No easy way to fast forward preview

[TheIguanaMan]

Right, so, I've been using an old build of AviDemux (2.7.0) for quite a while now for one reason only: in that build, when you move the slider and hold it, then click the right mouse button without letting go of the left, the slider will hold in place and continue to move the preview window forward rapidly until clicked again, without me having to continually hold the mouse button.

This has been very useful to me, since I usually have to go through long videos and I need to scan through them to check for any major errors. By using this slider hold, I can set the video to fast forward and keep an eye on it while I put the program in the background and use another window.

However, in all subsequent versions, this was removed, which I guess means it was a bug (Go figure - the single most useful feature to me turns out to be a glitch). Now, this may not be a problem, except... that was literally the only way I could find to quickly scan through the footage without having to continually hold a mouse or keyboard button, which is... pretty untenable in the long term.

I really do want to start using a more up-to-date build, but... I just cannot figure out a way to just set the frigging thing to fast forward. Am I missing something? Is this just something that the designers don't think is worth doing, either because of lack of demand or difficulty of implementation? Seems like a thing that should be included to me, but I freely admit I don't know the first thing about the development or frequent use of Avidemux, so I'm probably wrong about that.

Either way, I'd appreciate any advice on the matter, because the lack of that functionality on better versions is really irritating.

[butterw]

Agreed. Having to hold the mouse button is not for everybody.

It's possible to install a more recent versions in portable mode, while still keeping your old "special feature" version.
 

[eumagga0x2a]

For 2.7.8 and recent nightlies: Rotate mouse wheel atop of the thumb slider (not the navigation slider!). Once the slider is displaced, you can move away the mouse, the video will keep fast-forward or fast-rewind. Don't forget to reset the thumb slider (easier to do using the left mouse button) when end or start of the video is reached, the slider is not reset automatically like the fast-forward button in a cassette deck (which is a bug) else Avidmeux log will fill up your disk with infinitely repeatedly emitted "seek to next/previous keyframe" messages.

I've been using an old build of AviDemux (2.7.0) for quite a while now for one reason only: in that build, when you move the slider and hold it, then click the right mouse button without letting go of the left, the slider will hold in place and continue to move the preview window forward rapidly until clicked again

I remember that bug. You stuck with an old buggy version for that? Honestly, I am shocked.

[butterw]

This has to be one of the top hidden features.

[butterw]

As a suggestion, there should be an Menu entry in the Help menu showing a text-box with the main shortcuts/tips (arrow keys for seek, special 1-2-4s seeks, mouse-wheel over thumb slider for fast-forward).

https://forum.videohelp.com/threads/400980-Avidemux-Top10-Tips#post2612897

[eumagga0x2a]

This has to be one of the top hidden features.

Without automatic reset of the thumb slider at the end of the video for fast-forward and at the start for rewind implemented, it is better not to expose this feature, I think.

[butterw]

It would certainly be worth improving this feature.

From what I can see there are 2 problems currently:
- the thumb slider doesn't reset when it reaches the last keyframe: I'm getting the "cannot go to next keyframe" error, so it should be possible to reset it when this occurs.
- you must be paused when you use it and not use play/pause, otherwise the result is very bad (an Avidemux restart is probably needed !!!).
 

[TheIguanaMan]

For 2.7.8 and recent nightlies: Rotate mouse wheel atop of the thumb slider (not the navigation slider!). Once the slider is displaced, you can move away the mouse, the video will keep fast-forward or fast-rewind. Don't forget to reset the thumb slider (easier to do using the left mouse button) when end or start of the video is reached, the slider is not reset automatically like the fast-forward button in a cassette deck (which is a bug) else Avidmeux log will fill up your disk with infinitely repeatedly emitted "seek to next/previous keyframe" messages.

Huh. That... works. That works brilliantly, thank you.

I apologize if I was being dim - it doesn't exactly seem like an intuitive thing to try, but that could be just me. Still, glad there is a way to do it, thanks for letting me know.

I remember that bug. You stuck with an old buggy version for that? Honestly, I am shocked.

Hey, I'd have changed years ago if I knew about a way to effectively fast forward in later versions, believe you me. But without that, the old version was kind of the only way of doing things, bugs or no. I mean, if DVD and Blu-Ray were somehow unable to, say, pause or rewind mid-way through (as opposed to at the end), there might still be lot of VHS players in the world.

Plus, just because something's a bug doesn't mean it's not useful. Heck, I didn't even think it was a bug until it had been removed in later editions. Of course, there were still numerous other bugs but, like I said, if they come part and parcel with a needed feature or aspect, the impulse is to just suck it up.