of the first part of the movie. This is done with a click on the frame bar at the bottom of the screen. If you want it to begin at the first frame, do nothing and select Edit > Set Selection Start. Now switch to the end frame for the first part of the video. For my purpose, I selected it to be around 14:30 minutes in. You set the end frame under Edit > Set Selection End. All selected frames should now be highlighted on the frame bar.

To save the part of the movie select File > Save Avi As from the menu. This saves only the selection that you have made. Make sure you pick a different file name. Once the part has been saved select Edit > Set Selection Start again, and move the position to the end of that part of the video. Repeat the process until you have segmented and saved the video.

Some users may want to automate that process. They can do so under File > Save Segmented Avi. Here they can limit the number of video frames per segment, and / or the file segment size limit.

It is not possible to segment by playing time directly, but you could use the frames limitation option for that. You may need to link specific frame rates to times though, which you can do in the main interface. Just click on the frame bar to check frames and playing times to get the right frame count for each part.

Users who want to split videos or movies can download the latest version of VirtualDub from the developer website.

But fear not, there is a fix. Although a bit kludgy, there is a way you can solve this problem. So, if you are itching to create animated titles for your video projects, after just a minimum amount of work, you can do so.

First things first

You will want to make sure you are up to date on both OpenShot and Blender. Better yet, let’s go from a clean install and install the pieces manually. First let’s get OpenShot installed. If you are using Ubuntu greater than 9.10 you will need to follow these instructions:

1. Open up a terminal window.
2. Issue the command sudo add-apt-repository ppa:jonoomph/openshot-edge.
3. Issue the command sudo apt-get update.
4. Issue the command sudo apt-get install openshot openshot-doc.

You should now have the latest release of OpenShot on your Ubuntu machine. Now let’s get blender >=2.5 installed on your machine. Follow these steps:

Open up a terminal window.

1. Issue the command sudo add-apt-repository ppa:cheleb/blender-svn && sudo apt-get update
2. Issue the command sudo apt-get install blender

You should now have the latest version of Blender installed.

Configure Blender in OpenShot

You now have to make sure OpenShot knows where your blender executable is installed. The Blender executable will be found in /usr/bin/blender. Open up OpenShot and then click Edit > Preferences. In the resulting window make sure the Blender executable is /usr/bin/blender.

Apply the fix

Now for the fun part. In order to get animated titles working with CENTER alignment you have to run a fairly long command. The command must be run in the /usr/share/pyshared directory or it will not work. So follow these steps:

1. Open up a terminal window.
2. Change to the proper directory with the command cd /usr/share/pyshared.
3. Issue the command sudo sed -i 's/CENTRAL/CENTER/g' openshot/blender/*.xml openshot/blender/scripts/*.pysed -i 's/CENTRAL/CENTER/g'openshot/blender/*.xml openshot/blender/scripts/*.py sudo sed -i 's/CENTRAL/CENTER/g' openshot/blender/*.xml openshot/blender/scripts/*.pysed -i 's/CENTRAL/CENTER/g'openshot/blender/*.xml openshot/blender/scripts/*.py.

Yes the above command is all one line and it is very important that you run the command as such. You might see an error stating something to the effect that file(s) *.pysed cannot be found. That error is fine and will not prevent the fix from working.

Check the fix

This is simple. All you need to do is open up OpenShot, click Title > New Animated Title and then attempt to create a new animated title using the CENTER alignment. If you get no warnings or errors (which you shouldn’t) you are good to go.

Final thoughts

It’s good a solution for this problem is available, because the animated title feature in OpenShot is very nice to have. Animated titles make your video project all the more professional. Hopefully, in future releases, this will not be required.

OpenShot is a multi-timeline video editor that allows you to add music, effects, transitions, and multiple tracks all in a single, easy to use user interface. Even a novice can be editing videos within minutes of installation. Let’s take a look at the installation and basic use of OpenShot (NOTE: In later articles I will instruct how effects and transitions are done.)

Installation

OpenShot video editor can be found in all of the standard repositories, so installation is simple. Just follow these steps:

1. Open up your Add/Remove Software utility (such as Synaptic, Ubuntu Software Center, PackageKit, etc).
2. Search for “openshot” (No quotes).
3. Select OpenShot for installation.
4. Click Apply to install (or click the Install button if you are using the Ubuntu Software Center.)
5. Allow any/all dependencies to be installed.

Once the installation is complete you can close out the Add/Remove Software utility. You will then find OpenShot in the Applications > Sound & Video menu.

Usage

Figure 1

When you first open up OpenShot you will be greeted by the main OpenShot window (see Figure 1).

The first step in creating your video is to import files and add them to tracks. You can add videos, music, and images. Adding images allow you to create very nice transitions, or you can just create a video scrapbook if you like.

Once you have added all of the files to your project, you then must add the files to tracks. This is very simple. In the the left pane all of your files will be listed. Select the first file you want to add to the track and then drag it down to the track you want it to belong on.

Figure 2

The reason you have multiple tracks is that it makes creating transitions much easier. Once you have added your tracks you can then easily do things like fade a clip in and fade it out. To achieve this all you do is right-click a clip and select from the options. Figure 2 shows the available sub-menus you can apply to clips.

One nice touch is the title feature. You can create a title for your video that can be either static or animated. I will give you warning…if you are installing in Ubuntu the animated titles will give you fits if you attempt to Center the text. OpenShot relies on Inkscape to render the titles and there is a bug between the latest releases on each. This should be resolved soon, so the title pages will work fine in a release or two.

Final thoughts

OpenShot is an incredibly powerful video editor. What you have seen here is nothing but a scratch of the surface. In later articles I will demonstrate effects, transitions, and more.

That goes well with the recent trend towards HD on the Internet and television. Nero Video Premium HD enables the user to edit and create movies to burn and share them on DVD, Blu-Ray or online.

The included Blu-Ray player offers everything one would expect from a software player. It is certified and easy to use. All it really takes to play a Blu-Ray is to put it into the Blu-Ray drive, open Nero MediaHub and click on the play button. The player supports BD-Live extras, high-quality DTS audio, subtitles, multiple audio tracks and more.

Nero video Premium HD installs two separate programs on the computer. First, Nero Vision Xtra which is the creative software used to make movies and then the Nero MediaHub which acts as a hub for media on the computer system and connected devices.

Nero MediaHub

The media manager looks in the standard locations for media files and adds them automatically to the program. Users can add custom directories to the program if they store their media elsewhere. MediaHub does not only offer to manage media but also play it. It can play audio and video and display pictures as well.

It can furthermore load contents from optical discs such as DVDs or Blu-Rays and play them on the computer, or access data on connected devices. Music can be ripped from CD directly to the hardware. All it takes is to pop-in the music CD, select all of the tracks under the Optical Discs listing, right-click the selection and pick the Rip function. That’s comfortable. Nero connects to an online database to pull album information from there as well to tag the music automatically.

Another interesting option is the ability to create slide shows in the program. Slide shows consists of a theme, titles that are displayed at the beginning and end, and music that is played during the slideshow. Additional options are available to define the interval in which slides are changed automatically.

It is possible to add pictures and videos to the slide show and even mix the two. Basic photo editing is available in the program as well to make changes to the photos. One interesting option is the ability to publish or burn the created slideshow. Nero displays options to upload and share the media on popular web communities. The program supports the internal My Nero community as well as Youtube, MySpace, Flickr and Facebook for the publishing. Then again, users can also burn the media directly to an optical disk.

Nero Vision Xtra

Nero Vision Xtra is the creative part of the suite. With it users can make movies and slideshows (more advanced), capture video to hard drive, or make DVD, AVCHD, Blu-Ray discs or CDs. Probably the most used feature is the import feature from devices like camcorders. Nero Vision Xtra can import video from camcorders and break it down automatically into chapters. Users can then fine tune the video with transition effects and titles easily and add advanced video effects id desired.

But video and other media can also be taken from the computer system directly to create a movie. All available media in Nero MediaHub is available in Nero Vision Xtra for selection.

The movie creation interface looks intimidating on first glance for new users, but it should not be. Media can be added via drag and drop from the My Media section. It is then displayed in the timeline where it can be moved around freely. Users who add video for instance will see that it fills up the video 1 and audio 1 slots for the playtime if the video includes audio.

The default timeline lists two video and audio tracks, a master effects track, a narration track and a music track. A right-click opens a menu with options to add, rename, lock or hide tracks.

Playback options are available to play the movie at any step of the creation process.

But creating a movie is not only about adding video and audio to it. A large effect palette is available on the right side. Here it is again possible to add effects by simply dragging and dropping them on a video track or the master effects track. Most effects offer configuration options which can be edited directly beneath the effects palette.

Nero Vision Xtra can also add text or transitions to the movie easily. Users can add a theme to the movie and change a variety of settings including the output video format, resolution and audio format.

Created videos can be exported or burned to CD, DVD, AVCHD or Blu-Ray. Export options basically allow the user to create a file that can be uploaded on the web or shared via email. The program supports disc menus and comes with a vast amount of different themes that can be applied to the movie.

The installation took some time, and Nero Video Premium offers to install the ASK Toolbar during the process. Users should make sure to disable that option if they do not want to install that toolbar on their PC. The program is compatible with 32-bit and 64-bit editions of the Windows operating system.

Nero Video Premium HD Verdict

Nero Video Premium HD is likely one of the easiest programs to use in the video creation and editing niche. It is therefor excellent for users with little to no video editing knowledge who want to create or edit videos, for instance those they have taken with their camcorder or mobile phone. Most users should be familiar with the program in less than 30 minutes of working with it, experienced users in less time.

Nero Video Premium HD Giveaway

We have five licenses of Nero Video Premium HD that you can win. Which software are you using to edit and create videos on your PC? If this is your first time, let us know instead what kind of videos you would like to create with the Nero software.

Users who want to connect with Nero can visit the company’s Facebook page or Twitter account @NeroSolutions.

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PowerDVD 8 Ultra is (high definition) movie player with lots of extras like organizing the movie collection or creating movie remixes. The emphasize however lies on movie playback.

PowerDirector 7 Ultra is a advanced video editing software that is an all in one solution from capturing videos to producing them.

Cyberlink DVD Suite 6 on the other hand is a collection of various tools that included PowerDVD and PowerDirector plus many others that can be used for creating disk labels, backing up disks or copying disks.

PowerDVD 8 Ultra

The installation of PowerDVD 8 did not take longer than a minute and users of previous versions of the software will notice that there have not been drastic changes to the graphical user interface.

One of the main selling points of PowerDVD 8 is its support of high definition video formats including playback of Blu-Ray video content. The software is excellent for High-Definition and Home Theater enthusiasts who want to enjoy full high definition video and audio support. It should be noted that it is still possible to watch movie DVDs and other movie and video formats without problems.

PowerDVD 8 comes with a movie organizer that can be used to index and rate movies. This feature can connect you with PowerDVD’s Online Community to search for movies online and read the reviews of other users. There is also the option to create so called movie remixes and upload them to the community website.This feature makes it possible to add sounds, graphics or text to movies to personalize them.

PowerDirector 7 Ultra

PowerDirector 7 Ultra is a video editing tool. It can be used to turn videos on the computer’s hard drive (or digital camcorders) into movie disks that can be played on the computer or standalone movie players. Supported are the creation of Blu-Ray disks, DVD, VCD, SVCD and Double-Layer DVDs.

A second option is to convert videos into other formats so that they can be uploaded to the Internet or played on devices without optical drive including Apple’s iPod or iPhone and Sony’s PSP.

As video captures are concerned. PowerDirector 7 was able to identify virtually any device that was tested including DV, HDV, analogue and digital capture cards, webcams or soundcards.

PowerDirector 7 comes with a set of automated editing tools such as extreme backlight correction, noise reduction, red-eye removal or enhanced video stabilization.

Many users will probably be happy with a software that can capture a video that they have taken with their digital camcorder to turn it into a movie disk that can be played on any movie player.

Experienced users will love the advanced editing features of PowerDirector 7 Ultra which can add effects, subtitles and audio features to the movie before burning it to disk.

CyberLink DVD Suite 6 Ultra

CyberLink DVD Suite 6 Ultra is a multimedia software for working with high definition video and photos. It basically includes all the features of PowerDvd, PowerDirector, PowerProducer, Power2Go, PowerBackup, InstantBurn 5, PowerDVD Copy, LabelPrint 2 and PowerStarter 6 albeit in last years editions (the latest available version is CyberLink DVD Suite 7 Ultra).

Concentrating on the additional features: What does Cyberlink DVD Suite 6 Ultra put on the table? Many additional, smaller, software products have been added to the DVD Suite. They can be used for various tasks such as creating disk labels, making 1:1 copies of disks or backing up data on disks.

Up for grabs are two licenses for each product. All you need to do is to reply with a comment in this thread. Winners will be notified by email.

There are two major differences between Jumpcut and local video editing programs. The first is that you have to upload the raw video file before you can edit it. This can take some time depending on your upload speed. The second difference is a file size limitation of 100 megabytes which means that you either have to cut your raw video file into 100 Megabyte pieces or forget about editing it online at Jumpcut.

Jumpcut supports most of the commonly used video files including avi, flv, mpg and mov and uploading multiple files at once. It is also possible to upload pictures and audio files or import them from Flickr or Facebook. I tried the service today and somehow was not able to upload videos at all. The videos would stop at about 50-60%. I did try different videos and formats which can only mean that they have some problems at the moment.

The functionality that Jumpcug offers is pretty basic and thus easy to learn. You can slice, cut and duplicate the videos that you have uploaded, add titles and sounds to them, apply all kinds of nice effects (butterflies, invert and rain for instance) and apply actions to the video.

One thing is however really bothering me. There is no obvious way to download the created movie. You can publish it (public or private) on the Jumpcut website but I was not able to find a download link for the movie. This means that you have to use a download manager like Orbit, a plugin or extension to download the newly created movie.

Publishing the movie on the web does have some advantages. Instead of burning x movies for everyone who wants a copy you simply send everyone a link that points to the movie on the Internet.

Jahshaka looks like a complex tool at the beginning but it quickly becomes clear that the user interface is intuitive. I personally think that it would be a good idea to take a look at the beginners tutorial to understand the main features and interface. This has helped me a lot. Basic steps include loading one or more clips which do not have to be movie files but could be image files as well. You could use the image files for instance to blend in some logos before the clip starts.

I’m not a video editing professional and don’t use all the features that Jahshaka provides  – I’m happy that it does everything that I need a video editing software to do. I tried Jahshaka 2.0 RC4 although 3.0 RC1 was already out. Not sure though which new features have been introduced by this new version.

Please let me know what you think of this tool if you give it a try.