How to export a small fragment of larger clip

Filip_Amator

I am trying to chop a long clip into small pieces. It is VideoPad 6.32. For unknown reason every time when I try to export a clip the whole clip is exported.

Under 'clip preview' I selected with red and blue brackets appropriate fragment of the clip. I added this fragment into 'Sequence 1' visible at the bottom of the window. I see 'video track 1' and 'audio trace 1' in this sequence. When I select a 'Export' item from menu bar and later 'Video File...' instead of sequence the whole clip is exported. Is this a kind of bug?

borate

Here's one way, no matter how many clips are on the timeline...

Split out the segment to be exported. Use the chevron to the right of the SPLIT icon (under the preview window) to select which track is to be affected - otherwise ALL will be split.

Select the newly split out segment and press <ctrl-C>.

Create a new blank sequence by clicking the + sign to the right of the existing sequence tab (at the left, above the timeline).

Place the scrubber (the red line) at the head of the sequence and press <ctrl-V>.

Export that sequence.

[deleted]

An alternative...

Save the project
Move cursor to start of segment requiredand click the scissors icon (Split)
Move the cursor to the end of the segment and click the scissors.(Split)
Click on to select and delete everything to the left of your first split
Click on and delete everything to the right of the last split. This will leave just your segment on the timeline
Click on and close any gaps
Export the segment.
Reload the saved project to get back to the whole timeline.

Nat

user007

Just mark the fragment (it could consist of several clips) in the timeline and "copy" it (ctrl-C).

Open a new new sequence in the timeline and "paste" (+ in the timeline) the copied fragment there (ctrl-P).

You may export the fragment (added sequence) using different name ("Export video file" button).

I normally use the opposite procedure - I create several sequences in the timeline (up to 2-3 min long) and test & modify exporting every small sequence several times until it is ready in final version. Finally I create a final video consisting of several ready parts (sequences) - just using the first sequence timeline (final video) and copy&paste there the added & prepared small parts (timeline sequences 2+3+4...). If necessary I add background music and title/s and export the final video. In this way testing and preparing&exporting small parts of the video is faster (exporting & testing long video in 4K could be quite long for a long video).

jimr17

NONE OF THESE SUGGESTIONS WORK - I've spent hours trying to see what I am doing wrong - but I am having the exactly same problem every time - Export previews and says the file will be 265 MB but then it produces a 10 GB file of the entire file that I am trying to get a clip of. I've created sequences, split them, copied and pasted into new sequences, selected export from the main menu, the sequence menu, the export menu. Made sure the clip was selected in the bottom portion of the screen (changed the choices from video file on the top left tabs to sequence and back, made sure that either clip preview or sequence preview was selected in the preview screen on the top right. Tried exporting all these different ways - but same result - Export dialog says the file will be about 250 MB - actual file size over 10 GB - almost same size as the original full file.

SO FRUSTRATED WITH THIS PROCESS!!!

borate

Makes no difference which method is used for the EXPORT. The sequence visible on the timeline (as chosen by the SEQUENCE tab just above the timeline) will be exported.

Thus, if you have pasted a portion of sequence 1 into a blank sequence 2, and have sequence 2 displayed on the timeline, then EXPORT will act upon only that sequence.

[deleted]

Hi J17

"NONE OF THESE SUGGESTIONS WORK"

The topic was "How to export a fragment of a larger clip" and my reply addresses this.

Are you saying that my suggestion above does not work? It's a basic routine for isolating a fragment of a larger clip (or group of clips) on the timeline.

At export only what is present on the timeline, whether it be a single portion of a clip; a whole clip; multiple clips or nested sequences etc. will be exported. The size of the exported file will depend on the export settings.

Nat

jimr17

Borate & Nationalsolo

Thanks for the help. I tried to do what you suggested - but it is exporting the entire video not the sequence. Is there something wrong with my VideoPad version - I'm on 6.32. Should I unistall and reinstall? Could it be because I am editing 4K video files?

Unfortunately the suggestion did not work for me - here are the steps I did in a video file https://youtu.be/peyF0LaRDUI (sorry I didn't trim off the end - that is what I can't do with VideoPad yet - export a subset of the entire video).

Thanks again for any help/suggestions

borate

Something is not kosher here. Please upload the entire file per instructions in the "Tips to get help..." post near the top of this forum.

Then post a link to that file and indicate the start and end time of the section that you are trying to isolate and export. Someone will check it out.

[deleted]

Thanks for the demo vid. Very odd. VP should export just the timeline contents. :mellow: ...In fact a test here using a 5 min mpeg4 exported the last 1 min before your demo finished playing! Upload your project as Borate suggests so someone can try it out. Couple of questions though.....

Did you use the IN/OUT markers on the clip in the bin or the whole clip already on the timeline? (It's on the timeline at the start so can't see this)
If you place the whole clip on the timeline first and then use split/split/delete unwanted bits/close gaps ..to isolate the required bit..as per my earlier post..Does it then export OK?

I get the feeling it may be the actual steps you are using to do this from square 1 rather than a VP bug as it's such a common manipulation. Any chance you could set out every step in sequence e.g.
Load 6 min clip to clip bin.
Select clip and in clip preview use cursor and in/out markers to isolate las minute of clip.
Drag the clip (now shortened) from the clip bin to video track 1..........etc.

That way anybody can reproduce your moves and hopefully isolate what might have gone wrong.

HNY

Nat

jimr17

Thanks again Borate and Nationalsolo - I'll start from scratch and record what I'm doing. Have to finish some work first before I can play 🙂

jimr17

Hi Again Borate and Nationalsolo - here is the clip where I used a new project - grabbed a clip - put it down on the timeline and tried to export it but it exports the entire video file loaded to the Video Files tab on the top left - instead of the 1:20 clip that I put down on the timeline.

https://youtu.be/xb2kAbEznLM

borate

Cut a :50 slice out of a 50 minute 300MB file here in the same manner as your demo and it exported just that section.

What occurs when a smaller file is handled in the same manner?

Though 10GB is hefty, if you have a way to upload it to a server and link here someone will try to duplicate your result.

Perhaps you can chop it to a more manageable size. If the problem persists, upload the abridged file.

[deleted]

Hi Jim

The steps you are taking are correct as far as I can see and they do work correctly here.. The section on the timeline SHOULD be the bit that exports. (Exporting time and size depends on your settings )n but it should still only be the bit you isolated. I know it's of little consolation but I have duplicated what you did with a 1 hour 4Gb single MPEG4 clip and extracted a 1 min section near the end; it exported OK here.

There are a couple of things however I notice regarding the file you exported.

The ORIGINAL clip in the clip bin shows the first frame as is normal in the clip preview......Note the player in a distinctive white shirt.

The first frame you isolate in the preview is this ...... It's obviously not the frame above and is, as expected the frame where you cut it... Nothing abnormal here...

Now, although it's rather small and somewhat fuzzy, the frame (the first frame) of the exported clip (I assume it's your exported clip.....which appears below for only a fraction of a second in your video) does not show the first frame of the original clip as I would have expected if that had been erroneously exported. It seems to show the correct frame of the start of the isolated segment which would be correct..It does look like the frame above. It's certainly not the initial frame of the original clip with the prominent player in white.

Disregarding the actual SIZE of the export which can be simply due to the export settings etc. It does seem from this that the export IS possibly correct. Are you certain it isn't your short segment despite its apparent size?

What actually plays when this file is shown?

Nat

jimr17

Here is the video file I'm editing https://drive.google.com/open?id=1yGy37rKzcgtneaN1bbl1IXnAqUZAK5ZD

I'll try with a different size video file and see what happens.

Thanks again for all your help! - Jim

borate

Downloaded your file and ran four tests: 25-->50-second clips created just as you described - mp4 with default 4K settings. Each produced the expected result.

Estimate was 349MB, actual was 560MB for a 50-second clip.

After dropping the clip to the timeline, best results may be obtained by waiting for it to cache fully. Watch the green line just above the thumbnails.

When that was done, export took only a few seconds. Your mileage will vary, of course, depending upon PC capabilities.

jimr17

I tried that again - fully waiting for the green line to complete. Same Result abnormal result for me - I am uninstalling the program including all related Data and will reinstall to see if that helps. Thanks again for testing

niacin

I have the same problem. It appears that the cut/split function isn't working properly so the segment I have cut out is on the preview screen and on the timeline, but if I check the properties info it tells me that it's, e.g., 12-20 minutes, so it's like the split function has just bracketed the section instead of cut and deleted either side of it, and so when I save it the original full length clip is saved. Very frustrating.

borate

Upload a source file that you have not edited. Post the IN/OUT times of that file that you dropped onto the timeline with the intent to export. Post several examples if you like.

Someone will attempt to duplicate your effort.

jimr17

I'll try to do that later today - however, I am more confident that this is some kind of issue with my install of Videopad (and not user error). Note that I installed the version from the Microsoft Store first, then uninstalled that when I realized I had purchased Videopad 18 months ago for a different project and could pay a lower upgrade fee. Then I installed the desktop version from the VideoPad website. Uninstalled and tried again - same result.

Since then I have done the exact same steps (roughly given the differences in interface) with Movai, Wondershare Filmora, and Divinci Resolve, - All successfully exported just the clip. Even though with Divinci it took some time to realize that you had to change the workspace to Deliver and the rendering options are many - which takes some adjustment.

So I am confident that I am following the right steps - the export/rendering process from VideoPad is just not doing things correctly. As a hint, after uninstalling and reinstalling there was a quick box that popped up and disappeared before it could be read before the first export happened - that did not happen again with other exports.

Jim