Knowing how to convert videos from one format to another can come in handy in a wide variety of situations. Have a file that you want to make smaller so it won’t take too much storage space on your mobile phone? Looking to play an old homemade video but can’t find a compatible media player that can run it? No problem, video conversion can help you in both scenarios, as well as so many more. With this type of software you can convert videos to MP4/AVI/MKV (or other formats) and the process is generally very straightforward.

 

But which video converter should you use? Well, there are certainly many to choose from these days, but if you want the best of the best, we recommend trying out DVDFab Video Converter. Not only can this free video converter handle all the popular formats out there but it also includes great customization and editing tools to boot.

 

Step 1: Choose the Correct Module

 

DVDFab Video Converter is part of the DVDFab 11 software suite so you’ll first need to download the entire package from the official website if you haven’t already. Next, open the software and look for the Converter module in the top menu. It’s the third option from the left. Open the module to get started.

 

 

Step 2: Load the Source

 

The software can work with videos from a variety of different sources so you have a few options to work with here. First off, you can add videos from your computer by using either the big “+” button in the middle of the user interface or the “+Add from Local” button found in the upper left corner. Alternatively, you can also use simply drag & drop the video/s you wish to convert anywhere inside the user interface.

 

 

A nice feature of this free video converter is that it can work hand in hand with the DVDFab Remote mobile app to transfer videos to and from your smartphone. The best part? It can do it wirelessly. Once your app is paired with the DVDFab 11 desktop client you can use the “+Add from Mobile” button in the Converter module to load any file you want from your phone’s video gallery.

 

Another great feature of the software is that it allows you to download and convert videos from popular websites like YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo, and many more. To use this feature, click the “+Add from Online” button, download the video, and then import it into the converter. Keep in mind that you’ll need DVDFab Video Downloader as well in order for this to work.

 

 

Step 3: Choose a Profile

 

Next, go to the Profile Switcher by clicking the little button located just to the left of the “+Add from Local” button mentioned earlier. Here, you can pick the output format for the video you want to convert. You’ll notice there are quite a few options to choose from and even more will appear when using the various filters. However, most of these options are only available in the Paid version. That said, you still have two solid options to choose from - MKV Passthrough and MP4. Free, so make sure to pick one of those.

 

 

Step 4: Advanced Settings

 

If you would like to customize your video a little bit before starting the conversion process, you can do so by clicking the little wrench icon. This opens up the Advanced Settings menu where you will find many different tools.

 

 

In the first section of the menu you can find tools that will let you adjust certain video proprieties such as resolution, codec, encoding method, frame rate, and video quality. You can also manually add values in the Bit Rate and Output Size fields or adjust the Bits/Pixel slider to achieve the desired quality. The free video converter will let you adjust most of these settings but the Video Quality can only go up to Standard and the resolution up to 720p.

 

In the second section you will find a number of options related to audio. Here, you can change the sample rate, bit rate, codec, channels, as well as adjust the volume of the output file. There’s also an option that allows you to output both AAC and AC3 5.1 audio tracks. As mentioned earlier, the free version only supports a maximum of two channels, but aside from that, you can freely adjust any of the available options found in this category.

 

The final section of this menu is dedicated to subtitles. There’s just a single menu here but it offers two different options to choose from – Direct render to video and Remux into file. Choosing the first option will result in hardcoded subtitles that can’t be turned on or off while the second one will output subtitles that are embedded into the file but can be turned on or off.

 

Aside from all of that, there are a few more settings you can adjust but these require you to exit the Advanced Settings menu and go back to the main user interface. Here, you can change the name of the file or pick the audio tracks and subtitles you want to keep while converting the video. You can also use the dropdown menu to quickly select a video quality preset in case you don’t want to mess around with the Advanced Settings menu.

 

 

Step 5: Video Edit

 

The free video converter gives you a number of tools that you can use to edit your videos. When you first open up the editor it may look a bit daunting because there are so many different options to choose from but we’re going to break things down into two categories to make things a bit easier for you.

 

 

Left-hand Side Options

 

The first category here is Credits and it allows you to change the look of the opening scene and the end credits. The Assets Library contains a few different background options for both sequences and you can use these to spice up your videos a little bit. These assets are mainly suited to homemade videos but you can definitely use them for movies as well. Once you’ve picked a background you like, you can change its name, position, text font, color and more by using the options found beneath the progress bar.

 

 

The next category of tools is known as Text and can be used for a few different things. First off, you can use these tools to create custom text watermarks that can be displayed throughout the entire video or just certain parts of it. Some of the presets found in the Assets Library give you a nice way of showcasing the video’s title or the time and date of its recording. Another useful tool found in the Text category is the ability to add your own external subtitles. Simply click the +Sub button and add the file from your computer.

 

The free video converter also allows you to add music to your videos. This can be done by using the third category suitable labeled Music. Here, you have the option of adding one of several tracks already present in the Assets Library or adding songs from your local music library. If you prefer to add your own music, click the “+BGM” option and select a song from your computer. You can adjust the start/end time of the song along with its volume by using the options found underneath the progress bar.

 

The last category is labeled Image and the tools there can be used to add image watermarks to your videos. Similar to the Text options, you can add images found in the Assets Library or upload your own pictures by clicking the “+PIC” button. You can adjust the transparency of the picture by using the slider found underneath the progress bar.

 

Video Proprieties and Trimming

 

The second set of tools is represented by the three little icons found just beneath the Assets Library. The first icon on this row allows you to adjust the brightness, contrast, and saturation of the video using the three sliders or manually add values in the nearby fields. Here is where you can also rotate your videos clockwise or counterclockwise by increments of 90 degrees.

 

The second icon is the cropping tool but the free video converter doesn’t support this option so we’re going to skip it and jump straight to the third one. This is the trimming tool and it does exactly what you would expect. Simply use the two little red markers to set the start and end time of the section you want to trim or manually add values in the fields beneath the progress bar. If you want to trim an additional section, move the blue marker outside the boundaries of the red ones and then click the Trim icon again. This will create two new red markers that you can use to repeat the process.

 

 

Step 6: Choose the Output Destination

 

Picking a different destination folder can be done by using the dropdown menu in the lower left of the UI or the little folder icon located next to it. If you want to save the output video locally, choose a destination from the menu list or click the folder icon and manually navigate to the location on your computer.

 

The free video converter also gives you the option to save videos directly to your smartphone. As mentioned earlier, it can even do it wirelessly, however, you will need to have the DVDFab Remote app installed on your device. If you do, pick the Mobile Device option from the dropdown menu to transfer the file to your phone once the conversion process is complete.

 

Furthermore, you can also upload the resulting file directly to YouTube by using the globe icon found right next to the folder one. Before you attempt this, make sure you sign into your YouTube account directly from DVDFab 11.

 

 

Step 7: Start the Process

 

Once everything looks good, you can go ahead and begin converting the video to your preferred format. To do this now, click the green Start button found in the lower right corner of the user interface or the little arrow next to it if you would prefer to schedule the process for later. Once the conversion is ongoing, you can use the three new green buttons that appear in the lower right to cancel, pause or postpone the process. Meanwhile,  the menu found in the lower left can be used to tell DVDFab 11 to shut down/hibernate your computer or just exit the program once the task is complete.

 

 

The Free Version vs. the Paid Version

 

One of the best parts about the free video converter software is that it allows you to convert videos to other formats absolutely for free. In fact, DVDFab Video Converter has three different versions to choose from – Full Trial, Free, and Paid. Once your initial 30-day Full Trial expires, you can continue to use the Free version of the software for as long as you want. There are, however, certain limitations.

 

The Free version of DVDFab Video Converter doesn’t support 4K and H.265 videos and can only output MKV Passthrough and MP4.Free formats. This version also doesn’t feature multi-channel support and has a maximum output video resolution of 720p. The Paid version doesn’t come with any of these limitations so we recommend using that one if you’re looking to take advantage of all the features. To learn more about the differences between the various versions make sure to visit the official website.

 

Final Thoughts

 

DVDFab Video Converter is a very efficient but simple to use piece of software that comes with a wide variety of features. While the free video converter can easily handle basic tasks, we recommend checking out the Paid version of the software. With the full version, you can convert high quality 4K videos with multi-channel audio, pick between additional formats in the profile switcher, benefit from hardware acceleration, and so much more.