VLC is one of the most used and recognized media players.
It’s likely that you use it solely for watching videos and movies.
However VLC Media Player is full of useful tools and features that you are missing out
on.
VLC is one of the better free video converters available.
You can convert almost any video to a more preferable format, such as MP4.
To convert a video simply go to “Media” and choose convert / save.
Press “Add” then open the video you want to convert.
Click convert to continue.
Under the settings tab you can create a new profile.
These profiles consist of the settings that your new video will have.
On the opening menu you can pick the format you want the video to be in.
Switching to the video tab you can set your codec, quality and frame rate.
Switch to the audio tab.
Enable audio.
You can name your profile and save it for future use.
Select your profile.
Choose a file destination via the browse button.
Then press “Start” to convert your video.
VLC comes with inbuilt filters that you can apply and save to your video.
There is a wide range of effects that you can make use of, allowing you to add color,
sharpen the image, add motion blur or even crop out an area of the video.
To save an effect to your video go to the preferences menu.
Select “All” at the bottom of the window.
Find “Video” from the left pane and expand the “Filters” option.
Select the effect you want to add.
Adjust the settings.
Click on the “Filters” heading.
Check the effect you want to add, then press save.
To apply the effect go through the previously mentioned steps to convert your video.
When creating your profile head to the video codec section.
Enable video and go to the filters tab.
Check the box next to the effect then save your profile.
Now when you convert the video the effect will be added.
A full guide on how to crop a video using VLC will be included in the description below.
VLC has an inbuilt subtitle downloader that you can use to add subtitles to your movies
and shows.
To Add a subtitle to your video head to the menu and select view.
Choose VLSub and a new window will open.
Now you can select the language, title, season and episode you want the subtitles for, then
press search by name to find it.
A list of available subtitles will load, select one and choose to download it.
Your video will now have subtitles.
VLC Media Player can also be used to trim a video clip.
Start by opening the “Convert / Save” options from the media tab.
Press “Add”, select your video and open it.
Check the box to show more options.
Input the start and end times for your trimmed video.
Press “Convert / Save”.
Click the spanner icon to create your settings profile.
Select your video format.
Switch to the video codec tab.
Enable Video then set your codec.
Put the bitrate and quality to not used or zero.
Press save.
Click browse and give your new file a name and location to save to.
Press start and your new trimmed video will be exported.
If you’ve ever wanted to save a location in a video or movie to come back to later
then the bookmark feature in VLC is perfect for you.
To create a bookmark find the location you want to mark and press Ctrl B.
Press “Create” to make a new bookmark.
Rename the bookmark then close.
You can see your bookmarks by going to playback then custom bookmarks.
Clicking on one of the bookmarks will jump you to that point in the video.
You can also export your bookmarks.
First ensure you have opened the playlist options in the view tab.
Next open the Media options and choose to save the playlist.
I recommend saving the file in the same folder as the original video, with the same title.
Now when you launch the playlist file the bookmarks will be imported as well.
With VLC you can use the audio effects to improve how your videos sound.
To open the equalizer press the extended settings button at the bottom.
You can also open the effects menu by going to tools, then effects and filters.
Enable the equalizer then adjust the sliders to fine tune your audio.
VLC Media Player also has a range of video and color effects that you can apply to your
video.
You can find these effects in the extended settings.
Switch to the video effects.
Check the box at the top to get access to all your color options.
One downside to VLC is the outdated appearance and interface.
If you want to give your application a modern look there are several customisation options
available.
Hit the tools menu and choose “Customize Interface”.
A new window will open, allowing you to change the appearance of your interface.
You can also select “View” from the top menu and switch to the minimal interface.
If you’re like me then you probably spend a lot of time watching YouTube videos and
live streams.
VLC Media Player allows you to stream the content directly through the software.
If you have audio or visual settings that you like to use in VLC then this allows you
to stream content and apply the same effects to the media you’re watching.
Start by opening the “Media” options and selecting “Open Network Stream”.
Paste in your video URL, this also works for Twitch live streams.
Click play at the bottom, if yours says something different then click the arrow and select
play.
VLC Media Player also acts as a screen recorder.
Although limited in its capabilities it is still a useful option for casual use.
To record your screen press “Media” at the top of the window.
Select “Capture Device”.
Change the capture mode to desktop.
Set your frame rate, it is recommended that you use either 30 or 60.
Press the arrow next to “Play” and select “Convert”.
Input your recording settings via the gear icon.
I recommend using MP4 as the file type.
Switch to the audio tab.
Enable audio.
Keep the original audio track.
Switch to the video codec tab then enable video .
Input your settings or copy mine, then press save.
Press browse and choose a name and location for your screen recording.
Press start and your screen should automatically start recording.
When you have finished your recording you can stop it by pressing the stop button in
VLC.
If you are looking for a more powerful screen recorder then we highly recommend using the
free program OBS Studio.
If you’ve ever accidentally closed a video it can be annoying to find the file and open
it again.
Fortunately VLC has a solution built in.
Select “Media” then hover over “Open Recent” in the drop down.
You will see the 10 most recent videos and streams you’ve watched.
Select the video or stream to reopen it.
VLC also gives you the ability to slow down and speed up your video playback speed.
You can adjust the playback speed by right clicking on the video and selecting “playback”.
Hover over the “Speed” option and you will see all the available options for changing
the video playback speed.
I hope you enjoyed the video, if you want to learn about more features available in
VLC Media Player then check out the link in the description.
It will take you to a blog post where we cover a few more cool tips and tricks.
If you enjoyed the video then please consider dropping a like, and leaving a comment letting
us know what your favorite VLC feature is.
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