Imagine that you have just made one of the best videos you have ever made. You give it to save and in any format. You wait, close the program and go to visualize it because you are proud of your creation. But it turns out you can't see it. And on top of that you don't have a copy. Your only option is to change the format of a video, but do you know how to do it?
Sometimes browsers, or even programs, get a little "choosy" about what format they can read and what they can't. Therefore, you have to take this into account. If you ever find yourself with this need, this is what you should do.
What does it mean to change the video format
Many times we think that changing the video format is simply passing it to another ending, also video. But what you don't realize is that when you do that, actually what we do is encode in a different way.
In other words, it is about recording that video or work that you have done in such a way that it is encoded in one way or another depending on how you want it to come out. It will not be the same file if it is MPEG, AVI, MP4 or FLV. First, it will change the file size, and then there may be differences in quality as well.
Currently, the most used formats are MP4 and AVI, and the truth is that the first is perhaps the most universal since it can be seen on any tablet, mobile, computer... It has the advantage that it weighs much less and the videos are of high quality.
What about the AVI? Well, it offers you high quality but the weight of the file is quite large.
Why change the format of a video
From what we have discussed before, there is no doubt that changing the format of a video must have a reason. And this is almost always the same: be able to watch the video on another device or send it to a person so you can see without weighing too much.
For this reason, there are so many video formats and so you should know them, both to record your work and to know what to convert the video you want.
Video format types
Talking to you about each and every one of the video formats would almost never end. And there are many, both known and unknown. But, to give you an idea, the main ones are:
- MP4. It is the most common and the most used thanks to the fact that it offers quality and a low weight in the file. To encode, use the MPEG-4 algorithm and it is the most recommended if your videos are going to be uploaded to social networks such as YouTube, Instagram, Facebook...
- MOV. It offers great quality but has the problem that the files generated are very large, and that means that uploading them can cost a lot. They use the same encoding as MP4 and are also used for social networks or television.
- AV. Avi has the same problem as the previous one, a lot of quality but a fairly large weight. Even so, it is still one of the most used for that quality (in fact, it is the one that will give you the best).
- WMV. If you have Windows, you may recognize it, but for other systems it may be a problem. They offer good quality, but an exorbitant weight in the file. Also, although it is compatible on some sites like YouTube, you may have a problem reading it.
- AVCHD. It is a format focused mainly on high definition video. They give a lot of quality and the weight is usually not too great. But it is not usual to use it for the Internet.
- FLV extension. It is not much in use anymore because, but you can still come across this video format. It is related to Flash videos but, as these have begun to disappear, this format is also declining.
There are many others such as RM, XVID, DIVX, H.264, ADP... but they are not as widely used as the previous ones.
How to change the format of a video
Now yes, we are going to focus on changing the format of a video. And believe it or not, for this there are multiple programs as well as pages where you can quickly change. You just have to wait for the video to upload and convert to download and try it.
Do we recommend some? Here you have them:
Conversion Tool
This is one of the best known tools and it is also free. It is mostly used to download videos from YouTube, Vimeo or Dailymotion, but it has the function of converting videos.
The advantage is the fact that it is compatible with almost all the video and audio formats that exist.
Handbrake
This online video converter can help you convert to HTML5 video formats. It also has some functions as a video editor since it will allow you to change the title, select chapters, manage subtitles...
It can be used on Windows, Linux and Mac.
Video converter
It is another of the best known and used, above all because supports the vast majority of video formats what's up. What does he have over the others? Well, your video editor. It is quite professional and complete.
But best of all, if you don't know English, there won't be a problem because the entire program is in Spanish.
Convert2MP3
In this case, this tool will allow you to download videos to MP3, i.e. convert it to audio, but also you can change the format to MP4, FLAC, WMA, 3GP, AAC, AVI…
All of them will come out as soon as you put the video you want to download (if it's on YouTube) or upload it.
Zamzar
And for videos that you have on your computer, one of the most recommended is this. It is completely free and online. You just have to upload the video from your computer (or from the cloud) and tell it what format you want it to be converted into.
However, it has certain limitations, and that is that it can only convert 100MB and five files simultaneously.
Convertio
Another tool to change the format of a video is this, very easy to use and with which you can upload the video file (from your computer, Drive, Dropbox, or with a link) and tell it what format it is in and which one you want to change it to.
Now you know that there are many ways to change the format of a video. Do you recommend any that you have used?