If you’re looking for a quick and free online tool to convert MP4s and other videos, here are five of the best you can use.
If you don’t work frequently with videos or file formats, file conversion might sound like a daunting task. There are hundreds of different formats for video, sound, image, and document files, and the wrong one might make or break your latest project.
Luckily, there are a wide variety of sites on the web which can help you turn any file format into just the one that you’re looking for. That means no need to download software that you’ll never use again, and all entirely free. Here are five of the very best.
First up on this list comes Zamzar, which strives to make file conversion easy. This makes it a great choice for those of you who don’t know which audio format to use, for example.
Zamzar strives to make its conversion process easy and accessible, first and foremost. The UI is easy to understand and straightforward in its approach.
All you need to do with Zamzar is upload a file. The easiest way to do this is using a file you’ve already downloaded or edited on your computer. You can just upload it straight away. Alternatively, you can upload a video from Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive instead.
Once you’ve chosen and uploaded your file, Zamzar will automatically recognize the type of file you’re uploading and give you a list of options to convert your file to. These will all be file types that are compatible.
For example, if you upload a JPG file, Zamzar will automatically show you other image file formats to choose from. It will also show you document formats as well, in case you want to turn an image into a PDF or DOC file.
The actual conversion process is speedy and easy, too. If you want to batch convert, you can upload multiple files before the conversion process starts, which lets you set Zamzar up and walk away.
You can even elect to have Zamzar email you when the conversion process is complete, so you don’t have to worry about missing out on when long jobs finally finish.
If you prefer a little more of an explanation as you convert and a huge variety of different options, then Online-Convert might be a good choice of online file converter for you.
Online-Convert has an incredible range of different conversion options to choose from. If you’re overwhelmed by the choice, Online-Convert aims to take care of that as well.
Each choice has a brief description explaining its place and the option to pre-select your desired target format to make sure that you’re in the right place.
If you’re looking to update an audio file from your music library, for instance, then all you need to do is look into the option labeled “Audio converter”. From there you’ll be presented with the option to convert your file to the most common audio file formats such as MP3, WAV, and M4A.
From there, all you need to do is upload your file from your computer. You can also enter URLs, or upload from Dropbox and Google Drive instead. There are a lot of options here to adjust the output of your conversion as well.
Next up on this list is OnlineVideoConvert.com. OVC is a great online resource for any of you who want to convert video files but don’t really download files that often. If most of your work happens online, then OVC is a great choice.
OVC’s actual UI is very straightforward and easy to use. All you need to do is choose which of its three options that you want to make use of.
Firstly, you can upload a video file, which works much the same as any other free online converter on this list does. You just navigate to the video file on your computer and then upload it to OVC.
Where OVC really shines is in its other two options, however. You can choose to use a video link instead of uploading anything, say from YouTube or another video site that is better than YouTube.
You’ll have the option to adjust video quality here, say if you want it to remain at high-quality or would prefer a faster conversion process. You can also choose time stamps to begin and end the conversion process if you just want a clip from a longer video as well.
Finally, OVC has support for your own videos that you can convert on the spot. Now, unfortunately this option isn’t really an online solution as it requires you to download a program to work with the website. It might come in handy, nonetheless.
If you’re looking for a free online video conversion service which will really let you tweak, tune, and adjust your output, then CloudConvert is a great option.
CloudConvert has a huge range of different file formats that it supports, and finding just what you’re looking for is easy. If you’re unsure, you can always just upload your file directly and CloudConvert will give you viable conversion outputs to choose from.
Uploading from your computer, by URL, or from Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive are all supported.
If you know exactly what you’re looking for, CloudConvert can help you with that as well. All you need to do is select from a drop-down menu the file type that you’re looking to convert from or to. You can view the formats by format type (such as audio, document, or image) or you can search for your format directly.
Once you’ve chosen your conversion format is where CloudConvert really shines. CloudConvert comes with an extensive list of options for your conversion based on your file choices.
Say you wanted to convert an MP4 file to an M4A one, for example. CloudConvert doesn’t just let you choose the starting and stopping timestamps, but lets you adjust the actual file properties.
If you wanted to alter the audio codex, bitrate, or channels, for example, CloudConvert could make that happen.
Finally, we have FreeConvert to round out this list. FreeConvert is great if you’re looking for something that’s easy to use but still quite powerful.
FreeConvert lets you easily upload from a huge variety of different file formats. You can choose to upload directly from your computer, from a URL, or from Dropbox or Google Drive.
The actual conversion process is super simple, with FreeConvert automatically listing the output options available for you. What’s cool about FreeConvert are the options you get to fine-tune your output.
If you’re adjusting between JPEG, GIF, or PNG image filetypes, for example, FreeConvert will let you tweak the image’s output size, its orientation, and will even let you strip metadata if you so wish.
As you can see, there are a huge variety of different options for free online video conversion. No matter what your level of familiarity or understanding, there are still great options available for you, all without the need for software.
Hopefully, you’ve found exactly what you’re looking for. Fortunately, there are more options for editing and conversion always available.
Jack has been passionate about writing and tech all his life. He has studied BAs in both Philosophy and Software Engineering from the University of Melbourne and RMIT, respectively. He has spent the last year writing at MakeUseOf, where he can bring his expertise of the internet to others.
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