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MP3/Video Help (itunes too)

John Cougar Lunchbucket Apr 19 2008 08:42 PM

OK, forgive my cluelessness -- I'm trying to make a photo slide show to music. I downloaded some freeware called "Video Caster" which seems to be satisfactory, but of course it doesn't recognize iTunes and their especially f-ed up music files to accompany the vids. Regular MP3's, which I own very few of, seem to work OK. I found software that will "convert" iTunes files to MP3 but it costs $$, looks complicated, and I can't imagine I'd use it too often. I dont feel like buying into a subscription download site like eMusic either. I found a site where an MP3 version of one of the songs I'd like to use is "stored" but don't know how to go get it for myself. [url]http://www.divshare.com/download/2440552-95d[/url] Help?

themetfairy Apr 19 2008 08:47 PM

I use Windows Movie Maker for those kinds of projects - do you have that on your computer?

John Cougar Lunchbucket Apr 19 2008 09:55 PM

Does it handle iTunes to MP3?

Kong76 Apr 20 2008 06:33 AM

You can use iTunes to convert songs to mp3

themetfairy Apr 20 2008 06:43 AM

I was just playing around with Windows Movie Maker. I can import any songs I want from my Windows Media Player library, but I couldn't figure out how to directly import songs into WMM from iTunes. What I will tell you is that once you do have the music, making a photo slideshow to music on WMM is very easy. Slightly time consuming, but easy. BTW, [url=http://www.picnik.com/]Picnik[/url] is a nice, free app that lets you edit the pictures you want to use. It probably doesn't have the functionality of the more expensive editing tools, but it's good for quick crops, resizing, etc.

Kong76 Apr 20 2008 06:50 AM

I'm confused if this is about videos or music, but if you want to convert a song in your itunes music library to mp3 format instead of the default apple format just right click on it and select convert to mp3 and it creates a new file. You'll see you have two versions of the song listed and one of them is the new mp3.

themetfairy Apr 20 2008 06:52 AM

I think what he wants to do is make a slideshow to music, and he's having difficulty getting the iTunes music in a format that his freeware will recognize.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Apr 20 2008 08:31 AM

KC wrote: I'm confused if this is about videos or music, but if you want to convert a song in your itunes music library to mp3 format instead of the default apple format just right click on it and select convert to mp3 and it creates a new file. You'll see you have two versions of the song listed and one of them is the new mp3. I get "convert to AAC." Oh that works. Thanks

themetfairy Apr 20 2008 09:41 AM

Interesting - you can do that for tunes that you've ripped from CDs, but iTunes won't let you (or at least won't let me) do that for tunes that you've purchased from them. So Lunchbucket - what are you working on? A 2-year-old birthday boy montage?

Kong76 Apr 20 2008 12:06 PM

Glad it worked, Lunchbagger. I'm too lazy to look for the ipod thread, so this is now decreed the new ipod thread. I need to install itunes on a different (newer) computer. My songs are on an external drive, this will be my third computer to have access to these songs, and I didn't de-authorize the first computer which is now landfill. The second computer, the one I'm replacing, takes ten minutes to boot up and is barely usable for some reason. It's got re-format hard drive written all over it and go Linux for a hobby workstation. I'm afraid to take on the project. I have a love/hate thing with itunes and I'm afraid that I ain't going to be able to sync up the ol' ipod with the external drive without Steve Jobs sticking his dick in my ear. I don't want to screw up the library on the hard drive (it's almost 6,000 songs) and I don't want to end up with a useless ipod for not following the correct way to go about this. Anyone got any experience with this? First one to tell me to buy a Mac will get a shower of cyber smack back.

Willets Point Apr 20 2008 12:24 PM

Are you trying to transfer your music files from one computer to the other? I did that once and I had to "enable disk use" and basically use the iPod as a flash drive to transfer files. There are good instructions on how to do this if you search on Apple.com.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Apr 20 2008 12:39 PM

I'll be honest the whole thing is fubarred. Somehow I got that song to work on the VideoCaster software, but that program continually crashed befoire I could save the video. I tried a different freeware program, hate it, and it won;t allow me to use the converted itunes file. I don't even have Windows Movie Maker, tried to download it, get a buncha shit you don't want or need. I don't wanna use software I can't even find, not a good sign. So, starting over: Wanna make slideshow video with accompanying music to publish online. 1) What software to use? 2. How to incorporate music in the incompatible itunes format? 3) What other shit do I need to know?

Kong76 Apr 20 2008 01:19 PM Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Apr 20 2008 01:36 PM

WP: >>>Are you trying to transfer your music files from one computer to the other<<< No, the songs are on an independent hard drive. I need to load itunes onto a new computer and be able to have access them with error messages (being "authorized" to them, the one's I've purchased from Apple) and not to screw up the actual ipod too. I'm on my second ipod, the first one ended in disaster, and it will also be my last if I can't do this easily. I've heard nightmarish stories in addition to my story. OE: I mean without, not, "with error messages."

themetfairy Apr 20 2008 01:33 PM

Windows Movie Maker is the only tool I've ever used for such projects. FWIW, it's incredibly user-friendly, in case that persuades you to go ahead with the download.

seawolf17 Apr 20 2008 06:33 PM

From what I understand, it's way easier to just download what you need illegally than buying things from iTunes. Me, I'm still a fan of CDs; I'll actually buy stuff from iTunes, burn it to CD, then re-rip the CD down to 128 kbps mp3s so I can more on my mp3 player. But I'm weird like that. Plus I drive an old Corolla without one of those fancy "AUX" jacks in the stereo, and I have a CD changer in the trunk. I'm old skool.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Apr 20 2008 06:41 PM

What's your video-to-youtube software?

themetfairy Apr 20 2008 06:41 PM

You're not alone - I listen to CDs in the car also.

TheOldMole Apr 22 2008 07:31 AM

Odd that you said it was fubarred, because that's what will work. Foobar 2000 will convert your Itunes downloads to mp3, and it's free. http://www.foobar2000.org/ I use ProShow Gold, which I paid for, for making the slide shows, and I've gotten pretty good at it -- if I can help, let me know.

John Cougar Lunchbucket Apr 22 2008 07:43 AM

Thanks Mole! Will give both a shot. I got the other programs to work in preview mode but couldn't get them to publish anything.