How to Fix a Choppy Video File?

Choppy video files are the worst, whether it's a glitchy gameplay clip or a cherished home movie. Before you give up, try these fixes. We'll cover top 8 ways on how to fix a choppy video file. With some simple tweaks, even high-res files can play smoothly.

Part 1. Why Are Videos Being Choppy?

Choppy videos are so annoying. But before we jump into fixes, it helps to know what makes videos stutter in the first place.

A few usual suspects that can cause choppy videos include the following:

Massive file sizes - Those gorgeous, super high-res videos take up a ton of bandwidth to stream and processing power to play smoothly. If the file is too beefy, it can bog your device down.
Wrong formats - Certain codecs don't jive well with your device or apps. Trying to play videos not optimized for your system is asking for trouble.
Messed up downloads - Streaming hiccups or interruptions can corrupt video files, leaving them choppy and unwatchable.
Slow connection - Crappy internet, WiFi dead zones, or too many users on your network can interrupt streaming and downloads.
Too many programs - If you're also gaming or running other demanding software, the resource drain can make videos stutter.

Part 2. How to Fix A Choppy Video File with Best AI Video Enhancer?

Now that we know the causes of janky videos, let's fix them. Tweaking settings helps, but AI video repair tools are simpler for choppy files.

HitPaw Video Enhancer is such the best AI video repair tool. It can automatically detect the video issue and repair it with GPU acceleration in fast. There is no ads or watermark for your repairing!

Features

Here are the key features of HitPaw Video Enhancer:

Uses powerful AI upscaling to increase video resolution from SD to HD, 4K, and even up to 8K. Great for enhancing old, low-quality videos.
AI colorization can add natural, realistic color to black-and-white or monochrome videos with a single click.
Optimized AI models specially designed to repair and enhance anime videos as well as human faces.
Intelligent AI denoising removes unwanted background noise while preserving important video details.
AI deblurring can reduce motion blurs, out-of-focus blurs, and other fuzziness to sharpen video.
Compatible for Windows and Mac video repair

Steps of Using

Here is how to fix a choppy video file using HitPaw Video Enhancer:

Step 1:First up, download HitPaw from the link below and install it on your computer. The installer will guide you through the process - just keep clicking 'next'. Once installed, launch the app. Time to fix those videos!
Step 2:The Video Repair module is right on HitPaw's main interface. You'll see handy presets like fix video sound, fix video screen loss, and video correction - just click the scenario that matches your choppy video issues. Now, click the "Intelligent Detection and Repair" button at the bottom to let HitPaw analyze the footage and customize the AI enhancement.
Step 3:Once your videos are imported, click the "Start Repair" button in the bottom right corner. Then sit back and relax! The AI will start detecting issues and restoring your videos.
Step 4:After HitPaw finishes working its magic, your repaired videos will appear in the Completed section. Click "Download" next to each video or "Export All" to save the enhanced files to your computer.

Note： You can also find some online video repair tools with our guide!

Part 3. Other Available Ways of How to Fix Choppy Video

Beyond AI repairing, you can also take some common ways to try to fix your choppy video files.

1. How to Fix Choppy Video in Final Cut Pro

In Final Cut, choppy previews can be due to rendering needing to catch up. Try switching playback to Better Performance mode or render clips/sections before viewing.

Limiting effects, transitions, and generators can help if they're overtaxing your system. Close other programs and tabs to devote maximum resources to Final Cut for smoother editing.

After repairing, you can also use it for video resolution upscaling.

2. Update Graphics Drivers on PC

Outdated graphics card drivers can hinder video playback performance on PCs. Head to your card manufacturer's site periodically to download the latest driver updates.

This ensures maximum compatibility with new video codecs plus optimizations for smooth playback. Keeping your GPU drivers current is an easy way to nip choppiness in the bud.

3. Try a Different Video Player

If choppiness persists across files, the issue may be your preferred media player. Experiment with alternative programs like VLC, Media Player Classic, KMPlayer, etc.

Some handle playback and render better for certain codecs and resolutions. Finding the right software fit can make a world of difference.

4. Clear Your Browser's Cache

Browsing history, cookies, and cached data can bog down browsers over time. This hampers streaming playback.

Hit CTRL+SHIFT+Delete in Chrome or Firefox to open the clear cache menu. Check all history/cookie options, then click "Clear." Wiping the clutter forces cached video to re-buffer properly.

5. Scan for Malware

Sneaky malware running in the background can overload your resources, causing video lag.

Run a full system scan with reliable antivirus software to detect and remove any malicious processes hogging your bandwidth, memory, or GPU. Cleaning up infections restores performance.

6. Re-import or Copy the Video again

A faulty import process can create issues with video files. Try re-importing the choppy video into your editing program or destination drive.

Or copy the source file again uncompressed. This may generate a better optimized, glitch-free version for smooth playback.

7. Reduce the Video Size and Resolution

Large or high-res video strain systems. Use video converter software to scale choppy files down to lower resolutions like 720p or 1080p.

Shrinking massive videos reduces resource demand, so playback smoothing out. You can also re-encode at a lower bit rate. Moreover, shrinking video size and resolution can also make your video less stuttery as compared to when it is in very high size and resolution.

Part 4. FAQs of How to Fix Choppy Video

Q1. Why does my video keep stuttering?

A1. If one video lags consistently, the file itself is likely the issue. Corrupted downloads, incompatible codecs, wrong resolutions, and other glitches can make a particular video clip chronically choppy. Trying repairs, conversion, or re-downloading may help.

Q2. How do you find the choppy effect on CapCut?

A2. Set your phone on a tripod and film yourself walking through the tripod, step by step, ending with you covering the phone with your hand. Now open the clip in the CapCut app.

Scroll forward a little bit and then hit freeze here. Scroll forward again. Hit freeze again, and then delete the part in between, and just do that step by step for every sequence hitting freeze, and then deleting the part in between, and you can already see that stutter effect.

Do that for the whole video, and then just shorten all these clips to around 0.2 seconds, and that's it.

Q3. Why are video frames dropped during playback?

A3. When a video can't keep up with playback speed, frames get skipped to catch up. This causes stuttering. Insufficient network bandwidth, incompatible codecs, overloaded hardware, and other issues can all force frames to be dropped.

Bottom Line

How to fix choppy video? Troubleshooting and the right tools can help. Simple settings tweaks can work, but for damaged files, AI repair tools like HitPaw Video Enhancer, is much powerful.

Download HitPaw now to quickly restore quality and achieve smooth playback with advanced enhancement algorithms.

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