Your desktop recording

Here in Digit we often have to record our screen for various reasons, be it gameplay or tutorial recording. Sometimes, the screen-recorder you are using can cause problems for a variety of reasons – from slowing down your PC to providing a smooth enough recording. So instead of trying a trackload of options after browsing the Internet for recommendations, try using the VLC screen recording feature. Needless to say, VLC has the added bonus of being a well-known software.

Parameters for screen capture

Steps to follow
Navigate to Media> Convert / Save
Under Capture Device, select Desktop in the Capture Mode drop-down menu.
Choose your preferred frame rate from the desired frame rate for the capture menu
Click on Convert / Save
Select your codec and destination for the file.
Click Start to start recording, and then click Stop when you’re done.

Tip – Use the ‘WebM’ codec to get the best quality video with a relatively low file size.

Your webcam recording

A large portion of all videos on YouTube are actually recorded via webcam or from a webcam perspective. But not everyone has a laptop with a good webcam, or a separate webcam in that regard. In these situations, we often download third-party webcam recorders that come with their own issues – be it security, or standard tuning. Why not use a trusted software that you’ve been using for some time? You can use VLC Media Player as a webcam footage recorder by following the steps below.

Steps to follow
Navigate to Media> Open Capture Device or Press “Ctrl + C”
Select DirectShow from the Capture Mode dialog box.
Make your selection in the Device selection box.
Click Play> Click the Record button.

Remote control VLC from a browser

Often, you are playing music on your PC or laptop while moving around the house. Now, if you want to change the track, pause it or interact with playback in any way, you need to go back to the system, which can be in a completely different room. If VLC is your preferred media player, you don’t have to go all the way yourself. VLC lets you control the interface from a browser that can be from your laptop or mobile. Just follow these steps.

Steps to follow
Go to Tools> Preferences
Select All from Show Setting. (You can find it at the bottom left of the menu)
Go to Interface> Main Interface> All> Web and Lua Interpreter
Again, set the interface> main interface> loa> password
Now make sure that no web server is running on your machine and type http: // localhost: 8080 in your browser.

Settings to allow VLC to be controlled remotely from a browser

Add effects to your video and audio

Many of us approve of VLC and many do not know what this software is capable of. For example, did you know that VLC has audio and video effects and filters that allow you to change your media experience in a variety of ways? Advanced options ranging from image manipulation to geometric alignment and even anti-flickering, motion blur and more are available at your disposal. Trust us, you haven’t seen anything until you see the Game of Thrones opening sequence with Psychedelic, Mirror and Water Effects at the same time.

Steps to follow
Go to Tools> Effects and Filters.
You will find separate tabs with audio and video manipulation tools.
Example – can be used to set the brightness, hue, etc. by adjusting the image in the Essentials tab under Video.

Adding a logo or text overlay to a video is quite easy in VLC

Add a watermark to the video

If you don’t have a dedicated video editor on a really powerful PC, you’re probably banging your head on the desk about adding a watermark to your video. Maybe not, but wouldn’t it be nice if you could rely on a good old VLC for that? It has a strategy to make it work. Follow the steps below to add an overlay to your video, and use the screen recording feature we shared earlier to record playback with overlays. Scary! You now have the same video with a watermark

Steps to follow
Go to Tools> Effects and Filters
In the Video Effects tab, go to Overlay.
Note: You need to record the video with the logo and save it as a new file.

If we can really make GoT episodes, we’ll make them even faster!

Download and add subtitles

Downloaded movies and shows are not always of the best quality, with inappropriate audio or even sections without audio. If you are not a sticker for quality, the first thing you need to do in such a situation is to look for subtitles Hunting the web for subtitles is definitely a pain and after all, sometimes you end up downloading subtitles that stop synchronization. Now, VLC gives you the option to download and sync subtitles in the app.

Steps to download subtitles

Go to View> Download Subtitles.
Click Search by Name> Select the appropriate result.
Click on download selection

Steps to synchronize subtitles

Go to Tools> Track Synchronization.
Change the settings in the dialog box.
Change the delay.

Play the media in the archive file

Compression is a necessary evil and sometimes, the only thing that stands between you and a whole hard drive. Even after all that, if you realize that you can’t listen to your inspirational songs within an hour of need, because you have compressed them and forgotten it, one is bound to be annoyed. Do we have to go through this process every time? Not really. If you have media in your archive file, you can run it directly to VLC, saving a lot of time and effort.

Steps to follow
Just open the zip / rar file in VLC.
If the file is in part, open the first file and all subsequent files will play automatically, making sure that all the parts are in the same folder.

Record a part of the video playing

Going for a complete video editing software suite sounds like an overkill to just share your favorite clips from long videos, doesn’t it? VLC comes with a simple trimming feature which is as convenient as the variation in its power. The recording is saved as mp4 file. This means that you can play videos from any format from a variety of VLC-supported formats and actually get clips in the standard mp4 format. This is a mere 30MB media player from what you thought.

Steps to follow
Before recording, check the target directory in Tools> Preferences> Input / Codex> Files> Record Directory or File Name
Press the record button to start recording and the stop button to finish. You’ll find your recordings in the folder set at the previous point, which should be under the video or under the document in the standard Windows folder of my video.

Have fun with VLC

Now that we’ve gone through all the serious VLC tips and tricks, here are some weird tips that will help you have fun with the software.



Inception trick

Open VLC
Press Ctrl + N
In the window that opens, type screen: // (without quote) and press play

Don’t blame us if you’re stuck limbo!

Jigsaw puzzle game

Tools> Effects and Filters
Enable Video Effects> Geometry> Puzzle Games
Select the number of columns and rows on the screen.

Jigsaw puzzle mode!

Play video as ASCII characters

Playing a video as an ASCII character must make it even more fun

Open the VLC player
Navigate to Tools> Preferences
Click on the video from the left sidebar
In the Output field, select Color ASCII Art Video Output