How to Split an AVI File

Posted on September 18th, 2009 by Marck

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Video files are among the most downloaded and shared multimedia files among computer users. Yet the size of the files, coupled with the difficulty of editing them, can intimidate some people. If you plan to share video projects and home movies with friends and family members, splitting an AVI file may be the best way to share the files and make them easier to edit and compile.

AVI

The AVI file extension stands for Audio Video Interweave. AVI is a container format that was developed by Microsoft Corporation for use in digital videos, and is often used today for many video applications and formats. While AVI is a powerful and very useful container format for videos, the file size can be rather large especially for feature-length movies. Full-length AVI may need to be split into parts to make it easier to distribute and more convenient to edit.

Tools

AVI splitting utilities come in two forms:

Proprietary software. Complete video editing software like Adobe Premiere, Pinnacle Studio, and iMovie have plenty of flexibility to create and edit videos. They are expensive and require plenty of system resources, though, and are meant for people who are really committed to multimedia and video editing.
Freeware. If all you’ll need is a program to split AVI files, then freeware is recommended. There’s a whole host of free AVI-splitter utilities available on the Web that are easier to use than proprietary software. They also put less strain on your computer’s resources.

Tips

The way you split an AVI file depends on the interface of the program that you’re using. Here are some general tips to make the splitting process easier and faster:

Know where to split. For multiple-chapter videos, you may want to split the video on when the chapters begin and end. For a full-length video, though, it’s best to split the AVI file halfway through, where it can be compiled again after editing and post-production.
Use transition effects. The beginning and end of split AVI files can be a bit jerky if you don’t use transition effects to make the compiled video blend smoothly. If you’re going to recompile the video, you can leave the jerky effects as is. If you’re making the video in chapters, you may need to use fading and dissolving effects.
While you’re at it, edit. Splitting the video file would be a good time to edit the sound tracks and video components of the file. You may want to experiment with various effects that can make the video look and sound good, and then split it into parts for compiling, post-production, and distribution.

AVI files are useful, popular media files that are easy to work with. With these tips, you can split an AVI file into convenient sections that can easily be edited for post-production, and distributed to customers and friends.