No video (black screen) in exported MP4

FELIX_FELIX

I just purchased VIDEOPAD (after the demise of good old Windows Movie Maker. I use a fully-updated Win 7 OS. Never had problems making or editing MP4 videos before. Now, the output of VIDEOPAD is just a black screen when I try to play the exported MP4 in Windows Media Player. Oddly, it works in VLC Media player but, that's not why I bought VIDEOPAD - it was supposed to be a replacement for 'quick and dirty' old Windows Movie Maker for simple videos consisting of a single MP4 video stream and a single .wav audio track (manually sync'd)...perhaps with a few static slides at the beginning and the end and normally, cross-fading between all of the elements...

What is wrong? I have a registered version...my video cards have no problem with anything else I do...(I have a three monitor setup)...

HELP!

Felix

borate

Likely caused by a missing codec for WMP, while VLC uses its own.

Try exporting with MPEG encoding. Click the ENCODING button and make that choice. Try an AVI export, instead of Mp4.

If no joy, please upload your project to a server - Dropbox, Google Drive, MS OneDrive, etc. - and link it here. Someone will have a look.

Click FILE|SAVE AS PORTABLE PROJECT and upload the folder that results.

c_major_2

@FELIX FELIX

Please export a short mp4 video which works in VLC but not Windows Movie Maker. Upload the file to a server so we can have a closer look.

FELIX_FELIX

to C_major / admin:

re: black screen on MP4 exports / VideoPad 5.01

OK...so, I tried a SHORT 20 second 854x480 @ 29.97 FPS .MP4 import INTO VideoPad with one ,jpg slide ahead of it...and a crossfade...You suggested MPEG encoding rather than what seems to be the default H264 setting - so I changed it to MPEG4

Since I generally prefer MP4 as my final container, I EXPORTED IT AS .MP4 but with Mpeg encoding you suggested - the resulting exported SHORT MP4 worked
EXPORTED IT AS .AVI but with Mpeg encoding - the resulting exported SHORT MP4 also works
then I tried exporting it again, but flipping back the compressor on the encoding settings to H264 - as an .MP4 - and, you guessed it - BLACK SCREEN

SO, you are correct - the H264 settings in the encoder seem incompatible with Windows Media Player.

Can I set the encoder DEFAULT to stay at MPEG encoding? If so, how? Does it stay at that setting each time I open the program until I switch it?

Will keep you posted...THANK YOU - obviously, you KNOW your program!! I am looking forward to discovering that it's as 'easy' to use as old Windows Movie Maker - but so far some of the features are a bit opaque...

One comment: How about revising the default encoder settings to MPEG, for poor old former Windows Movie Maker users like myself running the still ubiquitous Windows 7 OS with Windows Media Player at the default player? Or perhaps just add the missing CODEC for Windows Media Player to make VideoPad compatible with Windows Media Player?

Felix in Toronto

FELIX_FELIX

...oh, and I won't bother with the working .MP4 export from VideoPad that did not work in Windows Media Player, but that worked in VLC...unless you REALLY insist. I don't like VLC, anyway...and the resulting .MP4 was really grainy and crappy...I am happy that VideoPad seems to be able to export .MP4 container format. The final test would be to try a longer video with the encoder settings set to Mpeg...but that's another day...!!

borate

There's no Mp4/H264 limitation here in WMP, which hints at the need for the necessary codec on your system.

Tools exist to find the specific codec, but folks have had luck with a codec pack - perhaps overkill, with slight potential for codec conflicts, but generally effective.

Suggest that you install the well thought of, widely used K-Lite basic codec pack. Click on the 'Mirror 1 or 2' links only.

c_major_2

@FELIX FELIX

We have no problem playing H.264 with WMP here. I think @[deleted] is right so please install the codec pack and let us know if it works.

Mison

Hi Borate and C_major,

Just downloaded the codec but to no avail. So I have uninstalled the VP sw completely, to reinstall it. Can you give me a recommended link for the VideoPad software to reinstall?

I would really like to get this working, as I'm demonstrating it to someone else as a recommendation on Wednesday. Obviously I can't recommend it if I can get it working.

Kind regards,

Martin

Mison

Hi - following the codec download, I reinstalled VideoPad and now am able to play .MPG file only on Windows Media Player. It doesn't play an exported .MP4 file. Do you have any suggestions?

borate

WMP won't play an Mp4 with H264 decoding exported with standard defaults? Upload the file to a server and link it here. Someone will test it.

Mel

I am also having issues exporting the video. the audio exports, and the overlay text exports, but the main video remains a black screen. I have switching between MP4, AVI, MOV and switching the encoding from H264 to the MPEG encoder and still nothing works. I've also tried to open the video in VLC and my built in movie player. I didn't used to have this issue. I purchased the software a year ago, and then had to purchase the new upgrade and re-register. Why isn't it working?

borate

Install this version and see if it solves your problem. Ignore any virus warnings.

Easton_Bobo

Holy god, thank you so much for that download, ive uploaded about 30 different videos to youtube it either being a black screen with audio, or 2 seconds of audio, i couldnt figure out how to fix it, i tried changing the file types, all that, but its just as simple as a different version lmao thanks