Written by Most people perceive VLC only as the most versatile media player due to its amazing ability to play almost any codec you throw at it. However, it is so much more than that. There are many surprising features that are hidden beneath. These features include the ability to do video recording, playing Internet radio and video, simple editing, etc. Here, we have gathered the best 10 VLC tips and tricks you may not know.
Record an audio or video
VLC makes it possible for you to capture the video/audio file that you are currently playing. The recorded video are saved to the “Videos” folder and the recorded audio are saved to the “Music” folder.
To enable this feature, on the menu bar, click View > Advanced Controls. Extra buttons will appear on the app. While playing a media file, click on the Record button to start recording. Press again to stop. On the Mac version, go to the menu bar and click Playback > Record or use the shortcut cmd+alt+r.
Play Internet Radio & Video
Another VLC’s neat features is its ability to stream Internet Radio Stations and being utilized as a podcast manager. In VLC Media Player, go to the Playlist view by pressing Ctrl + L on your keyboard. Here, select “Icecast Radio Director” under Internet. After a while, a list of available online radio online radio stations will appear. Double-click on any one of them to play it.
Capture a Screenshot VLC trick
Using the Print Screen method to capture snapshots of a video is not always the best option, luckily VLC has a provision for this as well.
In order to take a snapshot, simply right click, go to Video > Take Snapshot. You can also simply use the keyboard shortcut SHIFT+S on Windows/Linux or CMD+ALT+S on OS X. The picture is saved in the OS’s Pictures folder.
Create Bookmarks
Ever had to close your media player and leave a video in between, only to return later and struggle to find the point where you left off? Well, you can bid adieu to this problem of yours with this VLC trick.
To bookmark a portion of a video, all you have to do is:
1. Go to Playback > Custom Bookmarks > Manage
2. In the Edit Bookmarks window that opens up, click the “Create” button, at the required section of the video to successfully create a bookmark
Add watermarks to video
You can add your own watermarks on a video through VLC, bypassing a need for a dedicated video editor to do so. Do remeber though that you will need to use VLC’s recording feature to save the video with the watermark.
To start, Go to Tools > Effects and Filters. Click on the Video Effects tab and under the Overlay tab, you will get options to either add in your logo or a simple text to the video.
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Apply Audio & Video Effects
Feeling awed with VLC by now? Wait till you check out the spectrum of Audio and Video Effects provided by VLC. You can adjust the brightness, crop videos, rotate them, synchronize your audio or even add effects like Motion and Spatial blur to name a few. To access these tools, just go to Tools > Effects & Filters and let yourself loose.
Stream and Download Video
Online video streaming is a great way to watch videos. However, did you know that you don’t always need to visit their respective websites to watch them? With VLC, you can not only stream online videos but also download them. Given below are the steps to do that.
In the menu bar of VLC, go to “Media” and select “Open Network Stream”.
Here, enter the URL of the video that you want to stream/download. Now if you want to stream the video, click “Play”.
In case you want to download the video, instead on clicking “Play” in the previous step, click on the small arrow alongside “Play” and choose “Convert“. Now following the same steps as in the previous method to download the video to format of your choice.
Take a Screenshot
What do you do when you want to capture a screenshot of a particular frame in a video? Take a screenshot of your whole screen and then crop that image, maybe? Well, after you read this trick, you no longer will have to do that.
All you have to do is while playing a video, go to the “Video” tab in the menu bar and select “Take Snapshot”. This will save a screenshot of that particular frame in the “Pictures” folder.
Take a snapshot
Ever need to take a snapshot of a video you are watching? VLC has a way to do so. Simply use the shotcut Shift + S on Windows and Linux or CMD + ALT + S on OS X. The picture will be save in your OS’s respective pictures folder.
Add Subtitles
If a video you have doesn’t come with subtitles, you can add your own by finding an SRT subtitle file for the video and adding it in. To add the subtitle, play your video and go to Subtitle on the menu bar and click Add Subtitle File. If you want VLC to play it automatically, place the SRT file in the same folder as the video and make sure it uses the same file name as the video file.
Related article:
https://beebom.com/vlc-tricks/
