"I use AVI / MOV files."

An AVI or MOV file is a video "container." When you talk about how you use "AVI" or "MOV" files in your video, you aren't really saying much. That's like saying that you use ".ZIP" files. What does that tell anyone about what's in the file?

Codecs can be vastly different from each other. An AVI file can be huge (several GB or more in size) with an uncompressed codec, or it can be a blurry, highly compressed 5 MB AVI file with the DivX codec. Sure, they're both AVI, but they'e also nothing alike.

What's a codec, anyway?

Codec stands for COmpress DECompress. Each codec has a different manner of compressing and decompressing the video (kind of like how .zip compress files, or JPEG compresses graphics). Some common codecs you'll hear about are XviD, DivX, DV, MPEG-4, Sorenson 3, or Lagarith.

There are a lot of codecs used in AVI and MOV files. Some are better for editing, some are better for downloading and viewing (are "distribution codecs"). Even though some vidders use them for making fan videos, XviD or DivX AVI (or MPEG2) are not recommended for editing (read this link for more info). So we're going to only discuss editable codecs right now.

 

Editable codecs vs. highly compressed codecs:

When I say, "Some codecs are better for editing," there's a reason behind that. Editing software has to analyze every frame in a video clip. It's easier for this software to analyze video which is made with codecs that are not highly compressed (read this tutorial about complete vs. incomplete frames for more detailed info). When our editing software tries to deal with these compressed codecs (like XviD, WMV, DivX, etc) it has to do a lot of extra fancy footwork, and sometimes it doesn't want to. Or it'll try, but it'll slow down, crash, or mess up the video picture somehow. That's why there's the emphasis on editable codecs. Your software will behave better, and the picture quality will look a lot nicer.

You can still edit with compressed footage if you want to, and sometimes you can get away with it for a while with relatively few problems. But the reasons why it's not advisable are still very real. It's very common for vidders to have difficulties with their software, and never realize that it's the codec that is the culprit. Instead they'll say that their software "doesn't like" AVI files. No, AVI is okay—it's XviD (or DivX, or whatever) that is the problem!

Sometimes those who edit with highly compressed footage will look at other vidders' work and marvel at how sharp and clear their video picture is. How is it possible? Well, these other vidders use a higher quality editable codec, that's how it's possible!

If you're dubious about the quality hit your video can take when you edit with a compressed file type, like XviD, DivX, MPEG, WMV, check out the "Video Quality" tutorial, which gives side-by-side examples (and video downloads) showing the visual difference.

 

Disk space usage and editing:

Some of you may be used to the idea of having an entire episode or movie only taking up 300-700 MB of disk space, usually in the form of an XviD AVI file. Well, that's fine for downloaded shows that you're just going to watch, but for editing fan videos? It's not happening. If you want software stability and excellent quality, you're going to be dealing with around 1 GB per 5 minutes of footage (or more). That's how it is with editing. A lot of people who make fan videos work around the disk space demands by only converting over the scenes they need to use in their video to an editable codec. Others will buy an additional external or internal hard drive, to store large digital video files.

 

Most commonly used editable codecs in fan videos:

DV AVI or MOV: DV is a lightly compressed (aka "lossy") codec, very commonly used in professional video, and works well on both Mac and PC. Since DV is lightly compressed, there is a little bit of quality loss, but it's not going to be noticeable unless you re-compress and re-re-compress your files. DV works well on old and new computers alike, doesn't take up a lot of disk space (about 1 GB per 5 minutes of footage), and when you're converting a good quality DVD to DV, the picture quality will be very similar to the non-lossy codec Lagarith. You can use MPEG Streamclip, Avidemux, VirtualDubMod, VisualHub or ffmpegX convert to DV. However, the MPEG Streamclip method is the most newbie-friendly way (while having the most control), and works equally well for both Macs and PCs. Be aware that a $20 plug-in may be needed to get the software to recognize your DVD's .vob files (but many users feel this is a worthy investment, due to MPEG Streamclip's extreme ease of use).

Lagarith is a Windows-only codec, and if your PC is fast enough (Intel Core Duo or equivalent is recommended) then it's going to give you the best quality possible. Lagarith is non-lossy, so you lose NO picture quality. The disk space usage is similar to DV (about 1 GB per 5 minutes or so). When you convert your DVD files to Lagarith with Avisynth/VirtualDubMod, you have the option of using the powerful Avisynth filters to smooth out and prettify your footage, so it looks extra gorgeous. Lagarith is the way to go if you have dodgy footage that you need to clean up, and if your PC is fast enough. However, the Avisynth/VirtualDubMod encoding process (or VirtualDubMod standalone process) has a steeper learning curve, compared to the very simple MPEG Streamclip/DV method. (However, it's not hard, you can learn it, and the software is all free!) Follow this link for an easy-to-follow tutorial, explaining more about Lagarith's awesomeness. (Free membership required to see many of the tutorials on the Foolish Passion Fan Video Forums.)

HuffYUV is uncompressed, for AVI only (there's a port for Mac, but may not work on all systems—I can't get it to work). VERY large file sizes, but will work on slower computers. Uncompressed means that the you lose no picture quality. You can convert your DVD files to HuffYUV with Avidemux or VirtualDubMod. HuffYUV has a different color space (RGB) than Lagarith and DV, which makes it a little less desirable for some vidders.

 

Other editable codecs:

MJPEG MOV or AVI: It'll work. It's a "proper" editing codec. But it's an older and less desireable codec compared to DV, and far lower down the food chain compared to Lagarith or HuffYUV. However, if you need to conserve disk space and do a lot of testing beforehand (to make sure you are satisfied with quality) then MJPEG can be a great alternative to the other more well-known codecs. MJPEG works better with "live action" video, but not as well when editing anime.

JPEG 2000 MOV: Another older codec that can be useful (for both Mac and PC) if for whatever reason editing in some of the other codecs is not feasable. Do tests to make sure you are happy with quality settings.

Apple Intermediate Codec: This codec is your only other option (besides DV) if you work in Final Cut Express. Looks good, smaller file sizes, but DV is better quality.

PRORES 422: A new codec introduced in Final Cut Studio 2, but can be used on systems with Final Cut Pro 5 (Final Cut Studio 1). Excellent quality codec for Macs; use it if you can.

 

CODEC SUMMARY: (In case all my rambling was too long to read.)

Lagarith: The best option for Windows users if you have a fast PC and you don't mind the slightly steeper learning curve of VirtualDubMod. (It's not that hard, really!) Quality will be the best it can possibly be. When you have dodgy footage that needs a lot of cleaning up, this is definitely the way to go (providing that your PC is fast).

DV AVI or DV MOV: Great for Macs and PCs, and works equally well on fast or slow computers. Very cross-platform. Quality will be excellent, especially when converting from DVD footage. If you crave a shallow learning curve when learning new software, this may be your best option.

HuffYUV: Excellent quality, HUGE file sizes. Works on fast and slow PCs. There are color space issues with HuffYUV that make it less than desirable for some vidders. But it's still very good and a viable option as long as you have the disk space.

XviD, DivX, MPEG, WMV, RM, MP4, MPEG-4, H.264 MP4: Great for online distribution (making available for download on your blog, uploading to YouTube) but BAD for editing. Read this tutorial for a more thorough explanation.

For more information on "distribution codecs," and what choices there are, read this page. It won't tell you how to encode your video to the various codecs, but it'll tell you what's often used online.

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