The dynamics of media files is a massive web of tiny details. Understanding all the details can be frustrating when you only want to play your video or upload a picture.
The good news is that converting media from one file type to another can be simple and easy! In fact, we can show you everything you need to know in as little as 9 easy steps!
Let’s dive down the media rabbit hole and turn you into a media converting master!
Tips and Tricks to Converting Media of Any Kind
As technology integrates into every facet of our lives, details that once were the domain of the IT department are now an everyday concern.
PDF documents are almost mandatory in business and different picture formats load better in different types of software. These are now items that we all should learn.
So let’s break down what it means and what you can do.
1. Understand the Document Types
When we say converting media, we don’t mean a magical process that can turn any file into whatever you need. You can’t type up a story and convert it into a movie.
When you need to convert a file, you need to understand which document type you are working with.
There are 5 major document types, images, spreadsheets, documents, presentations, and videos. The types are rather self-explanatory.
You can convert media files within a document type. In rare instances can you put one document type into another.
For example, any of these can be an image, but they lose any other property they may have had. An image of a video is a single frame while an image of a document loses its ability to edit text.
2. Identify What File Formats You Need
Within the document types, there are many different file formats to choose from. Using images as an example, you have PNG, JPG, and even GIF. All of these have pros and cons.
Not all document types have the same number of file formats and many file formats have such a tiny difference between each other that they aren’t worth considering.
The major file formats for each type will often be all you need.
3. Understand What Differences Each File Format Has
Some programs only use a certain kind of file format. Other formats are easier to edit. These differences will often be the reason you need to convert the file.
If you need to make a document easier to edit and you only have Microsoft Office or an equivalent, shifting it from a PDF to a DOC file can help.
Consult the program you intend to use the file with. If you know what you want to do with a file, research which file format has the best differences to help you.
4. Make Sure You Can Open the New File Formats
If you are uncertain whether a specific file format will work, search for a test file in that format first. What this file has on it doesn’t matter, you are only looking for whether your program can interact with it well.
If the file has no issue, you are ready to go.
5. Create Backup Copies
Before making any major edits to a file, always make a backup of the document. This can save you hours of frustration if something goes wrong.
6. Find the Best File Converter
There are many file converters out on the internet. We here at OffDrive have a host of excellent ones for all the major file formats.
While not all services are free, be careful paying for a file converter unless it has a host of other editing tools and options. Even then, consider what you require for your uses.
They are also simple and easy to use, often with a few simple clicks.
7. Follow File Converter Instructions
Once you have your file, your backup, and your file converter of choice, follow the instructions on how to begin the conversion.
If the file converter does not have good instructions or the conversion process is not working, look toward the many others to replace them.
8. Rename New Files
One of the biggest mistakes to make is to create a new file and then name it the same thing or something very similar. Even if the files are in different places, it makes searching for them a nightmare.
For some people, the different file tag at the end is enough. For others, simple additions to the name can work wonders.
9. Double-Check File Integrity
When you have the new file and the conversion and renaming are complete, test it out! Boot up your program and try to open the file. Everything should work, but the potential for file corruption can happen.
When you have a corrupted file, it may have been due to the converter itself or a simple error. Delete the corrupted file and try another file conversion.
If you are still having issues, contact the support staff of the file converter or switch to a different file converter.
This will also b a strong test of whether you chose the best file format. If your new file can now do what you needed, such as having a higher resolution or editability, then your conversion project was a success.
Delving Deeper Into File Formats
When working with converting media and the multitude of file formats, you might be wondering why there are so many of them. The answer to that question can get complex.
The basics of it come from fine-tuning file storage methods. When someone modifies the basics of what a file is trying to do, when they save it in that exact method, a new file format is born.
For example, the difference between a PNG and a JPEG comes from a number of pixels, the scope of color, and even how the picture reacts to alteration.
Often these changes can be so small that most people accept whichever file format works for them at the time.
If you are curious, though, there is always much to learn. Even with only images, there is a lot of information you can learn.
Becoming a File Format Master
With this simple, step by step guide into converting media, and why you should do it, you should be able to get the right file format you need, every time.
We here at OffDrive have a lot of little tips and tricks that can help you master the digital world.
What else do you want to learn? Need some motivation for starting a blog? We have what you need, so check out our website to learn more!