Query re creating seamless video from multiple videos

[karenvc]

Hello

I am new to video editing and I am creating a compilation video for my husband’s special birthday as a surprise (collection of favourite clips/family stuff etc). I have been using Shotcut and find it a very useful program to do this.

My query is to do with the final combined video. Currently it is split into individual files to stop the timeline getting too long and unmanageable. I will probably end up with a dozen or so mp4 files. I have tried playing them on the tv from a usb stick. They run fine and in sequence but between each video it pauses to load (with the tv logo) and the play bar pops up again which ruins the continuity.

I would like to try and run them like a film - no pauses etc. I am thinking of of some possibilities as below but would welcome any comments/advice or other ways to achieve this. I know, of course, I can try the items below but I am really short on time so would appreciate a heads up as to what may or may not work.

Option 1:

I can’t combine the whole thing on a single timeline in Shotcut as with all their elements and layers it would be too unmanageable. However, I could import back in all the finished mp4 files into Shotcut, which would be manageable. However, would the fact I have already exported them once as mp4 and will have to do this once again for the combined version degrade the quality. Perhaps another file type may be better if so?

Option 2:

Is there a way to create a ‘title’ page in Shotcut (a bit like you get on dvd) that says ‘Play Movie’ and then it can somehow load the mp4 files as a playlist - but I am not sure if this would prevent the tv still having the individual load issue?

Option 3:

Is there any other software (free) out there that could do what I am trying to achieve as in Option 2. In summary, create a title page than will run all mp4s in sequence without the loading pausing inbetween.

Option 4:

I don’t know if burning to a dvd would get around this issue however, my files don’t fit on a standard dvd so I would need to buy some dual layer dvds. But then it’s nuisance with wasting disks if you spot errors and have to re-burn.

Any advice very much appreciated.

I also have Mini-tool movie maker and VLC on my laptop - I don’t know if these may help.

Many thanks
Karen

[ejmillan]

Hello:
As far as I know, Shotcut does not allow you to make a DVD menu.
So maybe you can combine the different individual Shotcut projects into a compilation project using the option:
File–>Open MLT XML as a clip.

In practice this means that each of the Shotcut projects can be put together into a final project (without the need to export each of them previously as mp4, so the quality does not suffer).

For example: Here I have a project with several video and audio tracks with transitions and effects.

The project is saved as a project-name.mlt file
I can import this project into a new project where I can add other projects as if they were video clips.

On a visual level, only one clip will appear for each project.
In the following image is the project from the previous image, imported into a new project.
In this clip are all the transitions, effects and audio from the previous project.

I don’t know if this solution will be right for you.

[ejmillan]

Another option:
Export the results of each project to a lossless format (without loss of quality) or to an intermediate format (without loss of visual quality)
In the export menu there are different options under the label “losless” and “Intermediate”.

Then, you can make a project using these losless or intermediate files

[karenvc]

Hello, thank you very much for this possible solution and the screenshots. I will take a look!

[ejmillan]

I hope you get it.