Cannot crop picture nor limit time range for Convert / Save video to new file

[DIV]

I have VLC Media Player 3.0.18 running on Windows 8.1 x64.
The following problem exists on my system. Sorry, I don't know whether it is specific to Windows or not.

I have tried to adopt/adapt the instructions at https://www.vlchelp.com/edit-video-appl ... ently-vlc/ to use VLC Media Player to modify an existing video file, saving the results as a new file. Specifically, from Tools > Effects and Filters:

• Video effects > Essential > Image adjust
• Video effects > Crop
• Video effects > Colors > Gradient > Cartoon
• Video effects > Overlay > Add text

I found that the crop settings are not remembered.
The crop is applied on 'live' playback of the original file.
After attempting to save out to a new file, the crop settings are ignored. (That is despite enabling *Video cropping filter* in the output "Video codec" setting through editing the Profile in the Convert dialogue box that appears after pressing the Convert/Save button.) Furthermore, when re-entering Tools > Effects and Filters the other configured filters/effects are preserved, but cropping has reverted to zero on all sides.

Then from Media > Convert / Save... > Show more options I also tried to configure to use a shorter time.

• Start Time
• Stop Time

When doing this the result is that no picture is included in the output "video" file; only the audio is included ("Keep original audio track").

This has been very frustrating, as I have tried over and over again to try to get this to work with a couple of different files.
At the moment this seems like a bug.

[Lotesdelere]

AFAIK the filters to be used in the conversion chain are located in the menu Tools -> Preferences -> Show settings = All -> Video -> Filters

[DIV]

Maybe I wasn't clear enough. Following the workflow that I described in my original post, I am able to successfully apply the other filters I mentioned — both in 'live' playback and when converting/saving to a new file — provided that I don't try to set either the Start Time or Stop Time. In particular, I was able to shift the hue, and apply gradient detection with a cartoon effect. (I can't recall what happened with Add text.)

So the immediate issue I have is that using the dialogue/menu provided produces buggy behaviour: some filters/selections/specifications work as designed, some are ignored, and some break the output badly.

AFAIK the filters to be used in the conversion chain are located in the menu Tools -> Preferences -> Show settings = All -> Video -> Filters

I didn't know about that.

I can see that if I tick
Video effects > Essential > Image adjust > Sepia
and tweak the Intensity value to 121, then Save and Close,
then under
Tools > Preferences > Show settings = All > Video > Filters
"Sepia video filter" has been toggled to become ticked, and
Tools > Preferences > Show settings = All > Video > Filters > Sepia > Sepia intensity
has likewise been set to 121.

So it appears that there are two menus (at least) for the same intended functionality.
Do both workflows actually result in the same behaviour? I don't know for sure, but they ought to! (Actually, it seems that they don't behave the same!! See below.)
If they both were properly functional, then I'd prefer my workflow, as it has fewer clicks.

OK, what's the first difference I notice?
If I follow my workflow, then the Preferences options you referred to are automatically updated, as I described.
But if I follow your workflow to change the Preferences to untick the "Sepia video filter", then in my workflow the setting is not changed at all (so they are no longer consistent). Which setting does the application actually observe? The one in my workflow — video plays back 'live' in sepia, despite disabling it in your workflow under Preferences.
So that's a bug too, I would say.

[Rémi Denis-Courmont]

Preferences are persistent, tools are for the current playback.

[DIV]

Preferences are persistent, tools are for the current playback.

If that's true, then when I use the tools they shouldn't affect the preferences. But changing settings in the "Adjustments and Effects" tool does automatically propagate to the Video > Filters preferences. Meaning that tools are — effectively — both for the current playback/session/instance and also persistent ...which seems odd.

Moreover, as I have described, changing settings in the preferences does not automatically propagate (immediately) to the tools. Meaning that preferences are persistent, but potentially meaningless for the purposes of the current playback ...which could easily confuse the user.

BTW, when you say "persistent", I assume you mean across instances. I.e. if I close and re-open VLC, the application will remember.

When you say "current playback", it might sound like current video file. But more likely it should be for the current session (i.e. instance of the application), as if I open another video in the existing VLC window, I don't expect any settings to change (e.g. playback speed, set in the "interface").

Anyway, here's what actually happens.

1. Launch VLC Media Player. (Sepia is not set anywhere.)
2. Activate the "Sepia" filter under Tools > Effects and Filters > Video effects > Essential > Image adjust. As described, this automatically propagates to the corresponding Preferences setting, "Sepia video filter".
3. Close VLC Media Player.
4. Launch VLC Media Player. Sepia remains set everywhere!
5. Deactivate "Sepia video filter" under Tools > Preferences > Show settings = All > Video > Filters. As described, this does not propagate to the "Adjustments and Effects" tool setting, "Sepia". So videos will still be filtered as sepia when played!
6. Close VLC Media Player.
7. Launch VLC Media Player. Sepia is now not set anywhere. (There was a delayed propagation of the changed Preferences setting to the "Adjustments and Effects" tool setting.)

Try it yourself!

If this is intended behaviour, it's a pretty strange choice, in my view.

Anyway, I'd rather get back onto the topics of the larger problems:

• why the "crop" settings (configured in the 'tool') are forgotten as soon as I try to Convert a video (no crop applied in the output file, values reverted to zero in the 'tool' dialogue box), and
• why setting Start Time or Stop Time causes the written file to contain no picture (only audio).

—DIV

[Rémi Denis-Courmont]

The playback menues (Playback, Audio and Video, Subtitles) are only for regular output, for not conversion or streaming.

[DIV]

The playback menues (Playback, Audio and Video, Subtitles) are only for regular output, for not conversion or streaming.

I'm not really sure what you're responding to, or what I'm supposed to do with your comment.

[DIV]

This thread seems not to be going much further. Or too far in the wrong direction.
I have therefore opened up a new thread to focus on a solution.