Working with video footage
How to be more efficient with video review work
Video footage, whether recorded by mobile phone, a CCTV system, or a dashcam, is becoming increasingly prevalent in all types of litigation. This article aims to offer some general information about video footage together with some practical tips on viewing footage and, where necessary, creating stills and video extracts from the footage.
Video File Types
A video file type (or file ‘format’) is, simply put, the container that stores the audio and image data that makes up the video. There are various video formats which vary according to the functionality they offer and the way they store the data. A few examples:
MP4: Considered the international standard for audio-visual coding. Compatible with almost all video software.
MOV: Developed by Apple, works best with macOS but has wide compatibility.
AVI: Developed by Microsoft. File size very large as compression options are limited.
DAV: Usually created by a CCTV system, and usually requires special software to view.
Video Viewing Software
In order to view a video file you need to have a video player – a piece of software that is able to open and play the specific file type that you are dealing with.
Most computers will be supplied with a pre-installed video player (eg. Windows Media Player, Quicktime) but these pre-installed players are usually somewhat limited in the file formats that they can handle. It’s therefore a good idea to look for something with wider application and compatibility.
I have used VLC Media Player for many years and find it great. It’s completely free, supports almost all file formats without the need to download additional codecs, can optimise video and audio playback for your chosen device, supports streaming, and can be extended almost infinitely with downloadable plugins.
One file type that VLC Media Player does not handle well (or at all, if I’m not mistaken) is the DAV file type. While it is possible to convert a DAV file to a different type (and then play it in VLC), I find it easier to have specific software to handle DAV files and I use Amcrest Smart Player.
Controlling Playback Speed
Whatever software you are using, it’s a good idea to figure out how to control playback speed.
Whether you want to watch in slow-motion or at 32x normal speed, being able to control playback speed is enormously useful. Instructions: (VLC Media Player)
Capturing Video Stills
There are several ways to capture video stills when watching a video on your computer. Sometimes the video player will include a tool to capture stills, on other occasions you may have to use an alternative method that is built in to Windows or macOS:
VLC Media Player: VLC has a built-in tool. Press ‘Shift + S’ (Windows) or ‘Option + Command + S’ (macOS) to capture a still. The captured still will be saved to your computer (usually the ‘downloads’ or ‘pictures’ folder). For more information and more ways to capture video stills with VLC, click here.
Windows: You can use the ‘Snipping Tool’ in Windows to capture a video still. This tool allows you to capture any area of your computer screen as an image file. For more information and instructions, click here.
macOS: It is also possible to capture video stills on macOS using its built-in screenshot feature (comparable to the ‘Snipping Tool’ in Windows). For more information and instructions, click here.
Capturing Video Extracts
Very often an incident lasting a matter of seconds, or minutes, will have been captured as part of a video clip that is itself much, much longer (sometimes up to an hour long). For whatever reason you may wish to extract the part of the video that is relevant and discard the rest. The advantage of doing this is that the resulting file is smaller in size, faster to upload/download (for sharing or viewing from the cloud), and easier to navigate (when reviewing).
There are several ways to capture video extracts when watching a video on your computer. Sometimes the video player will include a tool to capture extracts, on other occasions you may have to use an alternative method that is built in to Windows or macOS:
VLC Media Player: VLC has a built-in tool. Using the menu bar in VLC, select ‘View > Advanced Controls’. Recording buttons will appear above the normal player control buttons, enabling you to capture an extract from any part of the video being viewed. For more information and detailed instructions, click here.
Windows: Press ‘Win + G’ on your keyboard to access the ‘Game Bar’. This tool has a screen recording feature that you can use to make a screen recording from the active window (being the window that was active immediately prior to your pressing ‘Win + G’). For more information and detailed instructions, click here.
macOS: It is also possible to capture video extracts on macOS using its built-in screen recording feature. For more information and instructions, click here.
Handy Tools in VLC Media Player
Zoom In/Out: For information, click here.
Precise Navigation: For information, click here.
Keyboard Shortcuts (‘hotkeys’): For information, click here.
Gerard, Video files are one of the biggest irritants in my practice. I get a lot of them. It's very difficult to review them quickly and effectively. Thanks for laying out the tools so comprehensively! We're going to use this to look at our video review process.