Monday, December 15, 2008

Converting Those Pesky Digital Camera Movies

While I don't really rely on it too much because the video is a bit weak compared to our digital camcorder (which is four years old, no less), I do appreciate that my camera can record short movies. There are times when you just don't have your camcorder on hand (or charged, not that I would know anything about that) and a picture just isn't good enough. However, there's a problem. When you upload these videos to your computer and try to dump them into video editing software, such as MovieMaker, you discover they aren't compatible. Nearly every digital camera out there uses Quicktime format when creating video. It does save space on your card, but until you convert it, there isn't much you can do with it. I decided it was time I solved this problem, so I spent some time tonight searching for a solution. And, I found one. Free, nonetheless! The program is called the RAD Video Tools. You can find it here. I've already used it to convert several of my backlogged videos, and it's a fairly simple tool. Go here for some basic instruction on how to use the program to convert your files. I have heard there are other free tools to convert your video, so if you aren't happy with this, by all means keep looking. There is also plenty of software you can buy if you want something a little nicer. I really don't care about bells and whistles, however. That's why I have the Adobe video editing software. I just needed a program to convert my useless MOV files, which this definitely is. *Make sure you have the latest Quicktime player, however. If you don't, your video won't convert properly. I learned this the hard way!

2 sonar pings:

Emily said...

I am going to do this!!! Thanks for the info!

Emily Snow said...

I'm so glad to know there is a solution and I'm glad that you blogged about it so I didn't have to do any research! Thanks!