Flash video formats like FLV are the lifeblood of heavy-traffic websites that need to stream video to multiple users simultaneously. If you have a video clip you'd like to upload to a site like YouTube or Google Video, you need to convert it to a flash video format first.
Method #1: Export To FLV Using QuickTime Pro
Step 1
Download the QuickTime Components package for your computer's operating system. See Resource below for a direct link.
Step 2
Double-click on the icon of the file you just downloaded to install it.
Step 3
Run QuickTime Pro.
Step 4
Click "File" and then "Open." Select your video file in the browsing window and press "Enter."
Step 5
Click "File" and select "Export" from the drop down menu.
Step 6
Click on "Using QuickTime Conversion" from the Export drop down menu.
Step 7
Select "Flash Video (.flv)" from the list of format options.
Step 8
Click "Export." QuickTime will write a FLV version of your original movie to your desktop.
Method #2: Using FFmpeg
Step 1
Download "easy_ffmpeg.zip." See Resource for a direct link.
Step 2
Extract the contents of this ZIP file to your desktop. Find a file named "ffmpeg.exe."
Step 3
Open the "My Computer" folder on your desktop.
Step 4
Open the "Local Disk (C:)" folder.
Step 5
Open the "Documents and Settings" folder.
Step 6
Open the folder with your username on it. For example, if your username is "JohnSmith," open the folder named "JohnSmith."
Step 7
Drag the file "ffmpeg.exe" from Section 2, Step 2 into the username folder from the previous step. Keep this window open.
Step 8
Click on the "Start" Menu located in the lower left-hand corner of your desktop. Select "Programs" or "Applications," depending on your system.
Step 9
Select "Accessories" from the Program menu.
Step 10
Click on "Command Prompt." This will cause a window with a command line prompt to appear.
Step 11
Drag the video file you want to convert to FLV into your username folder from Section 2, Step 6.
Step 12
Type "ffmpeg -i [video file name].[file extension] [video file name].flv". The place holder "[video file name]" refers to the name of the video file that you dragged into the username folder while the placeholder "[file extension]" refers to this files three-letter file extension. For example, if you wanted to convert an mpg file named "fight" to an FLV file, you would drag the original file, i.e. "fight.mpg", into your username file and type "ffmpeg -i fight.mpg fight.flv" into the Command Prompt and press "Enter." FFMpeg automatically creates a FLV version of your video in your username folder.
