{"id":85682,"date":"2017-06-01T13:24:07","date_gmt":"2017-06-01T13:24:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/onsoftware.en.softonic.com\/?p=85682"},"modified":"2025-07-01T23:52:02","modified_gmt":"2025-07-02T06:52:02","slug":"more-than-just-a-video-player-5-expert-hacks-for-vlc-player","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/more-than-just-a-video-player-5-expert-hacks-for-vlc-player\/","title":{"rendered":"Get More With These 5 Expert Hacks for VLC Player"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>VLC Player is one of our <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/en.softonic.com\/windows\/video-software\">most popular open source media players<\/a><\/strong>. It&#8217;s available for <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/vlc-media-player.en.softonic.com\/\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">PC<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0<strong><a href=\"http:\/\/vlc-media-player.en.softonic.com\/mac\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mac<\/a><\/strong>, and there are mobile apps for\u00a0<strong><a href=\"http:\/\/vlc-media-player.en.softonic.com\/android\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Android<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/vlc-media-player.en.softonic.com\/iphone\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>iPhone<\/strong>, <strong>iPad<\/strong>, <strong>and iPod<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Currently, it supports a variety of file formats, including DVD, CD, and\u00a0<strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.videolan.org\/vlc\/streaming.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">streaming protocols<\/a><\/strong>. It&#8217;s\u00a0<strong>far safer than using BitTorrent<\/strong>\u00a0and more convenient than having to browse around the Internet to find what you want to see or hear.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-card-starred-link\">\r\n  <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__body\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__row clearfix\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__col-logo\">\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-starred-link__img\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2017\/08\/updates-192.jpg\" width=\"100px\" height=\"100px\">\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__col-title\">\r\n        <p class=\"sc-card-starred-link__title\">All the Best Free Software for your PC<\/p>\r\n        <a class=\"sc-card-starred-link__button\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/all-the-best-free-software-for-your-pc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer sponsored\">Click Here<\/a>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <a class=\"sc-card-starred-link__link\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/all-the-best-free-software-for-your-pc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer sponsored\"><\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n<p>The challenge with VLC is that it has so much power and capability. This means that it can be difficult to figure how to to do everything with VLC. Fortunately, we&#8217;ve got you covered!<\/p>\n<p>Here are some\u00a0<strong>expert-level hacks for VLC Player<\/strong>, which can be almost impossible to find if you don&#8217;t know what to look for in the software.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align:center; width:100%; margin:12px 0;\">\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n  google_ad_client = \"ca-pub-8132844949421936\";\r\n  var google_ad_slot = '9677578764';\r\n  if (window.innerWidth <= 470) {\r\n    google_ad_width = 300;\r\n    google_ad_height = 50;\r\n  }\r\n  else if (window.innerWidth < 1360) {\r\n    google_ad_width = 468;\r\n    google_ad_height = 60;\r\n  }\r\n  else {\r\n    google_ad_width = 728;\r\n    google_ad_height = 90;\r\n  }\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\"\r\nsrc=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/show_ads.js\">\r\n<\/script>\r\n<\/div>\n<h2>5 Pro Hacks for VLC Player<\/h2>\n<h3>1. Capture images and cut video clips<\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"550\" height=\"309\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dailymotion.com\/embed\/video\/x5ot199\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-91796 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2016\/02\/Snapshot.jpg\" alt=\"Get More With these 5 expert hacks for VLC Player Snapshot\" width=\"164\" height=\"325\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2016\/02\/Snapshot.jpg 164w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2016\/02\/Snapshot-151x300.jpg 151w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 164px) 100vw, 164px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>You can\u00a0<strong>capture your favourite part of any video\u00a0<\/strong>and even take a snapshot of an image in the video. Begin playing the video you want to cut.\u00a0When you get to the moment you want to cut go to the video tab in the top menu and at the very bottom of the list you&#8217;ll find the Take Snapshot option.<\/p>\n<p>There are also shortcut keys you can press to take snapshots. They differ across platform, however, so you&#8217;ll have to choose the correct shortcut for the plaform you&#8217;re using from the list below:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Windows:<\/strong> SHIFT + S<\/li>\n<li><strong>Linux:<\/strong> CTRL + ALT + S<\/li>\n<li><strong>Mac OS X:<\/strong> Command + ALT + S<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This is a handy tip for creating still shots of your videos to promote on your web site. You can also use the still as your\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/youtube\/answer\/72431?hl=en\">custom thumbnail\u00a0on YouTube<\/a><\/strong> or other video hosting sites.<\/p>\n<p>With this tip, you can select the best still-frame of your video as your thumbnail, instead of the automatic default that&#8217;s already selected for you. Remember that first impressions count!<\/p>\n<div class=\"sc-card-starred-link\">\r\n  <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__body\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__row clearfix\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__col-logo\">\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-starred-link__img\" src=\"https:\/\/lh3.ggpht.com\/8BDSUv0P-kr9Kik7weOSet4Au_BlBpM0SmM8dUDdYQOceErGCLroJlhVoSL7cPP14YE=w300\" width=\"100px\" height=\"100px\">\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__col-title\">\r\n        <p class=\"sc-card-starred-link__title\">5 Hidden Features in VLC Player That You Need to Know<\/p>\r\n        <a class=\"sc-card-starred-link__button\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/5-hidden-features-in-vlc-player-that-you-need-to-know\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer sponsored\">Find them out now<\/a>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <a class=\"sc-card-starred-link__link\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/5-hidden-features-in-vlc-player-that-you-need-to-know\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer sponsored\"><\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n<h3>2. Media file conversion<\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" width=\"550\" height=\"309\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dailymotion.com\/embed\/video\/x5ot1x0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>You can\u00a0<strong><a href=\"http:\/\/features.en.softonic.com\/vlc-media-player-as-video-converter\">convert media files using VLC<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0by launching the software and clicking <strong>Media<\/strong>. Then choose\u00a0<strong>Convert\/Save and <\/strong>add the media file you wish to conver, select the file format and destination\u00a0you prefer, and then save the converted file. Click <strong>Start<\/strong> and wait for the software to perform the conversion.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_91793\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-91793\" style=\"width: 840px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-91793\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2016\/02\/convert-videos-1024x659.jpg\" alt=\"Get More With these 5 expert hacks for VLC Player convert videos\" width=\"840\" height=\"541\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2016\/02\/convert-videos-1024x659.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2016\/02\/convert-videos-300x193.jpg 300w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2016\/02\/convert-videos-768x494.jpg 768w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2016\/02\/convert-videos-1200x773.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2016\/02\/convert-videos.jpg 1286w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 840px) 100vw, 840px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-91793\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Easily convert videos for use across multiple incompatible devices<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>3. Download videos instead of streaming online<\/h3>\n<p>This is a fantastic feature if you&#8217;re lacking an Internet connection and need to kill some time. Launch VLC Player and find <strong>Media<\/strong> at the top of the <strong>Navigation Menu<\/strong>. Scroll to <strong>Open Network<\/strong> and select the <strong>Network<\/strong> tab. Paste the URL of the video you wish to download. It will then give you\u00a0the option to<strong> play or to download<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>You also have the option to download your <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\">YouTube videos<\/a><\/strong>. There&#8217;s no need to have a dedicated <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/features.en.softonic.com\/top-5-youtube-downloaders\">YouTube Downloader<\/a><\/strong> if you&#8217;ve got VLC! Here are the exact steps to follow if you want to <strong>download your YouTube videos<\/strong> for later viewing.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Find your video you want to download from <strong>YouTube<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Open up VLC, then select <strong>File<\/strong> &gt; <strong>Open Network<\/strong>. Paste the URL for your YouTube video here.<\/li>\n<li>Click on the <strong>Open\/Play<\/strong> button to start streaming the video.<\/li>\n<li>Switch to your playlist and right-click on the stream. Select <strong>Media Information<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Highlight and select the entire URL displayed in the Location field and then paste that into a new browser tab or window.<\/li>\n<li>In your browser, choose<strong> File<\/strong> &gt; <strong>Save Page As<\/strong> (this is the option in Chrome, your browser might be different). This will save the video to your computer in <strong>.<a href=\"http:\/\/www.winxdvd.com\/resource\/mp4.htm\">MP4 format<\/a><\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div style=\"text-align:center; width:100%; margin:12px 0;\">\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n  google_ad_client = \"ca-pub-8132844949421936\";\r\n  var google_ad_slot = '9677578764';\r\n  if (window.innerWidth <= 470) {\r\n    google_ad_width = 300;\r\n    google_ad_height = 50;\r\n  }\r\n  else if (window.innerWidth < 1360) {\r\n    google_ad_width = 468;\r\n    google_ad_height = 60;\r\n  }\r\n  else {\r\n    google_ad_width = 728;\r\n    google_ad_height = 90;\r\n  }\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\"\r\nsrc=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/show_ads.js\">\r\n<\/script>\r\n<\/div>\n<h3>4. Record your desktop screen for free<\/h3>\n<p>This one takes a couple more steps, but it&#8217;s worth it to be able to capture your desktop without having to pay for additional software. You can record everything you see on your desktop using VLC.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_91797\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-91797\" style=\"width: 540px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-91797\" src=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/sft\/articles\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2016\/02\/You-can-record-your-desktop-using-VLC.jpg\" alt=\"Get More With these 5 expert hacks for VLC Player You can record your desktop using VLC\" width=\"540\" height=\"435\" srcset=\"https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2016\/02\/You-can-record-your-desktop-using-VLC.jpg 540w, https:\/\/articles-img.sftcdn.net\/auto-mapping-folder\/sites\/3\/2016\/02\/You-can-record-your-desktop-using-VLC-300x242.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 540px) 100vw, 540px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-91797\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">You can easily record your desktop or even from your webcam using VLC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>Here&#8217;s how to do it:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Start VLC Player and go to <strong>Media<\/strong>. Then choose <strong>Convert\/Save<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Select Capture Device, and then choose Desktop<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Pick the frame rate you desire, and then click on <strong>Convert\/Save<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Choose your codec and the destination to save it to, and click <strong>Start<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>When you are done recording, hit the <strong>Stop<\/strong> button.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div class=\"sc-card-starred-link\">\r\n  <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__body\">\r\n    <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__row clearfix\">\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__col-logo\">\r\n        <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sc-card-starred-link__img\" src=\"https:\/\/lh3.ggpht.com\/8BDSUv0P-kr9Kik7weOSet4Au_BlBpM0SmM8dUDdYQOceErGCLroJlhVoSL7cPP14YE=w300\" width=\"100px\" height=\"100px\">\r\n      <\/div>\r\n      <div class=\"sc-card-starred-link__col-title\">\r\n        <p class=\"sc-card-starred-link__title\">Transform VLC Player into a Screen Capture App<\/p>\r\n        <a class=\"sc-card-starred-link__button\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/capture-every-moment-transform-vlc-player-into-a-screen-capture-app\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer sponsored\">Find out how<\/a>\r\n      <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <a class=\"sc-card-starred-link__link\" href=\"https:\/\/en.softonic.com\/articles\/capture-every-moment-transform-vlc-player-into-a-screen-capture-app\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer sponsored\"><\/a>\r\n  <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n<h3>5. Record video with your webcam<\/h3>\n<p>Usually, recording videos with your webcam requires additional software, but if you have VLC Player, that&#8217;s all you need. Launch VLC Player and go to <strong>Media<\/strong>. Next, choose <strong>Open Capture Devices<\/strong>. This will display a dropdown menu. On this menu,\u00a0click<strong> DirectShow<\/strong>. Choose the audio and video device to record, and click <strong>Play<\/strong>. Just hit the <strong>Stop<\/strong> button when you wish to stop recording.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Of course, to use these tips\u00a0you must have the <a href=\"http:\/\/vlc-media-player.en.softonic.com\/\">VLC Media Player<\/a> installed. Bonus tip: did you know that you can customize your VLC Player with the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/vlc-skin-editor.en.softonic.com\/\">VLC Skin Editor<\/a>!<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align:center; width:100%; margin:12px 0;\">\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n  google_ad_client = \"ca-pub-8132844949421936\";\r\n  var google_ad_slot = '9677578764';\r\n  if (window.innerWidth <= 470) {\r\n    google_ad_width = 300;\r\n    google_ad_height = 50;\r\n  }\r\n  else if (window.innerWidth < 1360) {\r\n    google_ad_width = 468;\r\n    google_ad_height = 60;\r\n  }\r\n  else {\r\n    google_ad_width = 728;\r\n    google_ad_height = 90;\r\n  }\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\"\r\nsrc=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/show_ads.js\">\r\n<\/script>\r\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>VLC Player is one of our most popular open source media players. It&#8217;s available for PC\u00a0and\u00a0Mac, and there are mobile apps for\u00a0Android,\u00a0iPhone, iPad, and iPod. Currently, it supports a variety of file formats, including DVD, CD, and\u00a0streaming protocols. It&#8217;s\u00a0far safer than using BitTorrent\u00a0and more convenient than having to browse around the Internet to find what &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/more-than-just-a-video-player-5-expert-hacks-for-vlc-player\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Get More With These 5 Expert Hacks for VLC Player&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9073,"featured_media":91795,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","wpcf-pageviews":1},"categories":[2441],"tags":[],"usertag":[],"vertical":[],"content-category":[],"class_list":["post-85682","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-how-to"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85682","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9073"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=85682"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85682\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":328768,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85682\/revisions\/328768"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/91795"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=85682"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=85682"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=85682"},{"taxonomy":"usertag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/usertag?post=85682"},{"taxonomy":"vertical","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/vertical?post=85682"},{"taxonomy":"content-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cms-articles.softonic.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/content-category?post=85682"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}