BEST CONVERTER SOFTWARE FOR…VIDEOS
ANY VIDEO CONVERTER
There are lots of great free video-conversion tools, but Any Video Converter is the most flexible we’ve seen and doesn’t have any annoying restrictions. It can convert almost any format you care to think of. It also has advanced video-editing features and effects and can rip audio from CDs and videos. Although it’s entirely free, it does offer some bundled junk that you’ll want to untick during installation.
BEST ONLINE ALTERNATIVE
OnlineVideoConverter
If you have a speedy internet connection, try Online Video Converter, the fastest file converting site we’ve ever used. It can pull files from the web, from your computer, or from your Android device (but not yet an iPhone or iPad). Once your video has uploaded, use the drop-down menu to select the format you want. It supports most of the popular video formats (MP4, M4V, MOV, AVI, FLV, MPG, WMV), and can also convert your footage into audio only (MP3, M4A, OGG, WMA, Flac, WAV). After selecting your format, click Start to convert. Before doing this, you can tweak some settings such as video quality and the start and end points (handy if you want to trim part of the video). How long it takes to convert depends on the size of your video file, which in turn depends on its length and quality. Once the video has been converted, you can scan the QR code to download it directly to your phone or tablet.
BEST CONVERTER SOFTWARE FOR…AUDIO
ANY AUDIO CONVERTER
As well as extracting audio from video files, Pazera also works as an audio converter, recognizing over 70 audio and video formats (including AVI, MP4, MP3, MOV, FLV, 3GP, M4A, MKV, and WMA). Using the software is just a matter of dragging one or more files on to the interface (or clicking the Add Files button) then selecting a format in the drop-down menu.
Pazera provides detailed information about the file you’re converting. Add a file, then click the File Info tab at the top. Under ‘General info’ (see screenshot above right) you’ll see the file’s size, duration, bitrate, format and the program used to encode it (for MP3s this will likely be LAME). Under ‘Audio stream’ you’ll see more detailed information.
SET A PROFILE TO SAVE TIME
If you convert all your audio formats using the same settings, you don’t want the hassle of selecting them every time. Pazera lets you choose a preset from the
Profile section (on the right). Just click the dropdown menu and pick the option you require from the color-coded list (the colors represent different formats – yellow for MP3, and so on – see screenshot below). The settings will change accordingly, but you can adjust them further if you need to. You can also set the program to open with the last session’s settings or the default settings for the particular encoder software.
Profile section (on the right). Just click the dropdown menu and pick the option you require from the color-coded list (the colors represent different formats – yellow for MP3, and so on – see screenshot below). The settings will change accordingly, but you can adjust them further if you need to. You can also set the program to open with the last session’s settings or the default settings for the particular encoder software.
BEST ONLINE ALTERNATIVE
Audio Converter
Audio Converter recognizes over 300 audio and video formats and is wonderfully easy to use. Simply click the Open Files button, then navigate to and select a file from your PC to upload. You can also link directly to a file on the web or in Dropbox or Google Drive. Select a format to save it to – MP3, WAV, iPhone ringtone, M4A, Flac, OGG, MP2 or AMR – then choose the quality you require. There are advanced settings you can configure, including bitrate and sample rate, as well as useful effects, such as ‘Fade in/out’ and ‘Try to remove voice’.
BEST CONVERTER SOFTWARE FOR…PHOTOS
XNCONVERT
Whatever format you want to convert an image to, XnConvert can probably handle it. It supports all the major image types, plus many you may never have heard of, such as CIN (Kodak Cineon) and NGG (Nokia Group Graphics). Using XnConvert at its most basic, you load a batch of images, select the format type from the Output screen, then click Convert. However, you can also change file names, crop your picture, resize or rotate the image, add text or a watermark, and apply lots of different filters – Blur, Emboss, Sharpen, Soften, and so on.
XnConvert has a clever tool called Hot Folders. Add images to a hot folder and the program will automatically apply the same conversion process you previously selected. To set this up, go to the Input tab, and click the ‘Hot folders’ button at the bottom left (see screenshot above right). Click the ‘Add folder’ button and navigate to the folder you want to use (or
create a new one). Unwanted hot folders can be removed on this screen at any point.
create a new one). Unwanted hot folders can be removed on this screen at any point.
ADJUST THE QUALITY OF JPEGS
When programs convert JPEG files they typically reduce them to 80 percent of their original quality. These can be fine for sharing online but can look pixelated when printed. To increase this quality in
XnConvert, click the Settings button under the output format (‘JPG-JPEG/JFIF’ in this case) then move the slider to 100 percent.
When programs convert JPEG files they typically reduce them to 80 percent of their original quality. These can be fine for sharing online but can look pixelated when printed. To increase this quality in
XnConvert, click the Settings button under the output format (‘JPG-JPEG/JFIF’ in this case) then move the slider to 100 percent.
BEST ONLINE ALTERNATIVE
Go2Convert
There are numerous online image editors and converters, but our favorite is Go2Convert. It supports over 200 combinations of input and output image formats, and can even convert PSD (Photoshop) files to other formats. It can handle images up to 50MB in
size, so will cope with those taken by modern cameras and phones. Uploaded files remain on Go2Convert’s servers for five days (unless you remove them first). To use it, select a file you want to
upload, then use the drop-down menu on the next page to choose a new format. You can resize the image to 640x480
(the best dimensions for displaying it online), and choose Good (for sharing online), Better (for Windows wallpaper or a large screen) or Best (for printing) image quality. After the conversion, which usually
takes a matter of seconds, you can download the image, or click More Info to get a selection of links for sharing it.
size, so will cope with those taken by modern cameras and phones. Uploaded files remain on Go2Convert’s servers for five days (unless you remove them first). To use it, select a file you want to
upload, then use the drop-down menu on the next page to choose a new format. You can resize the image to 640x480
(the best dimensions for displaying it online), and choose Good (for sharing online), Better (for Windows wallpaper or a large screen) or Best (for printing) image quality. After the conversion, which usually
takes a matter of seconds, you can download the image, or click More Info to get a selection of links for sharing it.
BEST CONVERTER SOFTWARE FOR…DOCUMENTS
DOXILLION DOCUMENT CONVERTER
Doxillion Document Converter from Australian company NCH Software converts your documents into the most popular formats, including DOC, DOCX, HTML, PDF, RTF, and XML. Simply add some files (or a folder of files), select a format, then click the Convert button. You can set it to alert you with a pop-up message when the process finishes, so you don’t need to wait with the window open on the screen. If you feed it an image file, it can embed this into a new document or convert it into a PDF.
CONVERT DOCUMENTS WITH A RIGHT CLICK
You can quickly convert documents from one format to another via the right-click context menu. To do this, just right-click a document then select ‘Convert with Doxillion’. It gives you three document formats to choose from when you right-click. Click the Options tab in the program window, select the Right Click tab, tick the options boxes and choose what to convert to (see screenshot left). Click OK to confirm.
BURN DOCUMENTS TO DISC
You can use Doxillion to back up documents to a CD or DVD. Click the ‘Burn to Disc’ tab at the top and the software will install the free Express Burn, which writes your documents to disc. You can add files from the menu, and choose between Data CD, DVD or Blu-ray. Just click the Burn Data button to write your files. You can also install a ‘Print to PDF’ add-on – simply click the button next to ‘Burn to Disc’.
You can use Doxillion to back up documents to a CD or DVD. Click the ‘Burn to Disc’ tab at the top and the software will install the free Express Burn, which writes your documents to disc. You can add files from the menu, and choose between Data CD, DVD or Blu-ray. Just click the Burn Data button to write your files. You can also install a ‘Print to PDF’ add-on – simply click the button next to ‘Burn to Disc’.
BEST ONLINE ALTERNATIVE
Document Online Convert
You can use a web-based office suite like Google Docs to convert your documents’ format. Alternatively, there’s the excellent Document Online Convert, which converts your files in seconds to a wide range of formats, such as DOC, DOCX, PDF, Flash, and PPT/PPTX (PowerPoint). Select the conversion type you need, Doxillion lets you overwrite the new format’s default margins when you convert documents DOXILLION DOCUMENT CONVERTER www.snipca.com/26884 Doxillion Document Converter from Australian company NCH Software converts your documents into the most popular formats, including DOC, DOCX, HTML, PDF, RTF, and XML. Simply add some files (or a folder of files), select a format, then click the Convert button. You can set it to alert you with a pop-up message when the process finishes, so you don’t need to wait with the window open on the screen. If you feed it an image file, it can embed this into a new document or convert it into a PDF.
Top tips for Doxillion
KEEP YOURMARGINSWHEN CONVERTING If you use your own customized margins in documents, they might not reproduce when converted into a different format. Doxillion’s solution is to let you specify margins for your conversion, overwriting the margins applied by the new format. Select your format, then click the
Document Settings button next to it. You can change the top, bottom, left and right margins, and also switch the units between inches and centimeters, depending on your preference (see screenshot above).
Document Settings button next to it. You can change the top, bottom, left and right margins, and also switch the units between inches and centimeters, depending on your preference (see screenshot above).
Doxillion gives you three options to convert to when you right-click
CONVERT DOCUMENTS WITH A RIGHT CLICK
You can quickly convert documents from one format to another via the right-click context menu. To do this, just right-click a document then select ‘Convert with Doxillion’. It gives you three document formats to choose from when you right-click. Click the Options tab in the program window, select the Right Click tab, tick the options boxes and choose what to convert to (see screenshot left). Click OK to confirm.
then upload a file you want to convert. If it’s stored online, you can direct the site to the host URL. You can also connect to a file in Dropbox or Google Drive. The service supports OCR, letting you export the text stored in an image file. After conversion, the site displays a QR code – scan this to download converted documents to your phone or tablet. The same developers also have
an online tool that converts ebooks between formats such as AZW, ePub, Mobi, and PDF. To use it visit
https:// ebook.online-convert.com.
then upload a file you want to convert. If it’s stored online, you can direct the site to the host URL. You can also connect to a file in Dropbox or Google Drive. The service supports OCR, letting you export the text stored in an image file. After conversion, the site displays a QR code – scan this to download converted documents to your phone or tablet. The same developers also have
an online tool that converts ebooks between formats such as AZW, ePub, Mobi, and PDF. To use it visit
https:// ebook.online-convert.com.
CONVERT FILES ON PHONE & TABLET
Best App for iOS
FILE CONVERTER
www.snipca.com/26894
File Converter, the official iOS app from Online-Convert.com, is easy to use. You can add a file
stored online, and upload photos and videos taken with your phone. It can also pull a file from a URL or QR code. Select the item you want – the app can convert files up to 100MB in size – and then pick a format from the list. There are categories for images, documents, metadata, videos, ebooks, audio and more. Your files are uploaded and converted on Online-Convert.com’s servers, not on your phone, and automatically deleted after 24 hours (or following 10 downloads). In the History section, you can view previously converted content and download or delete items (see screenshot left). The Stats section shows you how many conversions you’ve made so far. Although some of the app’s reviews say it doesn’t work, we’ve had no problems with it. Our conversions have been reliable and fast.
stored online, and upload photos and videos taken with your phone. It can also pull a file from a URL or QR code. Select the item you want – the app can convert files up to 100MB in size – and then pick a format from the list. There are categories for images, documents, metadata, videos, ebooks, audio and more. Your files are uploaded and converted on Online-Convert.com’s servers, not on your phone, and automatically deleted after 24 hours (or following 10 downloads). In the History section, you can view previously converted content and download or delete items (see screenshot left). The Stats section shows you how many conversions you’ve made so far. Although some of the app’s reviews say it doesn’t work, we’ve had no problems with it. Our conversions have been reliable and fast.
Best App for Android
MEDIA CONVERTER
MEDIA CONVERTER
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Media Converter can convert video and audio files and works with all of the main formats, such as MP3, MP4, AVI, MPEG, GIF, and WAV. To use it, just browse the locations or folders on your device until you find something you want to convert. Tap it, and then on the next screen select a format to convert hat file to (see screenshot above). There’s an Expert Mode that lets you change the output format and the start and end points of your video or audio. This can come in useful if you want to turn a long audio file into a ringtone, for example. You can also crop and zoom videos, adjust the conversion quality and video resolution, change the save-to folder, and rename your file. A Refresh button checks for new files, and you can add multiple items to your conversion queue. It’s not perfect. The adverts are annoying (spot the Star Trek banner in the screenshot above), and the interface needs a redesign. But conversion is easy and fast, and unlike many Android conversion apps, it doesn’t require you to make an in-app purchase to unlock features or allow additional conversions.
Additional Bonus: BEST ONLINE ALTERNATIVE
Zamzar
Zamzar is an excellent general-purpose conversion site that works as well on phones and tablets as on computers. To use it, tap the Convert Files tab then browse to a file stored online, or tap the Choose Files button. You’ll need to grant the site permission to access your files, but once you’ve done that you can take and find photos and videos, and browse to a document to convert. Select an output format from the long list, then enter your email address (see screenshot right). Tap ‘Convert’ to begin. It can sometimes take a while for the conversion to complete, but you’ll be emailed a link when the new file is available. The beauty of an online tool like Zamzar is that you can start the conversion on your phone, and then use the emailed link to download the file on another device, such as a laptop or PC.
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