vlc_media_player
VLC Media Player is the most popular and powerful media player yet available for Windows, Linux as well as Mac OS X. While providing basic media player features, this player is also providing very advanced settings and options for power users. It supports tons of video/audio formats, user can control playback and sound settings. The player is provided with very cool theme to make it look more stylish. And, above all, VLC Media Player is available to download and use for free.
The features of VLC makes it unmatchable from all the available media players. You might be using VLC Media Player from years and being a power user, you might have discovered and used every available feature of this player at least once but something is still left.
I can bet, there are still make important features and tools available inside VLC that you haven’t used yet. This article is dedicated to those hidden features and tools. Here in this article, I am going to tell you 10 VLC tips and tricks that will make VLC Media Player even more productive for you. I assure, some tricks that you see here will be totally unknown, new and interesting for you.

1. VLC Inception Trick

Wondering what’s inception here? Well, VLC Media Player can take screenshot of your current screen and keep on taking screenshots in relatively smaller size and putting on it’s display panel which will provide your inception effect.
vlc inception

Steps to perform this trick:

  1. Open VLC Media Player
  2. Now, Press Ctrl+N
  3. Type “screen://” (without quotes) in the opened window
  4. Click Play to see this VLC inception trick.

2. Use VLC as Video Converter

Don’t you have any video converter to convert your video files to a format compatible with your mobile, tablet, other devices or media players? Well, if you have VLC then problem solved. VLC lets you to convert media files too. To convert your media files, follow these steps:
  • Navigate to Media >> Convert/Save
  • On the next screen, click “Add” and add media files by browsing
  • Now, click on Convert/Save button provided at the bottom.
  • On the next screen, choose desirable video format to play video on your device.
  • Finally, click Start and VLC will start converting your video file to desirable video format.
After conversion, VLC will open converted media file in front of you.
convert

3. Use VLC as YouTube Video Downloader

Unlike 2nd trick, VLC doesn’t provide direct option for you to download YouTube video but you can play workaround. VLC can help you in getting direct downloading link of your desired YouTube video file. Follow these steps:
  1. Navigate to Media >> Open Network Stream
  2. Put your YouTube video’s URL at provided field and click “Play” button
media
  1. VLC will not steam the video. Click on Tools >> Media Information >> Codec. See the Location box at the bottom which has long URL string. Copy it.
  2. The URL you have copied is video downloading URL for your YouTube video. Now paste it on browser and browse it to play the video at your browser, save as to download the video or paste it in your downloader which will download the video for you.
download link

4. Auto Shutdown VLC and PC

Well, do you love to hear music on your PC/Laptop from speaker, just because you hate to hear through earphone at the moment of sleeping? If you have added your songs’ playlist then VLC can assure you to shut down your PC after specific time interval. Create a stopwatch for VLC which will shut down your PC after it ends. Follow these steps:
  1. Open Notepad
  2. Write this code:START /WAIT C:\"Program Files"\VideoLAN\VLC\vlc.exe %1 vlc://quit shutdown -s -t 60
  3. Save file with .BAT extension. For example: shutmusic.BAT
  4. Enjoy Music for 60 seconds. You can replace 60 with any other digit to wait for up to that seconds.

5. Add Mouse Gesture Support

VLC provides so many important features and many of them are usually used while playing a video or audio. Its frustrating to move through options for configuration. To make the task easier, VLC have provided mouse gesture support which makes it very easy to adjust settings just by moving mouse.

For example -

  • left : Short time skip backward (10sec by default)
  • right : Short time skip forward (10sec by default)
  • left-up : Faster
  • right-up : Slower
  • left-down : Go to previous entry in playlist
  • right-down : Go to next entry in playlist
  • left-right : Play/Pause
  • right-left : Play/Pause
  • up : Volume up
  • down : Volume down
  • up-down : Mute Volume
  • down-up : Mute Volume
To enable mouse gesture, navigate to View >> Add Interface and click “Mouse Gesture” option. You can see full list of supported mouse gestures here.

6. Record Video Chat

You can save your long video chat session easily using VLC. To do this, follow the below steps:
  1. Navigate to Media >> Open Capture Device
  2. On Capture Device Screen, You can select audio and video device, just like system microphone.
  3. Moreover, you can adjust brightness, hue, contrast, saturation, etc.
  4. Choose destination path for recorded file and you’re good to go.

vlc-features05

7. Listen Internet Radio & Manage Podcasts

VLC contains in-built internet radio listings and a podcast aid to boot. Just open playlist and at the top of left sidebar, you’ll find Internet Radio services such as Icecast Radio directory, Jamendo Selections. Click anyone to load their album and start listening them. It’s free.
radio
If you’d like VLC to keep a track of podcasts then hover Podcasts in the Playlist and click on the plus symbol “+” that appears. Enter the podcast’s URL to add it to your database.

8. Play Video as ASCII Output

Not any productive but obviously an interesting feature, VLC lets you output video in ASCII Art format. So, instead of watching normal video, you can enjoy characters art. To do this, follow these steps:
  1. Navigate to Tools >> Preferences
  2. Click on Video from left sidebar
  3. At “Output” field, choose Color ASCII Art Video Output
Now, enjoy watching videos in ASCII art format. Useless, but fun!
ascii

9. Record Your Desktop

VLC can load your desktop as an input device. This means that you can use the Convert / Save feature to save a video of your desktop, effectively turning VLC into screen capture software.
vlc-screencast-header
Now, no additional screen-capture software required.

10. Play Video on Desktop

However, it is highly distracting but if you want, you can make your desktop a playback screen for any video you’re playing on VLC Media Player.
vlc video as wallpaper 3
To do this, follow these steps:
  • Navigate to Tools >> Preferences
  • Choose Video from left sidebar and at output field choose “DirectX video output. Save it.
  • Now, restart VLC, play a video
  • Right-click on screen and navigate to Video >> DirectX Wallpaper
Enjoy watching video directly at your desktop :-)
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