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VLC menu
#52760 10/27/19 01:21 PM
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jaybass Offline OP
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OS 10.12.6

I am trying to rotate a video using VLC. The instructions are simple but the "tools" is missing from the menu. How to get it included?

VLC 3.0.8

jaybass


OS 13.6.4 iMac (Retina 5K, 27", 2017, 3.4 GHz Intel Core i5, 24 GB RAM, 2400 MHz DDR4. SuperDuper. 1 TB Lacie HD
Re: VLC menu
jaybass #52762 10/27/19 03:59 PM
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Researching your question was like looking for one particular worm in a garbage can full of them, but this may be your answer. (I found it in the responses to How to Rotate and Flip a Video in VLC Media Player.)


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: VLC menuI fooled
artie505 #52763 10/27/19 06:36 PM
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jaybass Offline OP
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Artie, I googled the problem and it seems that "tools"will not appear on a Mac.

So I have iskysoft ultimate and it is so easy using that app. I rotated 2 doz. video clips which made my day.

Thanks, jaybass


OS 13.6.4 iMac (Retina 5K, 27", 2017, 3.4 GHz Intel Core i5, 24 GB RAM, 2400 MHz DDR4. SuperDuper. 1 TB Lacie HD
Re: VLC menu fooled
jaybass #52764 10/27/19 08:07 PM
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I'm happy to hear that you've solved your problem. smile

You'd think that the answer would be right up front in their support docs.


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: VLC menu fooled
artie505 #52765 10/28/19 12:20 AM
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Out of curiosity, I kept looking, and I found this (in the same doc to which I linked earlier), but following through with it, it's nowhere near as good as the tool for which you were looking, and I"m not even sure it really is what you're looking for.

As I said, it's curious that the doc doesn't address Macs in any way, shape, or form.


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: VLC menu fooled
artie505 #52766 10/28/19 02:20 PM
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jaybass Offline OP
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I have just tried to rotate a video using VLC and following the directions you gave, when setting the angle and then clicking rotate, then save, nothing happens.
The last part says you can choose it from window>video Filters. I don't see any option after clicking rotate. Am I reading it wrong?

jaybass


OS 13.6.4 iMac (Retina 5K, 27", 2017, 3.4 GHz Intel Core i5, 24 GB RAM, 2400 MHz DDR4. SuperDuper. 1 TB Lacie HD
Re: VLC menu fooled
jaybass #52767 10/29/19 01:18 AM
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A barrel of worms, I said? More like a 10 yard dumpster full of 'em!

I don't know if it's the case, but it appears as if VLC was developed for Windows and ported to OS X/macOs...except for the documentation, which seems to be totally Windows oriented.

And further, the linked "solution" was posted 4 years ago, so I can't be certain whether VLC has changed in the interim or the post is incorrect.

Quote:
The option is present in VLC > Preferences (Click Show All) and you will find it under Video > Filters > Rotate. Then you can choose it from Window > Video Filters.

I arrive at the same dead end as you did with the preference; there's no apparent way to make use of the angle setting, although there may have been a way to use it with Window > Video Filters.

Unfortunately, though, Window > Video Filters either never did or no longer exists.

There is, however, Window > Video Effects > Geometry, which offers only these limited options.

Also unfortunately, while you can make a setting stick for a particular video in Windows, as far as I can tell, there's no way to do it in OS X/macOS.

Your options in OS X/macOS appear to be
  1. reset your selection each time you play the video, or
  2. click the "Apply profile at next launch," box, which will set your selection as a permanent pref for ALL future videos,
neither of which seems particularly useful to me, nor do I think that either is what you're looking for.

Somewhere in the jumble of letters and punctuation that comprises VLC's documentation I found a statement to the effect that while VLC can be used to "manipulate" videos, it's real purpose is to play them, and you may be best off using another app for "manipulation."

I think the suggestion is right on the mark!


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: VLC menu
jaybass #52935 11/21/19 07:57 PM
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I've done this with VLC before, though I don't know if it's currently possible.

And yes, VLC is a Video Lan Controller. Technically speaking, it's primary design goal was to play video streams over a network. This makes it surprisingly good at playing videos you will find online that are wrapped in flash players and therefore cannot be downloaded. But in many cases, VLC will happily download and save the video stream smile And I'm talking UDP streams, not wrappers around easier things like MP4's.

It also works just as well for many streaming radio stations etc, it can play live streams. My local radio station had a stream I could listen to at work on their web page, but every ten minutes the flash player on their page would detect that I hadn't interacted with their web page recently, would stop the music, and pop up a "are you still there?" box. (probably to reduce bandwidth on their streaming box) VLC to the rescue!

Also check out Handbrake, it may be able to outright transcode the video for you, I'm pretty sure it has crop, rotate, and mirror options in its extensive video processing options.


I work for the Department of Redundancy Department
Re: VLC menu fooled
artie505 #52938 11/21/19 10:07 PM
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Originally Posted By: artie505
I don't know if it's the case, but it appears as if VLC was developed for Windows and ported to OS X/macOs...except for the documentation, which seems to be totally Windows oriented..

I will let you in on a few secrets of software developers.
  • According to one of my mentors many years ago, "The intersection of those who can write good code and those who can write good English is infinitely small."
  • Developers HATE writing anything but code.
  • Major software houses often hire English majors to write the user documentation and pay them really good salaries.
  • Open Source projects do not have any great incentive to write user documentation because no one is getting paid so user documentation is often sketchy.
  • VLC is Open Source.
  • It is probable the Mac version of VLC was a port from Windows and it is likely some things were left out or changed because they did not port directly or easily (which could be the result of poorly written or idiosyncratic Windows coding).
  • It is equally likely that Mac documentation wasn't an afterthought it was never though of in the first place.

Recently I laid out nearly $100 for a 14 month subscription to a very well known and widely used commercial software product only to discover the latest documentation is two releases out of date for Windows and only cursorily discusses how to install the Mac version. I have found multiple features that work differently in the Mac version but those differences are not documented anywhere I have found so I have had to resort to their user forums to use/activate these features on the Mac. mad


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: VLC menu fooled
joemikeb #52943 11/22/19 08:16 AM
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Thanks for the insights.

Not to mention that the constant contributing to the present issue remains that Macs are the step-child of computing.


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire

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