How to - video question

[Jack]

I've got a very long MP3 file that I would like to add a single image to. Windows Movie Maker will not allow me to do it since the MP3 is to long. Do you know how I can add a single image to a long MP3 file and convert it into an MP4 format in order to upload it to YouTube?

Oh yea, sorry if I'm placing this in the wrong area.

Thanks...

[jscheuer1]

I've done this, I forget exactly how. But it's something like so. First make a note of the length of the MP3 file. Next, start a new movie in moviemaker and import your image. Set the length of time on the image to the maximum (I think it's 5 seconds), then copy that frame and paste it at the end over and over until the runtime is just a little over the length of your MP3 file, then add it as the soundtrack - save and you should be good.

[Jack]

Hi John,

Whenever I try to place the Mp3 into Windows Movie Maker I get the following error message.
"The duration of a project cannot be more then 24 hours."

The MP3 file is about 8 hours long so I don't understand what that means.
I looked around for a free program but I'm at a lost.

If you have any suggestions I'd really appreciate it.
Thanks for your time.

[jscheuer1]

8 hours is too long anyway. But I think it's probably a minor bug. What on earth do you need to go on for 8 hours?

[FrickenTrevor]

8 hours is too long anyway. But I think it's probably a minor bug. What on earth do you need to go on for 8 hours?

Usually videos like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7F-F8-qHmq0. Others include fireplaces and weather.

[Jack]

Hi John,

Its an audio book.

[jscheuer1]

If you're getting an error message like that, it probably means that moviemaker is unable to determine the actual length of the audio, but 'thinks' it's over its limit. Like I say, a bug. I thought of something else you could try though, using a program like MP3 Cut or Audacity (both free last I knew) you could make the audio into - say , 10 or more separate files and add them one after another. That might overcome this bug, if that's what it is, because each shorter file should be able to be evaluated for the length that it is, or closer to it, and each file added would then give moviemaker a truer idea of the length, rather having it have to guess before accepting the file.

The only other solution I can think of is different movie making software. ffmpeg is a free command line audio/video program. It cannot do as many complex things as moviemaker, but if you already had a movie made in moviemaker of the desired length, one with your desired image repeated as many times as needed to take up 8 hours, ffmpeg probably would allow you to simply add the audio to it. It might even allow you to just add the image to the audio and save as MP4. You'd have to check the documentation, which you can generally just Google the topic to get. See also:

http://superuser.com/questions/1041816/combine-one-image-one-audio-file-to-make-one-video-using-ffmpeg

And to get ffmpeg:

https://ffmpeg.org

That or some other movie making software, there are some others around - Super 8 is a free one I recall, don't know if it's still around, or you might need something paid to get the features and capability you need.

[Jack]

Thanks John!