VLC: Know How to Use Hidden Media Player Tools

The VLC is one of the media players more used today, but not everyone knows what you can do much more with it. The program has a number of tools that can facilitate various aspects of your daily life.

Check out a tutorial on each of the best of these features.

Recording the webcam image

1. Under “Media”, open the “Capture Device”;
2. Set “DirectShow” as capture mode;
3. Among the video and audio devices, select your webcam and your computer’s default microphone;
4. In “Advanced Options”, change the settings you think are necessary and click “OK”;
5. Go to “Playback” and VLC will open your camera and start recording. Finally, just use the standard playback controls.

With this same hidden tool you can record or even capture the work screen. Just change the option in step 2. The result will be saved to the videos folder.

Fixing unsynchronized caption

1. Press “Shift + H” when they speak a certain phrase in the movie;
2. Press “Shift + J” when the right subtitle appears on the screen;
3. Press “Shift + K” to sync;
4. If the subtitle is advanced, just do step 2 and then 1.

Downloading YouTube Videos

1. Choose the video and copy the URL;
2. Go to “Media” and select the “Open Network Flow” option;
3. Paste the video’s URL into the field, select “Play” and wait for the video to begin;
4. Go to “Tools” and look for the “Encoder Information” option;
5. In the lower field, named “Local”, copy the address and paste it into your browser;
6. On the page that appears, right-click and select “Save as.”

Recording clips from a video

1. Play video with VLC;
2. Pause before starting the part you want to record;
3. Right-click, go to “View” and select “Advanced Controls”;
4. Hit “Play” and the red button to start recording or stop it;
5. Your recording will be in the default video folder.

Converting video files

1. Under “Media”, go to “Convert/Save”:
2. Open the file, disk or URL;
3. Select “Convert/Save”;
4. In “Profile”, choose the file format to which you want to save;
5. Choose the destination and go to “Start” to finish.

Managing podcasts

This is another hidden VLC tool that few know about, but you can configure the app to help manage your podcasts.

1. In “View”, open the playlist;
2. Scroll down to the left until you find “Podcasts”;
3. Paste the podcast URL to subscribe to it;
4. By clicking on the name of the podcast, you will see all available episodes and updates ready to be listened to.

Placing a Video as a Desktop Background

1. Open VLC, go to “Settings” and then “Preferences”;
2. Under “Video” in the video output, select the “Direct3D9” option;
3. Close the application and open it again;
4. Choose a video to play and right-click it. In the options, go to “Video” and then “Set as Background”.

Playing videos in loop

1. Open the video and go to the moment you want the loop to begin;
2. Right-click on the video and go to “View” and “Advanced Controls”;
3. In the controls below the video, select the “A/B” button to set the starting point of the loop;
4. Go to the end point of the loop and click the “A/B” button again.

Watching videos on ASCII

1. Open a video in VLC;
2. Go to Tools> Preferences> Video;
3. Under “Output,” choose “Color ASCII Art Video Output” and save.