14 DAY TRIAL // Nowadays you don't have to be especially computer savvy in order to start cropping into your videos and taking out the parts you dislike. With a little documentation and the right application you can start slicing them like melons, because you do not need a steady hand to cut into a specific part of the movie.
Sure there are plenty of solutions to invoke for such a need, but only a small bunch address the average Joe and even a smaller one bring complete, easy to follow documentation. Machete is not quite new on the market, and it is not freeware, but it features amazing ease of use and complete documentation about its options and functions.
The cost for the application is $19.95, but you benefit from a 14-day trial period to test the software at full capacity, the only hen-peck being the screen at launching the software that reminds you that “Machete is a try-before-you-buy program” and the number of days left for evaluation.
It comes with a video player-like interface that should pose absolutely no handling problems, featuring tooltips for each function available at hovering your mouse over it. And if you have problems understanding the terminology the help file explains each and every aspect thoroughly without resorting to geek language.
Besides splitting video or allowing you to trim it to your own needs, Machete also lets you join multiple movies and even audio files. The only condition is that all the files have to be of the same format. Another thing worth mentioning is that in order to work with the data the system needs to have installed the appropriate codecs. A very nice pack can be downloaded from here.
If you are a professional video trimmer, a single look is all you need to realize that all the options you need for cutting into the file are available in the main application window. In the lower part of the screen there are the selection instruments that help you mark the beginning and the end of the part you want to cut, as well as specific navigation functions such as moving to the next/previous frame, to the beginning/end of the selection or of the entire film.
What is paramount for you to know, and what comes as a downside for some users, is that Machete cannot cut just anywhere into the video, because it is a key-frame video editor. This means that it is limited to splitting the file at special points in the movie, which are inserted by the original encoding program. Unlike frames, which succeed one another, key-frames are scattered at specific times in the video and mark the occurrence of something new (a new object, a new transition, etc.). So, in order to be able to mark a video selection and save it, it'll have to be guarded by key frames at the beginning and end.
Machete provides the necessary means to find a key frame (moving to the next or previous key frame can be done by pressing the yellow key-like shaped buttons) but the time may not be exactly the one you want. To see if you are locked on a key frame, check out in the blue information box in the lower right hand part of the interface, if the key frame symbol is lit under selection (SEL).
Additional details provided in this part of the screen include the format of the loaded file, current play time, audio type included, video codec used, framerate and total play time duration. More details can be obtained by pressing Ctrl+I or opting for File Information under File menu. Besides the above mentioned details you will also get the saved date and time, total size in bytes, duration of the audio and the video as well as the average bitrate.
When making a selection, jumping to a specific time of the video can be of real help, so Machete brings this function, as well. In order to get to a certain part of the movie you can type in the hour, minute and second the player should chute to.
Joining two or more video files is as easy as choosing the exact key frame you want to insert a new file and the application will append it. This works for both video and audio data, as long as all the files are of the same format. There are no effects to smoothen up the transition, and the resulting file may in some cases appear chopped up.
Machete is an easy way to edit your movies and complete documentation on all functions is includes but it poses several disadvantages some users may not get by easily. The price is a bit steep considering that there is at least one freeware alternative that accomplishes all Machete can do and even more. Also, key frame editing does not give a free hand in cutting the video at just any time you want. On the upside, Machete does not recompress the video, thus keeping the quality of the output result the same as the original file. Also, thanks to this, your system needs not be too well endowed with processing power and the time required to complete the job is extremely low. Moreover, it can join both video and audio data together smoothly, and in the case of the latter key frames are not at all a conditioning factor.
The Good
The application features let you move freely within the video, by jumping from key frame to key frame, navigating it frame by frame or by jumping to a specific time.
The Bad
No key frame restriction for cutting to a selection would be a great improvement to the software, giving more freedom to the user. Also, it would be nice if there were some transition effects available.
The Truth
All the options are easy to locate and the tooltips make finding out the role of each button a cinch. On the downside, Machete is a key frame video editing tool which means that it does not allow cutting into the movie at just about any part you want.
Check out the application in action:
