The most common and powerful tool for converting video files is the “Format Factory” program. Of course you can also use Movavi or Any Video Converter. Each of these programs allows you to convert video files from one format to another. However, in this article we will look at Format Factory, especially since it is completely free and easy to use.
Installing the program
To install Format Factory, do the following:- Download installation package for your OS version. This can be done from the official Format Factory website (http://www.pcfreetime.com/).
- Run the downloaded file and follow the installation wizard prompts. When finished, click "finish" to complete the installation.
To start the program, double-click on the icon on the desktop or open “Start”, then “All Programs” and open the program icon there.
Working with the program
To convert video:
In exactly the same way, you can convert audio files, photos, documents, and also convert disc formats. A flexible system of conversion settings will allow you to adjust the format to any final playback device.
The program also has additional utilities that allow you to combine 2 or more video or audio files, rename them, and edit metadata.
Separately, it is worth noting the possibility of multiplexing. It allows you to combine video and audio tracks. Simply put, you can add any audio track to a video file.
In general, the program copes with its functions perfectly, so it can be excellent free analogue programs such as Movavi Video Suite or Any Video Converter, and in no way inferior to them.
— Converting multimedia files with Format Factory
This program is powerful converter multimedia files of various formats. It has support for more than 60 languages and can be installed on both Windows and Linux systems. What is especially important is that this applies software free of charge, but its capabilities are quite large. This converter itself is easy to use, but some points are better described in detail. So, let's try to figure out what capabilities Format Factory has. First you should install it on your computer.
After installing the program and launching it, the main menu appears in front of the user.
The purpose of the “Themes” and “Language” buttons is quite obvious. With their help you can change appearance and program interface language. But the “Help” button will allow you to go to the Format Factory developer website, check the availability new version or just look at the history of changes that were made to this version of this converter.
Now let's move on to the main functions of the program, that is, converting files. All file formats are listed on the left and divided into categories - video, audio, photo.
Mostly the most common multimedia file formats are presented here. So in the “Video” section you will definitely find the ability to convert files to avi, mp4, mkv, wmv. Total in the last at the moment version of the program, this category contains 16 different formats. There are 12 of them in the “Audio” section, and 8 in the “Photo” section.
Let's try to convert one of the video files located on your computer. To do this, click on the icon of the format into which your file should be converted. A new window will appear in front of you. It will be quite easy to understand.
Here you select and add a suitable file, indicate its future parameters, as well as the location on your computer where it will be placed after the conversion is completed.
First of all, click the “Add File” button and select the video that you would like to convert. Once the file has been added, proceed to the configuration buttons. There are two of them, and each of them is responsible for what characteristics the file will have after conversion. The top button is responsible for features such as codecs, file resolution, frame, aspect ratio, etc.
The second (bottom) settings button is responsible for parameters such as recording length. It can be kept in full, or cut down to the size you need. You just need to specify the start and end time of the future video file. It is this fragment that will be cut from the sample. If you check the “Crop” box, you can crop the image around the edges.
After selecting all the settings, all that remains is to indicate the location on the computer where the new, converted file will be created. Then click the “OK” button, which returns you to the main menu again. Now it will look something like this.
The user just has to click the “Start” button and the conversion process will begin. Its duration will depend on various factors, but primarily on the file size.
In the case of audio files and photos, the sequence of user actions remains virtually unchanged. Of course, these processes have their own characteristics, for example, when setting settings (top button). They will be different for audio, video and photos. For images, the lower settings button will be absent, because in this case we are not talking about any range selection.
For those people who often use the same conversion option for a certain type of file, it is worth pointing out one option that will make their work easier. The fact is that choosing an extension for a future file, and then specifying all the settings for it again each time, can be somewhat tedious. To avoid all these difficulties, after you select certain settings for the file, click the “Save As” button in that window and enter a name for this profile. In the future, when you start the program, you will see the “All in Expert” icon.
Just click on it, and you won’t have to waste time once again specifying file parameters.
Now a few words about other functions of this program, which are located at the very bottom of the left panel. The “ROM device” column contains several options for converting CDs and DVD discs. Their contents can be saved on your computer in various audio or video file formats. At the same time, it is possible to create a disk image with an iso or cso extension. There are not so many settings for each of these actions, so there is no need to describe them in detail.
In the last, lowest column “Advanced”, there are functions such as combining audio and video files, as well as a multimedia file analyzer, which allows you to find out all their characteristics after a short check.
As you can see, Format Factory has quite a wide range of capabilities for converting both individual multimedia files and entire DVD discs. The developers are gradually correcting errors that can sometimes be encountered when converting files to some of the formats. Therefore, we can expect that the potential of this program will only increase over time.
On
And this is a very good idea - to develop a program that would directly describe the contents of any file, byte by byte. At the input it has any source code. The output is not only reproduction of the contents of this file, but this is also not necessary. The output, most importantly, is a byte-by-byte description of all content - it will be an excellent tool for analyzing the format and studying it.
It is not at all necessary, of course, that the file be converted from one format to another. Firstly, this is a narrower task. And secondly, it has already been largely solved, for example, by programs such as Format Factory, one of the best in its class, especially free to distribute.
Characteristics of Format Factory
The conversation about this tool becomes doubly relevant in light of the news of recent days - the companies developing the MP3 format are giving up the rights to it, will no longer charge a tax for its use, will not support or modify it, in general, they will let it float freely. And this is about MP3, which for many years was considered the leader in PC audio. Any disk on any computer, one can say without exaggeration, contains hundreds of resources in this format.
Now the value of Format Factory is even greater, because conversion from MP3 to the recommended, more advanced AAC is one of the most frequently used features in Format Factory.
In addition, the factory knows the following audio formats (of course, it can convert from one to another): WMA, FLAC, MMF, AMR, M4A, M4R, OGG, MP2, WAV, WavPack.
Among the FF video formats used, and this is perhaps the more valuable type of conversion, at least more exciting: MP4 (the passion of all Apple product lovers), AVI (perhaps the most common video format), 3GP, MKV, WMV, MPG, VOB, FLV , SWF (Web Super Animation Format), MOV, GIF, RMVB, FLL, WebM.
But FF doesn't stop at multimedia formats. Many graphic ones are also subject to it. As a form at factory converter for graphics, the program knows: JPG (the most popular), PNG (a brilliant alternative to GIF), ICO, BMP, GIF, TIF, PCX (albeit outdated, but we can’t help but pay tribute to them), TGA, WebP .
Among other features of the described software we note:
We also note the environment in which this software was created:
- developer company: Free Time;
- target working operating system: Windows (but the popularity of the program is so great that it is necessary to expect the appearance of its versions for other systems);
- availability of versions in 62 languages;
- the first release took place on March 1, 2008;
- version 4.1.0.0 was released on May 1, 2017;
- nature of distribution: free;
- developer website: pcfreetime.com.
We work in Format Factory
Here are the program settings:
- distribution name (one file): FFSetup.exe;
- distribution size: 46 MB;
- installation location: C:\Program Files\FormatFactory\;
- ability to launch: from the Main Menu and from the Desktop;
- volume in the installed version: 154 MB – 147 files – 12 folders;
- executable file: formatfactory.exe.
Please note that the Picosmos Tools package is also included in the package. It can be downloaded separately or bundled with FormatFactory.
Even a novice user can easily figure out how to work in this program. Of course, there is a menu, but it is nominal in nature, there are the most general commands - exit, help.
All work is concentrated in the selection on the left of the conversion formats, which are collected in groups:
- Video – here the lines “Mobile” and “SWF” are of greatest interest.
- Audio – here we pay attention to “AAC”.
- Photo – here, among other things, Picosmos Tools are collected (if this application has not been installed previously, the installation procedure will begin by going to its download site).
- Documents - the program is not specifically designed to work with documents, but converting from pdf to html may be of interest to many.
- ROM/DVD/CD/ISO – here we convert DVD to Video, Audio CD to files, even ISO to CSO and vice versa, and in addition, Bluray disc to MKV.
- Utilities - these special means are of particular interest, they allow you to combine two videos, audio, one video and one audio file into one; get detailed information about the file.
So, to the question of how to use the program, we answer:
Questions about how to convert video or how to use the format factory are, by and large, not relevant here at all - everything is done extremely simply and logically.
For example, if we want to combine two audio files into one, and take a piece from both from the middle (and who is interfering in this situation, first take 10 seconds (from the 20th to the 30th) from one and the same 10 from the other, get file, then take 10 seconds (from 90th to 100th) from the first and the same 10 from the second, get the file again, and in the end combine these two new received files - the field for creative editing is boundless, if only you could imagine) . To do this:
- Go to “Utilities”.
- Select "Merge Audio".
- Select the file format in the window that opens - you can combine files of the same format.
- Select the files themselves - “Add file”.
- For each of the selected ones, select the merging range – “Set range”.
- And then, after exiting the settings window, start the process with the “Start” button. Note that if the transformation sometimes takes quite a long time, then merging is a fairly fast process, everything is done literally in 30-40 seconds (although, of course, everything also depends on the duration of the pieces being combined).
Format Factory is very useful tool for everyone who is interested in computer audio and video formats, who works with graphics at the transformation level. But it is of particular interest to those who are looking for creativity in their work, but find the techniques offered by commercial programs, for example, from Adobe, too complicated.
