I'm looking to edit some F bombs in a couple of movies I ripped with MakeMKV. The only problem is that iMovie won't directly import MKV files. I have to convert it to an .mp4 with Handbrake and that takes FOREVER. Is there any freeware that can do basic editting (splitting, adjusting audio levels in certain areas) and will directly import .mkv files? I don't want to go drop a lot of money on FinalCut pro or Adobe Premier etc.
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Freeware MKV editing?
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final cut will never be able edit MKVs anyways.. too old and decrepit. It's hardly useful these days. Not sure if Premiere will either. Google it, really. I know Vdub will do it on a PC.. not sure about Mac.
If it's muting a few seconds of audio here and there, use MKVTools to extract the audio and use some audio software to edit it (GarageBand, Audacity, etc.), then use MKVTools (or Subler or mkvmerge) to remux it.
If you still want to edit the movie directly, if it's H.264 video, you don't need to use Handbrake to convert it. Just remux it using MKVTools or Subler to mp4. That will just change the container (mkv -> mp4) without time-consumingly re-encoding the video.
If you still want to edit the movie directly, if it's H.264 video, you don't need to use Handbrake to convert it. Just remux it using MKVTools or Subler to mp4. That will just change the container (mkv -> mp4) without time-consumingly re-encoding the video.
Final Cut Pro and Final Cut Express and Adobe Premiere and Avid Media Composer are usually meant for people who edit proper footage, as spending 200 USD and more (Avid costs 2000+ USD, Premiere Pro costs 1000+ USD and Final Cut Pro costs 999 USD) is not for people editing .mkv videos, as the .mkv container is meant for distribution of video, not for editing.
And the MPEG-4 codec (H264, x264, Divx, Xvid) is also not meant for editing, although Adobe Premiere and Avid MC can use MPEG-4 encoded footage, albeit that the CPU gets taxed a lot more, which is not the case if one uses a proper editing codec (which again involves transcoding).
With iMovie and FCE it is Apple Intermediate Codec, with FCP it is ProRes, with Avid MC it is DNxHD and with Adobe Premiere I am unsure (it seems to be able to read ProRes and AIC encoded video).
I use MPEG Streamclip to transcode highly compressed footage to the formats I need, but I don't know if it accepts .mkv files.
Maybe this can help: http://forums.creativecow.net/thread/8/1077850
As an addition, I just acquired an .mkv file and MPEG Streamclip was able to open it and I could export a section (marked with IN and OUT) as QuickTime Movie (CMD+E) and use ProRes 422 as codec.
Download mkv2vob it remux the mkv to a mpeg2 container in minutes no converting and I believe iMovie can import it then.
MPEG-2 is not a container, it is a codec, used with video DVDs and BluRays and some acquisition formats.
While .mkv files might be able to have MPEG-2 encoded footage encapsulated in them, normally they use an MPEG-4 codec like H.264 or x264.
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Well mkv2vob is what I use to remux video to Mpeg container then it remux back audio and video in seconds no converting so no quality loss and saved file is a .mpg