We are many users who are used to dealing with home videos on our computer. In case we are not great experts in the field and we only need to have the possibility of capturing or cutting pieces of any video, we will not need a great editing tool. For this we can use simple and free software such as VirtualDub .
In order to carry out basic editing tasks in our day-to-day life, on many occasions we do not need large editing programs , which, in general, are usually not very accessible due to their price, but we must direct our sights to free applications that do not consume many resources of our computer. Cut video, add filters, capture, create an animated GIF … for these tasks we can use a basic editing program like the one we are going to see next, although ease of use is not exactly its strong point.
VirtualDub, a basic tool for video editing
VirtualDub is an excellent online video editor with capacity for batch processing , so that we can process large amounts of files, as well as apply third-party video filters . Its main use is mainly oriented to the processing of AVI files, although it allows reading files in MPEG-1 and managing sets of images in BMP format. With this tool we can cut and clean videos before exporting or processing them with other programs. We can also make changes thanks to your selection of filters or compress any video.
It should be noted that the goal of a program like VirtualDub is not to compete with professional editing programs like Adobe Premier, but rather that their expectations are much more modest. Its main task is through more basic actions that can be carried out by all kinds of users, even for those who do not have much experience in the matter, such as copying or pasting fragments, applying filters or encoding a file. The problem, as we will see later, is that the interface is not very intuitive to handle, which can be more of a problem for the most inexperienced users.
Main features
- Delete any fragment from a video.
- Monitor and regulate the audio level.
- Cut and paste videos.
- Real-time image processing.
- Coding of video or audio chains.
- Change the format.
- Control the frame rate.
- Extract or delete an audio chain.
- It has a list of tasks.
- Supports video captures.
Supported formats
- Avi
- DIVX
- MPG
- MPEG
- MPV
- M1V
- DAT
- ANIM
- FLM
- GIF
- PNG
- BMP
- TGA
- JPG
- Jpeg
- IFF
- AVS
- VDR
How to spoil a user experience with an interface
Once we run VirtualDub we find a very simple interface with a very poor visual appearance, complicated and difficult for the user to understand . In addition, it is completely in English so the first impression can throw us back a little. At the top we find the toolbar, organized by tabs. In it we will find the sections of File (File), Edit (Edit), See (View), Audio, Video, Options (Options) and Tools (Tools).
Within the Video tab, we find options for the treatment of them. So we can find the tabs for filters, frame rate, compression, range, select range, smart rendering. One of the most interesting options is “Compression” , from which we can divide, cut and extract fragments of a video file, using the position slider.
Once the video has been processed, we can save it in AVI, make an animated GIF or save an image by capturing, among others. If we want to obtain an animated GIF from our video, we can do it easily. Simply select the desired fragment of the video from the slider. Next, we go to “File”, click on “Export” and then “Animated GIF”.
It is also possible, through the use of this software, the possibility of extracting images from a video or saving captures , something that can be quite useful for us. The process to do it is similar to the previous one, going first to the “File” tab. Click again on “Export” and finally on “Image sequence”. The program will allow us to select the output format of the image by finding the options of JPEG, PNG and TARGA.
Download VirtualDub
VirtualDub is free software , which is distributed under the General Public License (GPL) and that we can download from its website . It is compatible with the Windows operating system from Windows 98 to Windows 10, supporting 32-bit and 64-bit versions. We will only have to download a zip file that weighs less than 5 MB . Once unzipped, it does not need installation, since we will only have to run the Veedub64.exe file to start using it.
The latest stable version is 1.10.4 corresponding to December 2013 . This does not indicate that we are before a software that has been unsupported for 7 years by the developer, although the program works correctly, we cannot expect improvements in it at the moment, being able to find better options on the market. support.
Alternatives to VirtualDub
If you are looking for a program to make basic video edits, we propose a couple of alternatives to VirtualDub that you can download to try:
Simple Video Cutter
It is a video editing application that includes compatibility with numerous video formats, among which the most popular ones are AVI, MP4, FLV, WMV, MOV, VOB and 3GP. It has a fast file processing, making quality cut and without loss in the videos. It is extremely fast and effective, being able to cut a 100 MB file in just ten seconds. We can download Simple Video Cutter for free from the GitHub page.
MiniTool MovieMaker
This software is a complete and simple video editor that will allow us to create videos without having much experience in the field. It also incorporates a video trimmer with which we can divide large videos into small clips using its timeline. In addition, we can add different types of effects and transitions just by dragging and dropping the file on its interface. If you want to get free MinoTool MovieMaker you can download it from its website .
