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Handbrake lets you choose a format, dimension and resolution for a batch of videos4
Convert video files to
modern formats
You should always make sure you
convert your videos to modern formats
because older formats will fall out of use,
meaning you (and younger generations)
won’t be able to play them in the future.
Handbrake (www.snipca.com/42027)
lets you convert multiple videos
simultaneously, saving you the time it
would take to change each video’s
format individually.
Collect your videos into a single folder,
then launch the program and drag the
folder on to the home screen to add its
contents to a queue. Use the dropdown
menu beside Preset (^1 in our screenshot)
to select a format, and optionally click the
Dimensions tab^2 to crop, add borders
and change resolution^3.
When you’ve finished making your
adjustments, press Alt+A to add the5
Encrypt a locker of files
Whether it contains personal finances
or a list of passwords, there’s nothing
suspicious about encrypting a file to
avoid disclosing its contents. Indeed, if
you plan to email that file, you could
argue that encrypting it using a program
like VeraCrypt (www.snipca.com/42040)
is prudent. It scrambles files or folders
using random algorithms, secured by a
password.
Launch VeraCrypt, then select a drive
letter in the top panel. It doesn’t matter
which one you choose because none of
the options are used by any media
attached to your computer – the letter is
just used to mount the encrypted locker
you’re about to create. Click ‘Create
Volume’, then leave ‘Create an encrypted
file container’ selected and click Next
twice. When you reach the Volume
Location screen, click ‘Select File...’, thenvideos to the processing queue, then click
Start Queue to encode them using yourchosen settings. By default, they are saved
in the Videos folder inside your User folder.8 – 21 June 2022 • Issue 633KEEP YOUR FILES SECURE AND PRIVATE
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navigate to the folder where you want to
save your encrypted files. Type a name
for your encrypted locker in the ‘File
name’ box, then click Save.
Click ‘Next’ twice, then specify how
much space you’d like to devote to your
locker. The more space you assign it, the
more files you can store in it. If you’re
only going to encrypt a handful of
documents, make your locker just a
little larger than their combined size.
We’re making a locker for some Word
documents, so have only given it 50MB
(see screenshot below left).
Click ‘Next’ and provide a password to
encrypt and decrypt the locker. Click
‘Next’ again, then start moving your
cursor randomly. This is what creates the
algorithm that scrambles your file. When
the bar at the bottom of the window is
full (^1 in our screenshot below right),
click Format. You’ll be returned to theVeraCrypt home screen, with the drive
letter you chose earlier still selected. Click
‘Select File...’, then navigate to and open
the locker you just created, then click
Mount^2. Enter the password you
specified, then click OK.
Your encrypted locker will be unlocked
and show up in Windows File Explorer,
where it will behave like a regular drive.
Drag the files and folders that you want to
encrypt into it and, when you’ve finished,
return to VeraCrypt and click Dismount.
The locker will be removed from File
Explorer, and can’t be reopened without
mounting it again and providing the
password.6
Hide files inside other files
Steganography is a technique that
lets you hide one file inside another – like
a document inside an image. The image
can still be opened, as usual, but onlyWe devoted 50MB to our VeraCrypt locker containing a handful of
Word documents As VeraCrypt encrypts your file you’ll see the bar at the bottom fill up1
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