Re editing an older video file via conversion to AVI can facilitate fixing problem videos.

If you are one who regularly uploads videos to the web, you are likely to encounter the dreaded Black Bars of Death. They aren’t really lethal, it’s just a term we came up with when referring to those spacer bars that turn an otherwise professional video production into a substandard YouTube post because the rendered size or shape of the video does not match the fixed player size.

Notice in the image below a YouTube video displaying those black bars on either side of the video. This came about because someone uploaded a 4:3 video into a 16:9 player.

Sometimes there’s a need to change something like video size or shape in a video file that can only be accomplished by going all the way back to the editing level. But, without the original assembly assets like the raw video, titles, or graphics, one can not even accomplish a true re-render. The quicker fix is to simply convert your web video into a form that will allow a smooth transformation of the size or shape.

AVI is the answer.

AVI (Audio Video Interleave) was developed by Microsoft for handling video within the Windows environment and was released in November of 1992. It is a container format and does not allow for dynamic aspect changes or multiple frame rates. AVI is also inherently a large file format because there is no compression involved. So this is not a file commonly used for most web video uploads. Thus the conversion.

Workflow
-Acquire a conversion application like AVS.
-Convert your MPG, MP4, MOV, VOB or other video file to AVI.
-Execute the changes you need to make, like cropping or resizing.
-Convert back to a web format like MP4 which is the optimum video format for web.

You should maintain highest settings available through this process with no compression to avoid as much degradation as possible.

But, when rendering to the MP4 for web, use the H.264 codec at a bitrate of between 1,000 – 3,000 kbps for the larger parent video in the 720p range, or 500kbps bitrate for a mobile ready version in the 300 pixel – 500 pixel wide range.

You might be asking yourself, “Self, why is Stu telling us to use such a  medium bitrate of no more than 3,000 kbps when we know that we can render at a much higher rate of 6,000 or even 12,000 kbps?” Here’s the answer; web optimization. Most business video producers for the web are in the business of capturing as many viewers for an audience as possible, and making a video viewable over as many varied Internet streams as possible is the standard procatice.

Which audience would you rather have watching your promotional video in one month; 100 or 1000? It’s that simple.

We recently produced a quick Feature Video that helps understand in depth the Black Bars of Death issue. It’s titled “Upload Web Videos With No Black Bars and Auto Upright Vertical Videos” and can be seen by clicking here.

Have any questions? Feel free to contact us at;

-email; support@EZWebPlayer.com
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For more How To tips on Video On Your Web Site, under real business conditions, check these links;

• Why Won’t My Videos Upload Smoothly?
• Video SiteMaps; Create Them Automatically with EZWebPlayer
• Advertising Video in that Vertical Web Space? Absolutely!
• 1 Quick Easy way to improve your Web Video SEO
• Lens side video tips; masterful confidence in front of the camera