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I need to reduce the file size of some of my HD videos, since I am running out of storage space. A lower resolution is acceptable, and other methods are welcome. I would prefer a GUI solution, as I am not familiar with the command line. How can I do this?

Bob
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good boy
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    Though this is technically off-topic, I have not voted to close, as this is a beginner question that may prove useful to others looking for a video compression solution. I do suggest that this question be converted to community wiki, though, with a single canonical answer. – bwDraco Nov 26 '12 at 16:17
  • Anyone asking this question could also possibly benefit from the background information in this answer, which is written pertaining to audio but also applies to video: http://superuser.com/a/447346/144607 – allquixotic Nov 26 '12 at 16:38
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    @DragonLord I've rephrased the question to be less about software and more about the method, as per [How do I ask a question that may require recommending software?](http://meta.superuser.com/questions/5372/how-do-i-ask-a-question-that-may-require-recommending-software) \@goodboy, please let us know (or edit it yourself) if you feel I have changed the question too much. – Bob Nov 26 '12 at 16:38
  • @Bob you've actually enhanced the question so that it reflects that disk space is the issue instead of the resolution – good boy Nov 26 '12 at 16:55

3 Answers3

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A popular option for video conversion, including recompression to a smaller size, is the open-source HandBrake. HandBrake takes full advantage of multi-core processors and can handle MP4, H.264, and Theora formats. You can also use the VLC media player to convert videos to different formats or resolutions.

bwDraco
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    i have used vlc but it requires time equivalent to the length of the video @DragonLord – good boy Nov 26 '12 at 16:48
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    @goodboy every HD video will take a long time to convert as its a HD and compression will be time consuming so you have to be patient. – avirk Nov 26 '12 at 17:00
  • Appreciate the handbrake tip. For windows this now appears best-in-class – twobob Feb 29 '16 at 17:59
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use FFMPEG

use mkv as the format guides can be found on the ffmpeg site

Community
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Shenal Silva
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    Based on the way the question is written, the OP is probably inexperienced with video processing and should not be asked to use a command-line tool. – bwDraco Nov 26 '12 at 16:01
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    Also, Matroska (MKV) is merely a container format; it is possible to store extremely high quality, large-size codec data inside an MKV, so that doesn't even begin to address the problem. – allquixotic Nov 26 '12 at 16:35
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Miro Video Converter is an easy-to-use GUI application to convert videos to different formats. You can also choose a device (iPhone, Android phones, etc) and select a compatible video format.

You can get it from http://www.mirovideoconverter.com and the Mac App Store.

It is available for Windows:

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and Mac OS X:

enter image description here

jaume
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