Adding and Removing Files

To convert your video files into the desired format, begin by adding files into the file list window. Either click the Add File(s) or Add Folder buttons, or select File -> Add File(s) to List or File -> Add Folder of Files to List from the menu. In the browse window that opens, select the desired video files or folder.

You can also drag files and folders from File Explorer to the main window.

To add files from a DVD, click the Add DVD button from the toolbar, the select the desired video files from the window that opens.

To add files inside an ISO image file, you don't need to extract or mount first the ISO. Just add it like a regular file. Prism will then load all files including those inside subdirectories.

Once your files have been added, if you wish to remove any of them, select the file(s) and either click the Remove button, or select File -> Remove Selected Files from List from the menu. To select multiple files at once, press the Ctrl key and left-click on the files you want to remove. To remove all the files, either click the Remove All button, or select File -> Remove All Files from List from the menu.

Playing Files

To play a file, left-click on the desired file and either click the Play button, or select File -> Play File from the menu. If you click the Play button when selecting multiple files, the first selected file will be played. The launched player has buttons to Play/Pause, Move Back/Forward, Return to the start and Go to the end. (If the file format being played is swf then these buttons will be disabled because swf file doesn't support these functionalities perfectly)

Selecting a Folder to Save To

Near the bottom of the main window, there is a text field labeled "Save to Folder", where you can enter the folder where converted files will be placed. You can either type in the desired folder, or you can click the Browse button on the right of the field. Clicking Browse will bring up a window where you can browse for the desired folder.

The last several folders you have chosen in the past are stored in a drop-down list, and can be accessed by clicking the arrow on the right side of the text field.

Selecting an Output Format and Configuring Encoder Options

The field labeled "Output Format" is where you select the desired output file format for your files. Prism currently supports conversion to avi, wmv, asf, mpg, 3gp, mp4, mov, flv, swf, rm, gif, dv, mkv, ogv and webm formats, as well as extraction of video audio to wav and mp3 formats.

Once you have selected a format to convert to, you can click the Encoder Options button to configure the settings for the format (see the Encoder Options section for more information on configuring options for each file format).

You may also choose to edit the output by clicking the Video Options button to change the video format (see the Video Options section for more information).

Adding Effects

Several Video Effects can also be added to the converted video. Click the Effects button to open the effects dialog.

Converting Files

Once you have set the output folder and format, select the files from the list you want to convert, and either click the Convert button, or select File -> Convert from the menu. If you hit the Convert button without any files selected, all files in the list will be converted by default.

Previewing Conversion

You can also preview how the converted video looks before actually converting. Select the video file and either click the Preview button, or select File -> Preview Conversion from the menu. The length of the preview can be adjusted in General Options.

Viewing Extended Conversion Information

If you attempt to convert a file and something goes wrong with the conversion process, a short message will be displayed in the 'Other Information' column in the Prism main window. This message gives a brief summary of the specifics of the problem.