Meld Project To Video File Settings
Menu Command: File | Meld Project To Video File
Combines all audio and video sections into a single video file. After entering a filename and selecting
the video type to use, the following video and audio settings are presented.
When creating uploads for YouTube or Vimeo, the MPEG 4 file type is recommended. However the Windows Media Video
file type supports higher quality video due to limits in the MPEG 4 encoders included with Windows, so it is better
for offline storage.
The Animated PNG format is recommended only for creating brief website animation with transparency. Use low resolutions and frame
rates. The duration of the file should be less than a minute. Otherwise the size of the file will be far too large to be useful.
- Project range
- Sets the amount of the project to meld to the file.
- Entire project
- The entire project is melded to the file
- Selected sections
- Only the selected sections are melded to the file
- Up to edit marker
- The beginning of the project up to the current position of the edit marker is melded to the file. Set
the edit marker before melding.
- From the edit marker
- The end of the project starting at the current position of the edit marker is melded to the file. Set
the edit marker before melding.
- Quick presets
- Provides a drop-down list of commonly used settings. Some file types support a
very limited combination of settings, so some presets may not be fully supported. The closest matching
settings are selected. When saving as MP4 video, for example, the audio encoder included
with Windows supports only 1 or 2 channels and only bitrates of 192kHz and below. Be sure to check all the
settings after selecting a preset.
- Video settings
- Sets video encoding attributes.
- Resolution
- Sets the horizontal and vertical size in pixels of each frame in the video. For HD video, use a resolution
of 1920 x 1080. For Internet video, a lower resolution should be used to reduce download size or
streaming bandwidth.
- Maintain aspect ratio by
- Lists different methods to preserve the aspect ratio of the video if the resolution aspect ratio doesn't match
the project's set under Options | Project.
- Off (stretch) - No aspect ratio adjustments. The video is stretched to fit the given resolution. Round
or square objects may appear oval or rectangular in the melded video.
- Letterbox - Uses black horizontal rows at the top and bottom or vertical columns (pillars)
on the left and right sides of the video to preserve the aspect ratio.
- Crop - Trims the sides or top and bottom of the video to fit it in the given resolution. Anything in the trimmed
regions will not be visible in the melded video.
- Video frame rate
- Sets the frame rate of the video in frames-per-second. A lower frame rate requires less storage and bandwidth, but the
video may appear less fluid or smooth.
- Video bitrate
- Sets the quality and size of the video. Bitrates around 5,000 to 10,000 kbps give good quality for high resolution
videos. Use higher bitrates for HD quality. To make smaller files, reduce the resolution to 360p or lower and set the
bitrate to under 5,000 kbps.
- Audio settings
- Sets audio encoding attributes.
- Channels
- Sets the number of channels in the melded file. Select "None" to create a video only file. Not all file formats
support all combinations of channels. MP4 video supports only mono and stereo encoding.
- Sampling rate
- Sets the sampling rate.
- Audio bitrate
- Sets the quality of the audio in kilobits-per-second. Higher bitrates generally give higher quality, but require more storage.
- Play video when finished
- Plays the video using the computer's default video playback program.