Free or nearly free software for clipping large/ 1080p mkv files on mac

[thedivinegoat]

Trying to vid for the first time in years, and I've gone back to MPEG Streamclip for clipping purposes, but as well as no longer being as stable as it used to be, it doesn't seem to be able to deal with large .mkv files.

I have no problem clipping the .mkv that are around 1 gb 720p but can't deal with .mkv files that are around 4gb 1080p. (I'm not technically savvy enough to know whether it's the size or the encoding it's having an issue with).

Any recommendations for for newer software that might deal with files better? (I'm using Lightworks for the actual vidding)

Comments

[sanguinity]

Also Lightworks user on a Mac, hello! I wasn't aware that one could get MPEG Streamclip to work with mkvs at all -- maybe I should experiment again.

I use mkvtoolnix for clipping mkvs. The interface isn't the most intuitive (you have to choose "split by parts" and type in a list of comma-delimited timestamps instead of being able to mark 'in' and 'out' points), but it works well enough. Output is another mkv in the original encoding, so if you want it in an editing codec you'll need to transcode with something else. (I use JES Deinterlacer for that, which is also nonintuitive, and does a LOT more than deinterlacing.)

Basically, my workflow for mkvs is a pain in the butt, and I'd be happy to hear tips from someone who has an elegant mkv workflow.

[thedivinegoat]

You need to install Perian, but once it's installed it plays quite nicely with the smaller mkvs. It's just the larger files it throws a wobbly with. (Of course it could be a difference in encoding, not size, causing the problem)

[soupytwist]

I use avidemux for clipping, which will let you work with a whole load of file types including (I am 99% sure!) mkv, and it's free!

[eruthros]

Are your large mkvs encoded in H264 or H265? In my experience, MPEG Streamclip works fine with larger mkvs encoded in H264 (but it takes forever for them to open), but it can't process H265/HEVC mkvs; I can usually find an alternative version that's in H264 though.

[starlady]

I switched to AVI Demux because I couldn't get Mpeg Streamclip to work properly on the Sierra OS. There doesn't seem to be a way to not save audio, and the frame controls aren't quite as fine-grained, but it more than gets the job done.

[elipie]

I'm nervous about MPEG Streamclip no longer being usable on Macs in a few years, and the best I've found so far is iFFmpeg. I think you have to pay for it after a short trial period but it's not super pricy. My main issue with it is that it's tough to get exact in and out points with it, but everything else about it is great! Lots of encoding options.

[franzeska]

To be honest, I never do anything with mkvs. I always use MP4tools to convert them to mp4 before trying them in any program. If they're a standard stereo audio + h264, you can just do a passthrough, and the conversion takes a few seconds. If they're h265, I convert them to h264, which takes a while. (I know that's not what you asked for, but maybe some of this software will play nicely with an mp4 wrapper and not with an mkv one.)

http://www.emmgunn.com/mp4tools-home/