With the help of Total Recorder VideoPro Edition, you can edit an existing AVI, WMV or FLV video file. You can delete a fragment, paste a fragment, paste a fragment from another file (as long as both files use the same format), save a fragment as a separate file, replace an audio track, and perform other operations.

The process of editing a video file in Total Recorder is very simple and is similar to editing an audio file. For more information about editing an audio file, refer to Total Recorder's online help files.

As in the case of audio files, an important advantage of Total Recorder is that any editing is nondestructive, which means there is no re-encoding and therefore no loss in video or audio quality. Nondestructive editing operations are performed very quickly in contrast to compression procedures. However, this also imposes some limitation in the accuracy of editing video files. If a video track is recorded in compressed format then editing (setting cut and paste points in a file) is possible only in key frames.

With some compressed formats (i.e. MJPEG, HuffYUV, DV, etc.), every frame is a key frame. For such formats, editing is performed with an accuracy of one frame.

Key frame editing

When compressing video, a codec, such as DivX, XviD or VP6, usually inserts a key frame every 1-10 seconds. For some codecs, this can be adjusted in the codec's settings before compression begins. For more information, see How to Convert Video Using Total Recorder VideoPro Edition. Key frames are special strong points in a video file. Nondestructive editing is performed based on these points.

The accuracy of video file editing usually varies from 1 to 10 seconds depending on the codec, its settings, and the content of the file. This accuracy is usually sufficient since a key frame is normally located in points where the video scene changes (i.e. in points where a considerable change in frame content takes place). If you need more precise file editing than with an accuracy of one key frame, you can always save the file in uncompressed format, perform editing operations, and then compress the file. However, this will lead to some loss in video quality.

In addition to the standard navigation buttons, the following buttons for moving within a file based on key frames are available: Left to the previous key frame and Right to the next key frame . For precise navigation within a video file, the following buttons for moving right and left by one frame are available: Left by one frame and Right by one frame .

Inserting/replacing an audio track

Another useful editing operation available in Total Recorder is inserting/replacing an audio track. If there is no sound in a video file or you do not like the sound that was recorded, you can either add an audio track or replace an old sound track with a new one using the following Total Recorder menu items:

Edit -> Add audio stream

or

Edit -> Replace audio stream