Able to encode w/ Cropadd/Canvas filters w/o command lines?

[BLACKx114]

I am simply trying to use VLC's convert/save feature to pad the top and bottom of a video. I have spent hours on Google and these forums trying to figure out how to achieve this WITHOUT command lines. I have found many similar topics where someone was trying to do the same thing but the answer always involved the use of command lines (which I have absolutely no knowledge of). It's my understanding that the cropadd and canvas filters both create padding but I don't see those options available when navigating the convert/save menus.

Is VLC capable of doing this through the GUI? If so, then how? And if not, then why not? Thank you very much.

[mederi]

Very good tutorial is here: http://www.wintips.org/how-to-rotate-an ... ia-player/
Tools > Preferences > ( Show settings = All ) >
> Video \ Filters \ Cropadd
> Stream output \ Sout stream \ Transcode: [v] Video scaling filter

[BLACKx114]

mederi, thank you very much! Your instructions worked perfectly. Now I understand how to make VLC apply video filters during the transcoding process. There was just one last thing I couldn't figure out that I'm hoping you can help me with.

I was able to pad the top and bottom of my video but then it changed the overall resolution. My 1280x720 video became 1280x740 after I padded 10 pixels to the top and 10 pixels to the bottom. What I want to do is have VLC scale the video down to a desired size AFTER padding. So I want to add 10 pixels to the top and bottom and still have my final video be 1280x720 after conversion. How would I go about doing this?

[BLACKx114]

I was able to achieve what I wanted with two separate conversions. The first conversion took my original 1280x720 video and padded it to 1280x740. I then performed a second conversion to take the padded 1280x740 video and scale it to 1280x720. So this way I have the original resolution but I also have the black bars I wanted.

Could this have been achieved in a single conversion rather than two separate ones?

[mederi]

For 10px padded to the top and bottom and keep the original aspect ratio making the picture wider with top/bottom black bars use Canvas video filter:
Output width: [1280]
Output height: [700]
Output picture aspect ratio: [1280:720]
[ ] Pad video

I performed several tests on a small video sample to find it out.

[BLACKx114]

mederi, it worked! Thanks you so much!

[specialsymbol]

Unfortunately, it doesn't work for me.

VLC 2.2.0

I have a video in 1280x720 and I want black bars above and below so that it is in 1280x960

What I have tried:

I opened preferences, choose "Show All" settings, then altered it from standard settings to the following:
Stream Output > Sout stream > Transcode : Video Filter : Tick "Canvas Filter" which puts the word "canvas" into the space/line below the tickboxes
Stream Output > Sout stream > Transcode : Miscellaneous : "Number of Threads" -> 2, Tick "High Priority"
Video > Filters > Canvas > set Output picture aspect ratio to "4:3" (without parentheses), leave Pad video as it is (it is ticked)

Then save preferences, close and reopen VLC so the settings can take effect.

Then I chose "Convert/Save" from the "Media" menu item.
Added a file
Click on "Convert/Save"
Created a new Profile with the following settings:
Encapsulation MP4/MOV
Video Codec > Encoding parameters > tick Video; Codec: MPEG-4; Bit-Rate set to "Not Used"
Video Codec > Filters > tick "Canvas video filter"
Audio Codec > Encoding parameters > tick Audio; Codec: MPEG Audio

Doesn't work - it always crashes.

For good measure I tried also the following:
In (show all) Preferences, I checked also
Video > Filters > Canvas video filter, which again put the word "canvas" in the space/line below as well

Again "Convert/Save" from the "Media" menu item and crash.




Before that I tried it without setting anything in the preferences, then it did transcode but without the bars. Can anyone help?

[specialsymbol]

Solved it. Easier than I thought:

forget everything about Stream Output, I have no idea why the filter settings are there as well, but they seem to be broken.

All you need is to set:
Video > Filters > Tick Canvas video filter, which again put the word "canvas" in the space/line below as well
Video > Filters > Canvas > set output width 1280 (original size), output height 720 (original size), set Output picture aspect ratio to "1280:960" (without parentheses), leave Pad video as it is (it is ticked)

Don't touch anything else.
No need for creating new convert profile, simply use a template.
Especially no need for any filter settings in the convert profile.