I have used Wolverine to convert my 18 fps Super 8 films to mp4 files (resolution 1440*1080 20fps).

I am a first time kdenlive user and will use kdenlive to remove front and back lead in & lead out sections and add titles and film content information. I will also edit recording issues as when the film snapped during recording and bad bits in the original filming. I think I will be able to do all this ok.

What I need to know is what is the best rendering option/method.
Should I try to convert the mp4 files back to 18 fps or leave them at 20 fps?
If it is best to convert back to 18 fps how do I do that?

What 'render' setting should I use?
Is it the case that the recommended mp4 render is at 24 fps?

I have tried researching this, but can't find the answer? Perhaps because this is my first go at film editing. I have used sound (Audacity) and photo (Gimp) software before but not film editing software.

So your source mp4 files are 20 fps? Then I would leave the project fps at that, unless watching your source files gives jitter or stutter or looks unnatural. If that is the case I don't have any advise how to deal with that.

Render settings depend on what you want to do with the results. If 20 fps looks good keep it. Changing the fps will mean to insert or drop frames to match the target fps and that may look weird if the difference is big.

If I were you I would test it with small sections of the video. Try the original 20 fps, then go with the standard 24 fps or 30 fps. May need to go to 36 or 40 fps if the rendered video clip looks strange.

In order to just render a small section, say 30 seconds, you define a zone in the timeline by pressing I for the in-point and O for the out-point. Then select "Selected Zone" in the render dialog window.

Ok, thanks for your advice. I was thinking that it might be better to stay with the 20 fps/mp4 and will do that.

I agree, I will use some small videos to start with while learning the process (adding titles etc, cutting out bad sections etc) and checking on the result.

When I go to the Render section it suggests using 24 mps mp4 among a list of Format options (i.e. mp4-H264/AAC & mp4-H265 (HEVC) and other Formats).

What do I do to select a 20mps / mp4 output? I can't see it as a listed option. I am sure one can do, it but as a first-time user i want to get this bit right.

I would very much appreciate it if you can tell me what screen etc I need to open and what settings to insert to get a Format that gives 20 mp4 output of good quality (with no diminishing of the current mp4 video file quality).

This is the crucial bit for me to learn.

usually when i'm working with 15 fps clips i'm using a 30fps project (wide 1920x1080 with black bars) , this make all titles (added on kdenlive) more smooth when appearing and disappearing (if you are using fades or animations) also.. adding some new items (like watermarks or some kind of lateral frames) can improve general image quality (feeling of quality?)

and also making some transitions (left to right and viceversa) outside the black lateral bars can give an idea of a real "wide" clip and not a 4:3 (the watermark like TV channels can be placed covering a small portion of the 4.3 clip and a lot of black lateral area)

What do I do to select a 20mps / mp4 output? I can't see it as a listed option. I am sure one can do, it but as a first-time user i want to get this bit right.

In order to render your project with 20 fps you need to create your own render profile (some refer to that as an export profile or render preset). Here is how to do that:

• Click on Render button or select menu > Project > Render
• Select a preset (aka profile) that comes closest to what you want, for example MP4-K264/AAC for a generic HD video with an AAC audio track, or MP4-H265 (HEVC) for a Ultra-High Definition (4K) video.
• Click on the Create new preset icon (the document symbol with the plus sign)
• Give it a descriptive name
• Change the settings as you need making sure you check the tick box in front of the parameter you want to change. For example, Frame Rate to 20/1
• Once done click on OK

Then select this profile for rendering.

I would also heed bartoloni's comment about the frame rate doubling. So in your case you would want to set your project fps to 40 using the steps I described above. He has lots of experience with video editing in general and kdenlive in particular

Thank you for the feedback.

This is just what I needed to know.

Just one question more.... if I use 30fps as suggested, will that make the original film run 1.5 times faster than the 20fps/mp4 recording and a lot faster than the original 18 fps Super 8mm filming? Or does it just smooth out the film and not have the action moving much faster on the recording.

Unfortunately, kden live won't start, just now. It just gives a crashing message. So I need to sort that out first. I might need to reinstall it.

Again, many thanks.

kde-jungle wrote:Just one question more.... if I use 30fps as suggested, will that make the original film run 1.5 times faster than the 20fps/mp4 recording and a lot faster than the original 18 fps Super 8mm filming? Or does it just smooth out the film and not have the action moving much faster on the recording.

No, it won't run faster or slower. kdenlive pads the clips to match the framerate or drops frames where needed. At least that is my lay man's understanding.

Unfortunately, kden live won't start, just now. It just gives a crashing message. So I need to sort that out first. I might need to reinstall it.

Try the appimage (Linux) or the stand-alone version (Windows). If you want to re-install, delete all the *rc files first.

Many thanks for all of the help and information that you have provided.

Kdenlive is working fine again. I did not need to reinstall.

Major excavation works are being undertaken nearby and we have lost water and power briefly when these services were cut with excavation machinery. All is working ok again.

I am going to try doing some work with short clips, using your advice et. al.

However, I won't be doing it for a while. We are in a bit of a heatwave - 38C and my workroom airconditioner has suddenly died... turns out a tiny lizard crawled across the PCB and shorted it out. No replacement PCB available, so I will need to replace the whole reverse cycle air conditioner! Ouch! Have applied for insurance cover...

When I have been able to do some work again, I will let readers know what has worked best for me.