Getting Started

Quick Start

1. Create a list of source movies to be joined
2. Set the name and destination folder of target file which will become your joined file.
3. Select the format of the target file and set the properties.
4. Press the Join button to create your new movie.

List of Source Movies

Supported movie file types include AVI, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, Windows Media, DV and QuickTime formats for which you have a valid, Windows compatible, Read/Write codec. If you do not have the correct codec your source file may play but it cannot be decoded for writing. Windows Media codecs that are not installed with Windows Media Player can be downloaded from Microsoft's web site. Current QuickTime codecs are installed with the Apple QuickTime player; older versions are hard to find. The DV format used by many digital video cameras often times requires codecs that are specific to the device that created them.

IMPORTANT: If you include a movie that has no sound between movies that have sound your audio track will be out of sync.

The Add button will open the standard Windows common dialogue which permits you to browse your system for source files.

By default the file type filter is set to display all supported file extensions. You may change the filter from the Files of type drop-down to display only AVI, only MPEG, only Windows Media, only QuickTime or all files (*.*). Files with unusual file extensions will load properly if they are properly formatted and if the file header correctly reflects the genuine file type.

The Multi-Add button opens a special window that permits the selection of multiple files.

Holding the Ctrl key and clicking on one unselected file after another will select each and all of those files. Holding the Ctrl key and clicking on a selected file will un-select it.

Holding the Shift key and clicking on the first and last file that you want will select the entire range of files.

You may use combinations of the above techniques such as selecting an entire range and then holding the Ctrl key, un-select some of the files.

Setting the Target file

By default, existing files will be filtered based upon the selected output format option but it can be changed by selecting an extension from the drop down list of types.

If you select or type in the name of an existing file, when you start the encoding you will be warned that the existing file will be over-written and given the option to change your mind.

Select a format by choosing one of the Data Format option buttons.

When the format selection is changed, the properties for the selected format will appear in the properties panel. For property details select a topic from the list below.

• Saving as AVI
• Saving as Windows Media
• Saving as Real Media
• Saving as MPEG-1
• Saving as MPEG-2
• MPEG-4 AVI

Joining files

The process of creating a new movie may take as long as the playback time. Progress is displayed for each clip and for the total project based upon the information in the source files' headers and calculated over time. In cases where the header in a source file incorrectly reports the number of frames the progress bar will be incorrect but the encoder will run until it reaches the end of the file or corrupt data.

Errors and bad things that happen.

During the joining process, Fx Joiner will attempt to close any corrupt, incorrect or incomplete files and display a message giving you the option to skip the file. Unfortunately some files will confuse Windows so badly that it simply stops responding to calls from Fx Joiner which results in what some call a "lock-up" or "freezing" of the application. Annoying as this may be there is simply no way to avoid the problem in the current versions of Windows. In reality Fx Joiner hasn't frozen, it has simply sent a request to Windows and is waiting patiently for Windows to respond.

See troubleshooting for more.