HOW TO Convert video in Handbrake
1 Select source
When Handbrake opens, select the video file (or folder containing multiple files) that you wish to convert. If you select a folder full of files, select the first video you wish to convert via the Title drop-down.
2 Choose clip length
You can trim unwanted parts from the video file using the Chapters dropdown menu to select Seconds or even Frames to choose exactly what to keep – simply set your start and end times, frames or chapters.
3 Select a preset
Click Toggle Presets if necessary to reveal a set of optimised presets for different devices. To make your video play on any Apple device, choose one of the Apple settings, such as 540p30 for non-HD movies.
4 Set basic settings
The default Video tab is where you tweak basic quality settings. See the annotation for a guide to doing so. Tick Fast Decode to ensure your video plays without stuttering on all devices, even low powered ones.
5 Tweak Picture settings
Switch to the Picture tab. The default settings should be fine here – however, if your finished movie suffers from motion judder or a ‘combing’ effect, experiment with different Decomb and Detelecine filter settings.
6 Select audio stream
Click Tracks > Add All Tracks if no audio track has been added on the Audio tab. Select AAC (CoreAudio) as your codec, and use the Mixdown drop-down menu to choose between stereo, mono or surround (if offered).
7 Add subtitle track
If your original video has embedded subtitles, select it under Subtitles. If the video contains subtitled content (such as foreign speech), choose Foreign Audio Search and tick both Forced Only and Burned In.
8 Convert video
Click Browse… next to Destination to choose where to save your converted file. Click Start to convert the video now. Once complete, play the video – if it’s not the desired quality, change the settings and try again.
9 More tips
Click Add to Queue to set up multiple videos for conversion. When done, click Start to process them in sequence. If experimenting with different settings, click Preview to see their effect on a 30-second clip.