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All 25 Supported Video File Formats for Telegram App

List / May 12, 2023

Have you ever tried sending a video over Telegram only to have it bounce back because the video format is not supported?

We’ve all been there. But don’t worry today, I’m gonna walk you through all the supported video file formats on Telegram, and I’ll also show you how to send large videos through Telegram.

What Are All The Supported Video File Formats For Telegram App?

Here is the full comprehensive list of video formats that were supported by the Telegram app;

MP4 (MPEG-4 Part 14)
MOV (QuickTime Movie)
AVI (Audio Video Interleave)
WMV (Windows Media Video)
MKV (Matroska Video)
FLV (Flash Video)
MPEG (MPEG-1/MPEG-2)
WebM
3GP (3GPP Multimedia)
M4V (MPEG-4 Video File)
TS (MPEG Transport Stream)
MTS (AVCHD Video File)
VOB (DVD Video Object File)
MPG (MPEG Video File)
ASF (Advanced Systems Format)
SWF (Shockwave Flash Movie)
RM (RealMedia)
OGV (Ogg Video)
DV (Digital Video)
F4V (Flash Video)
OGG (Ogg Vorbis Video)
H264 (H.264/MPEG-4 AVC)
HEVC (High-Efficiency Video Coding)
XVID (Xvid Video)
DIVX (DivX Video)

How to Send Videos on Telegram: A Step-by-Step Guide

So, you’ve got your video in one of the supported formats and are ready to share it with the world (or at least your Telegram contacts).

Here’s how you do it:

Open the Telegram app on your device, and tap on the chat where you want to send the video.
Tap the paperclip icon – it’s usually located in the message box.
From the options that appear, tap on ‘Gallery’ or ‘File’ depending on your device.
Browse to find the video file you want to share, then tap on it.
Finally, hit the ‘Send’ button, and voila! Your video is on its way.

Now, you might be wondering how I can upload a large video on Telegram.

Well, that’s where things get a bit tricky. Telegram does have a file size limit – a whopping 2GB per file! That’s like packing your entire vacation footage into one message.

However, if your video file is bigger than this, you’re gonna have to compress it or split it into smaller parts. But that’s a story for another section.

Troubleshooting Video Playback Issues on Telegram.

First, check the file format if a video isn’t playing back. Remember those flavors we talked about earlier? Make sure your video is in a format that Telegram supports.

If your video format checks out, next on the checklist is the file size. If the video is too large, Telegram might have trouble processing it. Try compressing it or breaking it into smaller parts.

Another potential issue could be your internet connection. Like trying to drink a milkshake through a tiny straw, a slow or unstable connection can make video playback stutter or fail entirely.

If possible, try switching to a faster or more stable connection.

Finally, if none of these seem to be the problem, it could be that the video file is corrupt. If that’s the case, you might need to try converting it to another format or re-exporting it from your video editing software.

All 25 Supported Video File Formats for Telegram App Read More »

view-open-AVIF-file-image-format-windows-mac-android-ios

How to Open & View AVIF Image Format [PC, Android, iOS, Mac]

How to / May 8, 2023

Opening a AVIF image file format is fairly easy, depending on the type of operating systems you are using.

In this article, we will address all the solutions you need to view AVIF images, regardless if you are using a Windows PC, a Mac computer, using Android or iOS mobile device.

What is an AVIF Image?

Developed by the Alliance for Open Media with participating members such as Amazon, Google and Microsoft, the AVIF Image File format (.avif) is a compressed image file that competes with the likes of JPEG and WebP formats.

Below is a summary of all the methods to open AVIF images, depending on your operating system.

S/no	Open With	Operating System
1	Google Chrome	All OS
2	ImageGlass	Windows
3	qView	macOS
4	AVIF Image Viewer & Converter	Android
5	Use latest iOS & macOS versions	iOS
6	PhotoKit AVIF Image Viewer	All OS / Cloud service

How to Open and View AVIF Image File Format?

Here are the six (6) ways to open AVIF image files for all operating systems and devices.

1. Open with your Web Browser

Several web browsers now have support for the AVIF image format.

At the time of this article, you can use Google Chrome, Brave browser and Firefox browser to view AVIF images.

Currently, the Safari browser does not support opening AVIF format, but this may change in the near future.

open-avif-image-file-format-using-web-browser-google-chrome

To view the AVIF format using your web browser, do the following;

Right-click on the AVIF file, choose <Open With> and select <Other>
Select <All Applications> from the drop-down menu in the Enable option.
Choose Google Chrome on the left pane and click <Open>
You can now view your AVIF image file using the Chrome browser.

2. Install ImageGlass for Windows

ImageGlass is a lightweight, versatile and simple open-source Windows application that supports opening over 80+ image formats, such as AVIF, SVG, HEIC, RAW and many more.

Appearance-wise, it has a minimalist design look that comes with image editing features. Some of the main features include;

Losslessly rotate/save the viewing image.
Drag-n-drop viewing image supported.
Ability to view/extract multi-page image files (TIF, ICO) separately.
Six zoom modes
Conversion to 10 different formats

3. Install qView for Mac

qview-for-Mac-view-open-AVIF-image-file-format

qView is a lightweight and minimalist image viewer for Mac that instantly opens up AVIF file formats and other image files. It runs on low memory and requires low CPU usage.

qView also has additional features, such as file history, rotation/mirroring and animated GIF controls.

The free and open-source software supports all standard image formats, including BMP, GIF, JPG, PNG, TIFF, and WebP image formats.

4. Install AVIF Image Viewer for Android

Android-AVIF-Image-Viewer-Converter-app-open-view

AVIF Image Viewer & Converter is a lightweight Android mobile app that recognises and opens AVIF image file formats.

For a start, users can view AVIF images using the app and have the option to save them to the Gallery in JPG, PNG or WebP format.

With the new encoding feature, users can convert images to AVIF format.

5. Use the latest iOS / macOS version

apple-devices-latest-version-view-open-AVIF-image-file-format

For Apple iPhone, iPad mobile devices and macOS computers running iOS 16, iPadOS 16 and macOS 13 Ventura, there will be the automatic built-in capability to support AVIF images through Preview, Finder and Image viewing features.

If you are not on the latest macOS or iOS version, you can also try to open AVIF files using Google Chrome or Opera web browsers. Both web browsers are tested to be able to display AVIF images.

Safari web browser version 16.0 is also said to be able to support AVIF image file formats natively.

6. Use an Online AVIF viewer

Photokit AVIF Image Viewer is an online AVIF image viewing and editing service that runs on the web browser side and not on the site’s server.

You upload your AVIF file and preview them through your web browser. Then, you can edit the image file using a wide range of tools, such as adjusting exposure, correction, using the palette, inserting sketching or even adding cartoons.

After editing, you can save them in jpg or png format.

How to Open & View AVIF Image Format [PC, Android, iOS, Mac] Read More »

7 Ways to Open & View AVIF image file format using Mac

How to / May 8, 2023

When you are using macOS, there are several ways to preview and open the AVIF image file format.

Table Of Contents

How to open and view AVIF image file format on Mac?

How to open and view AVIF image file format on Mac?

Here are the seven (7) different methods you can use to open AVIF files on a Mac computer.

1. Open with a Web browser

view-AVIF-image-format-open-using-web-browser

Several web browsers now have support for the AVIF image format.

At the time of this article, you can use Google Chrome, Brave browser and Firefox browser to view the image.

Currently, the Safari browser does not support opening AVIF format, but this may change in the near future.

To view the AVIF format using your web browser, do the following;

open-AVIF-image-file-format-using-google-chrome-web-browser

Right-click on the AVIF file, choose <Open With> and select <Other>
Select <All Applications> from the drop-down menu in the Enable option.
Choose Google Chrome on the left pane and click <Open>
You can now view your AVIF image file using the Chrome browser.

2. Use PhotoKit AVIF Image Viewer

Photokit AVIF Image Viewer is an online AVIF image viewing and editing service that runs on the web browser side and not on the site’s server.

After editing, you can save them in jpg or png format.

3. Open with Preview.app

Depending on your macOS version, you can try opening the AVIF image file using the Mac Preview app.

open-avif-image-file-format-using-preview-mac

Try the following;

Right-click on the AVIF image file, choose <Open With> and select <Other>
Select <All Applications> from the drop-down menu in the Enable option.
Choose Preview.app on the left pane and click <Open>

4. Install XnViewMP for Mac

XnViewMP is a versatile photo viewer and editor that supports a wide range of image formats and supports Windows, Mac and Linux.

You can use XnViewMP to view AVIF formats in thumbnail view, fullscreen view, image compare, view EXIF metadata and many more.

For editing features, the powerful image viewer support resizing, cropping, lossless rotation, adding of filters & effects, etc.

XnViewMP supports over 500 image formats, including AVIF, TIFF, GIF, JPEG, PNG, etc.

5. Install AVIFQuickLook

This is a macOS QuickLook plugin for AVIF image file format and can be found in Github.

To install AVIFQuickLook, do the following;

Grab the latest AVIFQuickLook.qlgenerator from the Release Page, or build using Xcode.
Open Finder
Shift + Command + G, input ~/Library/QuickLook/ and press Enter. For macOS Catalina above, use /Library/QuickLook/ instead.
Drag AVIFQuickLook.qlgenerator into this folder. You may need to enter the password

6. Install qView for Mac

qView is a lightweight and minimalist image viewer for Mac that opens up AVIF file formats and other image files instantly. It runs on low memory and requires low CPU usage.

qView also has other features such as file history, rotation/mirroring and animated GIF controls.

The free and open-source software supports all common image formats including bmp, gif, jpg, png, tiff, and webp.

7. Use macOS Ventura and latest iOS version

macOS-ventura-open-preview-AVIF-image-file-format

If you are using macOS Ventura, there is already a built-in support for opening AVIF image files using Prview and Finder.

Released in October 2022, macOS Ventura has several updates to its predecessor, macOS Monterey, and this includes the native support for AVIF image file format.

To view AVIF images natively, update your Apple devices to make sure they are running the latest betas of iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and macOS Ventura.

7 Ways to Open & View AVIF image file format using Mac Read More »

7 BEST Digital Forensic Imager Tools [dd, E01, AFF formats]

Best of / May 8, 2023

A digital forensic imager can be in the form of a software imaging tool or hardware equipment. A good forensic imaging tool can output to several forensics formats and is commonly used by law enforcement agencies, private investigation firms, and security companies nowadays.

Below is a quick summary of the best forensic imagers and their imaging capability.

S/no	Forensic Imaging Tool	Description	Type
1	FTK® Imager	Computer imaging	Software
2	Tableau Forensic Imager (TX1)	Computer imaging	Hardware
3	EnCase™ Forensic	Computer imaging	Software
4	SIFT Workstation	Computer imaging	Software
5	Magnet RAM Capture	RAM imaging	Software
6	Magnet ACQUIRE	Computer & Mobile imaging	Software
7	Cellebrite UFED	Mobile device imaging	Software and Hardware

What is a Forensic Image?

A forensic image is a court-accepted digital image of a digital device or a digital file, such as a computer, a mobile phone or a system drive. It is considered forensically sound as the forensic image is a bit-by-bit copy of the original device, drive or file.

A forensic image is acquired using specialized digital forensics software or hardware equipment and is examined primarily by digital forensics analysis tools.

What are the Different Formats of Forensic Images?

The most common forensic image formats being used are;

EnCase Evidence Files = E01 / Ex01
Raw Format = dd
Advance Forensics Format = AFF

What are the BEST Forensic Imaging Software Tools?

Here are the seven (7) best digital forensics imaging tools you can use.

1. FTK® Imager

FTK® Imager is a data preview and imaging software tool that allows you to quickly assess electronic evidence to determine if further analysis using forensic tools is needed.

The imaging tool can make forensic copies of physical disks, logical drives, individual files, entire folders, discs, USB flash drives, etc.

FTK Imager – Key Features

Create perfect or forensic copies from the original.
Generate hash reports before and after the forensic image is created
Ability to mount images as read-only

2. Tableau Forensic Imager (TX1)

Measuring 9.5 in (L) x 6.5 in (W) x 2.6 in (H), the Tableau Forensic Imager (TX1) is a physical forensic imager hardware device that is used to create forensic images of a wide range of computer media, including USB flash drives, SATA hard drives, PCIe and 10Gb Ethernet devices.

When TX1 starts imaging, it can output to raw DD formats, .e01 (compressed) or .ex01 (compressed), and supports a wide range of file systems, such as ExFAT, NTFS, EXT4, FAT32, HFS+ and many more.

TX1 – Key Features

Support up to two active forensic jobs simultaneously
Pause and resume imaging jobs
Automatic job queuing allows additional jobs to begin as soon as an active job completes
Secure Wiping and Formatting features
AES whole disk encryption

3. EnCase™ Forensic

opentext=encase=forensics-digital-imager

EnCase™ Forensic is a software imaging tool used by the majority of law enforcement agencies in the world. The strength of this forensic imaging software lies in its competency in acquiring forensic images from a wide array of computer systems.

It is especially good at analyzing Windows operating systems and commonly-used file systems such as NTFS, FAT/FAT32/exFAT/, ext4 and many more.

EnCase Forensics – Key Features

Analyze data from multiple platforms—Windows, Linux, AIX, OS X, Solaris, and more
Uncover suspicious files, e.g. hiding, cloaking, or deletion
Manage large data volume, including deleted files, unallocated space and file slack.
Indexing, keyword searching and automated evidence-processing features
Create exact forensic duplicates through verifiable hash values and Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) values
Easy transfer of evidence files to external parties, such as legal representatives

4. SIFT Workstation

SIFT-workstation-digital-forensics-imaging

SIFT Workstation is a software imaging VMware appliance, pre-configured with free, open-source forensics and analysis tools to perform deep digital forensic investigations in various environments.

It can image attached physical devices and system drives using a range of forensic command formats, such as raw dd, E01, AFF, etc.

SIFT Workstation – Key Features

Lots of installed forensic applications, e.g. log2timeline
Mounting of raw and forensic images
Conduct forensic investigation using installed suites like the sleuthkit.
Conduct incident response investigations

5. Magnet RAM Capture

magnet-RAM-capture-digital-forensics-imager

Magnet RAM Capture is a software imaging tool that can recover and examine artefacts frequently found only in the memory by taking a snapshot of a suspect’s computer’s physical memory (RAM).

You can use Magnet RAM Capture while minimizing memory overwriting thanks to its minimal memory footprint. Furthermore, you can transfer the memory data into analysis programs like Magnet AXIOM after you have captured it.

6. Magnet ACQUIRE

Magnet ACQUIRE is a software imaging tool capable of mobile device image acquisition and capturing forensic images of common storage drives, including hard drives and USB flash drives.

The forensic acquisition tool can output the image to the E01 and raw dd format.

For mobile devices, depending on the make & model of the device, it can acquire a logical extraction, file system extraction or even a full physical image extraction.

Magnet ACQUIRE – Key Features

Use Media Transfer Protocol to acquire media and files, such as photos, videos and documents from mobile devices.
Support 3rd-party application user data
Support extraction of memory cards, e.g. microSD cards

7. Cellebrite UFED

cellebrite-ufed-digital-forensics-imaging-tool

Cellebrite is an Israeli digital intelligence company focusing mainly on extracting data from mobile devices. The forensic image it outputs is in its proprietary form, the UFDR format.

The UFED capability is available on desktop computers (UFED4PC) as software, as well as a standalone handheld physical console (UFED Touch2).

Cellebrite UFED – Key Features

Unlocking of mobile devices via pattern bypass and PIN locks
Perform logical, file system and physical extractions
Use of bootloaders, automatic EDL capability, smart ADB connection and more
Wide range of supported mobile devices across many different brands
Extract evidence from mobile phones, SIM cards, drones, SD cards, GPS devices and more

7 BEST Digital Forensic Imager Tools [dd, E01, AFF formats] Read More »

remove-metadata-from-pdf-and-word-file-format-document

How to Remove Metadata from PDF and Microsoft Word documents

How to / May 8, 2023

It is essential, at times, to remove file metadata from your PDF and Microsoft Word documents, especially those you need to send to external parties, such as sending your job resume or CV in PDF and Word format.

Metadata can contain embarrassing information, such as author, number of revisions, number of printed times, last edited by, file creation date, etc.

How to Remove Metadata from PDF and Microsoft Word files?

Depending on your setup and preference, several different ways to delete metadata from both Word and PDF files exist.

Here are the four (4) different ways to do so.

1. Using ExifTool by Phil Harvey

ExifTool by Phil Harvey is probably the most popular lightweight EXIF metadata viewer. It is an easy-to-use command-line interface application that supports Windows, macOS and Linux operating systems.

You can use ExifTool to remove metadata from both MS Word and PDF files.

Install your OS version from their official website, and always check your file metadata before removing it.

To view the metadata of your file, use this;

exiftool <filename>

To remove all metadata, use the following command;

exiftool -all= -overwrite_original <filename>

2. Using Online Metadata Removing Tools

For less-sensitive PDF and Word documents, you can consider using online metadata-removing tools such as;

MetaCleaner (PDF and Word)
PDFYeah (PDF)
GroupDocs (Word)

3. Using Office Settings

For Word documents, you can use Office Settings to remove its metadata.

Open the Word document and follow the steps below:

Go to the File Tab
Select <Info>
Select <Check for Issues>
Select <Inspect Document>
Select the content you want Word to check for metadata
Click <Remove All>

If you are using Office for Mac, open your Word document, go to <Tools> menu, select <Protect Document> and check the box that says <Remove personal information from this file on save>.

4. Using Adobe Acrobat Settings for PDFs

If you are using Adobe Acrobat, you can use its settings to remove the PDF metadata.

Follow the steps below:

Select the Tools pane
Click on the Protection group.
Scroll down to the Hidden Information group.
Select Remove Hidden Data
Click on Expand All to preview the Results.
Click Remove to delete selected items.

Changes are not permanent until the document is saved.

How to Remove Metadata from PDF and Microsoft Word documents Read More »

7 Key Considerations: Send Resume CV in PDF or Word format

Compare / May 8, 2023

Applying for a job requires sending your resume or curriculum vitae (CV) to the employer or job agency. Usually, you can choose between sending a Word document or a PDF format. There are various professional reasons and considerations for choosing the best and safest choice, given your circumstances.

Technically speaking, the two (2) widely-accepted file formats are;

Microsoft Word document (.doc or .docx) format
Portable Document Format (.pdf) format

This article will explain all the considerations you should take before sending your resume and CV.

Also, always remove the Word/PDF metadata before sending it to external parties, as they may contain unnecessary or embarrassing details, such as author, comments, revision, file creation timestamp, etc.

Table Of Contents

What is the Best File Format to Send Your Job Resume, Word or PDF?
Conclusion

What is the Best File Format to Send Your Job Resume, Word or PDF?

Here are the seven (7) key considerations for deciding on which format you should send for your job resume and CV.

1. Does the company prefer a specific format?

Sometimes in the job description, the company will specifically ask for a particular file format for applicants to send over.

For example, on LinkedIn, applicants sending resumes on the platform generally prefer PDF formats due to the impression of looking more professional.

In short, be sure to use the file format as specified in the job description.

2. Do you want to prevent editing?

editing-word-pdf-resume-cv-removebg-preview

Having your resume or CV in Word format allows for useful features like adding comments and taking side notes.

If the company or yourself prefer the editing features of using Word format, use it.

To prevent editing to your resume or CV, you want to preserve its formatting, margins, fonts, and images, among other elements. In addition, you do not wish to have a resizing issue when opening your resume or CV in different screen sizes and using different devices.

3. How big is the file size of your resume?

You may want to look at your resume or CV file size, especially when you are supposed to send the document over email or upload it to some job portal, where you don’t want to exceed the maximum upload file size.

Converting from Word to PDF will always increase its file size significantly.

Take note of the file size and if you can send your resume or CV over.

4. Do you want to allow for keyword searching?

Having a Word format document, one can easily search using the standard Windows environment without installing thirty-party software.

It can be helpful for a company to search for a particular candidate or keyword across all the submitted resumes or CVs.

PDFs, for example, can still be searchable by other software. However, the accuracy is not as good as having a Word document. Optical Character Recognition (OCR) addon is required for software tools that search through PDF files, and it is not always 100% accurate.

5. What industry and sector are you applying for?

Does a well-formatted and image-intensive resume or CV help you have a competitive edge over the other applicants?

For resumes that require illustrations and are generally lengthy, it is best to have them in a PDF format.

You want to preserve nice formatting for your images and graphics.

Maybe you are applying for a role in Adobe; you can consider using PDF format. On the other hand, if you are applying for Microsoft, you can view sending a Word document format if you have the flexibility to choose.

6. Does the company use an ATS system?

An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is a human resource software system that takes in applicants’ resumes, CVs, cover letters, references and many more relating to the desired job role they are applying for.

You should read the job description and the company’s website to determine if they have stated they are using an ATS system.

Choose Word format, as it has the highest readability in ATS systems.

Some older ATS systems do not support PDF formats, although this situation is rare these days. Therefore to be on the safer side, go for the Word format.

7. Are you using a paid resume template?

When you pay for a professional-looking and eye-catching resume or CV, you do not want to distribute them for free over the Internet.

These paid resumes can go as high as USD 60, depending on the quality and uniqueness of the resume.

Some of the sites you can get a professional-looking resume template are;

Conclusion

If the company does not specify a particular file format in their job description, you can have the flexibility to choose between a Word document or a PDF document.

Generally speaking, go for Word document format in everyday situations because you want the company to edit, insert comments, take notes and perform keyword searching inside your Word document.

Remember not to make your Word format read-only or password-protected. Doing so will appear unprofessional and as an unnecessary security restriction.

Go for the PDF format if your resume is lengthy and images need to be well-formatted, preserved and displayed for the interviewer.

You can always use an online resume builder like Canva and MyPerfectResume.

Lastly, remember to remove the metadata from your resume and CV before sending.

7 Key Considerations: Send Resume CV in PDF or Word format Read More »

ExifTool-application-EXIF-metadata-install-use-windows-mac-linux

How to Install & Use ExifTool Phil Harvey [PC, Mac & Linux]

How to / May 8, 2023

ExifTool by Phil Harvey is probably the BEST EXIF metadata viewer for many file types, such as image files, document types and multimedia files. This article will show you how to install and use ExifTool on Windows, macOS and Ubuntu operating systems, through both simple drag & drog and easy command line instructions.

The easiest way is to use a drag-and-drop approach for Windows and a simple terminal command for Mac and Linux systems.

Table Of Contents

How to Install and Use ExifTool on Windows, Mac and Linux?

How to Install and Use ExifTool on Windows, Mac and Linux?

Here are the steps below for the three (3) different operating systems.

Install and Use ExifTool on Windows

Go to the official homepage of ExifTool and download the stand-alone Windows executable version.

It is usually a zip file.

Install on Windows

Unzip and you will see the ExifTool file named as “exiftool(-k).exe”.

There is no installation required here, as you are using the standalone lightweight ExifTool executable. You can move the “exiftool(-k).exe” to any directory folder you want.

How to Use ExifTool on Windows

Now, drag and drop your image or multimedia file to the ExifTool executable file.

exiftool-install-use-on-windows-using-drag-and-drop

Your Windows command prompt will automatically open now to display the Exif metadata output.

exiftool-sample-output-install-use-windows

Install and Use ExifTool on Mac

Go to the official ExifTool homepage and find the latest macOS version. It is a macOS package and in a .dmg format.

Download it onto your Mac.

Install on Mac

Double-click to install the dmg package and follow the instructions.

If you are stopped with an “unidentified developer” message and unable to proceed with the installation, make sure you go to <System Preferences>, <Security & Privacy>, unlock the padlock with your Mac password and allow the app to pass through.

How to Use ExifTool on Mac

Open the Terminal app by clicking on the magnifying glass and type in “Terminal”

Navigate the Terminal into the exact folder where the image file resides. In this example, my image file is in the Downloads folder. I will run the following command.

cd ~/Downloads/

Now, run the exiftool application against the image file (shown below)

exiftool photo.jpg

Your Terminal will now display the EXIf metadata of the file.

exiftool-mac-terminal-output-install-use

To uninstall ExifTool from your Mac, type “open /usr/local/bin” (without the quotes) into Terminal. You will now see two files namely “exiftool” and “lib”. Delete these two files to uninstall ExifTool.

Install and Use ExifTool on Linux (Ubuntu)

In this example, I will be installing and using it on Ubuntu distribution.

Go to the official ExifTool homepage and find the latest Linux version. It is a zipped package and in a .tar.gz format.

Install on Ubuntu

Unzip the package and navigate into the extracted folder using the following commands;

    cd <your download directory>
    gzip -dc <ExifTool version>.tar.gz | tar -xf -
    cd <ExifTool version>

Install ExifTool in Ubuntu by;

    perl Makefile.PL
    make test
    sudo make install

How to Use ExifTool on Ubuntu

To use ExifTool on a image file, this works similar to macOS method. Just navigate to the image file directory and type the following command.

exiftool image.jpg

To uninstall ExifTool from Linux, type the command below;

sudo apt-get remove exiftool

How to Install & Use ExifTool Phil Harvey [PC, Mac & Linux] Read More »

How to Remove Video Metadata (EXIF) on Mac [Any Format]

How to / May 8, 2023

Video files can contain EXIF data and other sensitive metadata information, such as GPS location (longitude & latitude coordinates), file creation and modified timestamps, etc. Using macOS, you can delete these metadata from the video files.

Before you can remove, you need to make sure these video files really contain EXIF data and other metadata values.

To correctly view the EXIF metadata of video files, you should install EXIFTool by Phil Harvey. It supports Windows and macOS operating systems.

Once you have check with ExifTool, now it is time to remove the metadata.

Table Of Contents

How to Remove Video EXIF Metadata using macOS?

How to Remove Video EXIF Metadata using macOS?

These are the two (2) metadata removal tools that you can use on Mac.

Method 1. Photo & Video Metadata Remover

exif-metadata-remove-photo-&-video-metadata-remover

Photo & Video Metadata Remover is a lightweight macOS application that removes EXIF data and other sensitive metadata from both image and video files.

The app open up the target image or video file and display all the EXIF and metadata information available.

User can decide if they want to fully clear all the metadata that is embedded into the file.

It supports .mp4, .mkv and other popular video formats.

Method 2. ExifTool

You can use ExifTool by Phil Harvey to view metadata, as well as removing EXIF data and other metadata information.

To delete metadata using ExifTool, navigate the Terminal app to the video file directory and use the command below;

exiftool -all= video.mp4

Exiftool will renamed your original video file. Your original video file (with metadata) will be renamed as “video.mp4-original”. Note the -original name at the end of the filename.

The newly created video file with no metadata will be called video.mp4.

ExifTool supports a wide variety of video formats, such as mp4, mkv, 3gp, avi, divx, flv and many more.

How to Remove Video Metadata (EXIF) on Mac [Any Format] Read More »

How-to-know-if-someone-mute-you-on-Telegram

11 Ways to Know If Someone Had Blocked You on Telegram

How to / May 8, 2023

When you are being blocked in Telegram, there are several tell-tale signs to know and find out if this is true.

During blocking, all your messages cannot be delivered to the person and will not be delivered, even after unblocking.

What are the tell-tale signs to know if someone has blocked you on the Telegram app?

Here are the eleven (11) ways you can use to find out if you are being blocked in Telegram.

1. Paradox of single & double-ticks

telegram-blocked-paradox-single-tick-double-tick

When the person starts to UNBLOCK you and send you messages, you will notice a strange phenomenon where all your previously sent messages still have only single ticks.

This seems to be a paradox because the person must have seen all your previous messages before they can send you their following replies. It does not make sense at first glance.

The only explanation for this paradox is that you were blocked previously and recently unblocked.

Once you start to send replies, all these single ticks of yours will become double ticks.

2. Observing too many unread messages

A double-tick beside your sent message indicates the “read” state in Telegram settings. This suggests that the recipient has received and read your message.

When you are being blocked in Telegram, these messages are not immediately informed; therefore, a sizable portion of your sent messages are frequently “unread.”

The person may continue to use Telegram as usual, as they will still be notified of incoming messages from others who are not blocked.
Your message will eventually be “read” when that person decides to unblock it. In this case, you can see that all your sent but “unread” messages will become “read” at the same time.

Tell-tale signs

Observe if your messages often get delayed “read,” and a significant portion of them get “read” at the same time when the person unblocks you.

3. Unable to add the person in a Group Chat

blocked-telegram-contact-unable-to-add-into-group-chat

One quick way to know if you are being blocked is to try adding the person to a new Group chat.

You will encounter the following error: “Sorry, you can’t create a group with these users because of their privacy settings.“

When you see this, you are likely to be blocked by this person.

This situation only applies to you. For the person who blocked you, they can add you (if they wish) to another new Group. They will not receive any Telegram error messages.

4. Unable to make Telegram Call

When you are blocked, you cannot make a Telegram Call to the person.

Try making a Telegram Call to the person, and you will encounter this error message that says, “Sorry, you cannot call <person> because of their privacy settings. You can ask them to modify their settings or to call you instead.“

5. Use another phone number to send a Telegram message

The best way to confirm if you are being blocked is to send a message to the person using another phone number.

You may want to pretend to be another person with a new Telegram account and ask the person some questions to get them to reply to you. Unfortunately, if they respond, this means you are likely to be blocked in your old Telegram account.

6. No presence of pop-up message notification

telegram-block-no-presence-of-pop-up-notifications

Be present while the target phone is being used, such as when it is set down on a desk.

Make sure you are close enough to feel the phone vibrate and see the screen of the phone.

Now, send your Telegram message to the target phone.

Observe if the phone has any notification rings when you send the message.
Even if you are not being muted, your Telegram messages should have a visual pop-up notification on their screen.

Observation

You are likely to be blocked or muted if there are no visual pop-up notifications of your message.

7. Analysis of Last Seen Timestamp

telegram-blocked-timestamp-status-analysis-last-seen-a-long-time-ago

When you are blocked, you will see the person’s status as “last seen a long time ago“.

The best evidence is physically seeing the person using the Telegram app, but you still see this timestamp status. Or you had communicated with the person using another Telegram account, yet the timestamp status remains the same.

8. No Display/Profile Pic Shown

When the person is blocking you in Telegram, you can no longer see their display or profile picture.

The blocked display pic will be like the image shown above (5. Absence of Online status).

9. Absence of Online status

telegram-blocked-cannot-see-online-status-timestamp-analysis

As mentioned above, you will always see the person’s status as “last seen a long time ago”.

Therefore, you will never see the “Online” status of the person, as long as you remain blocked in Telegram.

10. You no longer appear in their Contacts list

If you’re not on someone’s contact list, they may have blocked you.

Blocking someone on Telegram will prevent them from appearing in your contact list.

This is because the person you blocked has decided to hide their profile from you.

11. Check if Account is deleted

Telegram users can choose to delete their accounts and once removed, the deleted account can behave similar to a person who had blocked you in Telegram, e.g. your messages keep getting single ticks and etc.

To make sure the person did not delete their Telegram account, go into their profile and see their name. You should not see “Deleted Account” here.

If you did not see it, you are highly to be blocked by the person as the person is still using the Telegram app.

11 Ways to Know If Someone Had Blocked You on Telegram Read More »

9 BEST Free Virtual Piano Keyboard [PC, Mac, iOS, Android]

Best of / May 8, 2023

Learning to play the piano these days does not necessarily require a physical piano. Virtual piano software is convenient, sounds great and has tons of customization & connectivity features.

Depending on the virtual piano app, it can work on web browsers, different operating systems and different types of devices, such as mobile phones and computers.

Table Of Contents

What are the Best Virtual Piano Keyboard Software?

What are the Best Virtual Piano Keyboard Software?

Here are the nine (9) virtual piano software apps you can use to learn and play music.

1. Recursive Arts: Virtual Piano Simulator

| Works on Web Browser |

Virtual Piano Simulator is a realistic-looking browser-based piano instrument that is good at mirroring the distribution of white and black keys in a real piano.

When playing piano songs, users will realize that all five octaves are available for them to use. Users can also record and save their own music compositions. Sharing with friends and family is also accessible with invitation links.

Key Features

Adjustable sound and tempo using Sustain, Metronome, Transposition, and Tempo buttons
Free Interactive songs to choose from
Ability to access additional musical instrument sounds such as Organ, Harpsichord, Harp or Synthesizer.
Realistic 3D keyboard
Capable of playing up to 64 simultaneous notes

2. VirtualPiano.net

| Works on Web Browser |

Virtual Piano allow users to learn how to play the piano in a quick, easy and enjoyable manner. The software turns your computer or mobile device keyboard into a piano keyboard, containing letters corresponding to the keys from a QWERTY keyboard.

When playing a song, you can press both the black and white keys together at the same time. In addition, there is a scroll bar under the keys to allow users to play all the octaves of a grand piano.

Key Features

Do not require users to know how to read music notation
Thousands of free music sheets
Maps QWERTY keyboard to piano keys
Credit, edit and refine customized music sheets
Choose from 24 different classical instruments, such as Violin, Saxophone and many more.

3. Online Pianist: Virtual Piano

| Works on Web Browser | iOS | Android |

Online Pianist simulates a real piano keyboard with 7 1/4 octaves of 88 keys, a Metronome, a sustain pedal and many others. Unfortunately, for mobile devices, only five octaves are available.

Key Features

Real keys mode – corresponding computer keys for the middle octaves & piano keys of a real piano
Simulate a piano’s sustain pedal
Adjust the Metronome based on BPM (beats per minute) or time signature
Using the letter notes feature to display ABC or DoReMi letter notes on the piano keyboard keys

4. Virtual Drumming: Virtual Piano

| Works on Web Browser |

Virtual Piano from Virtual Drumming enables users to learn chords and scales when they do not have a real piano.

Users can quickly learn music theory or try out random melodies that come to mind with this online tool.

Key Features

Record your song track up to a maximum of one minute
Automatically play the major and minor triads for every single note on the piano keyboard
Playing scales, such as Major, Natural Minor, Harmonic Minor, Melodic Minor, etc
Piano pedal simulator that allows users to play short notes by releasing the keys
Metronome feature for learning to play the piano keyboard, keeping time

5. Apronus: Virtual Piano

| Works on Web Browser |

Apronus Virtual Piano enable users to use their keyboard to play on their virtual online piano simulator. Each key on the piano keyboard from C₃ to C₅ can be played by pressing an associated key on the computer keyboard.

The keys from the keyboard A, S, D rows and the Z, X, C rows are programmed to play white key chords for rich melodies.

This is an offline version of the virtual piano as well.

Key Features

Create a custom-made chord button
Configure buttons to be associated with a computer keyboard key
Ability to record and playback
Savings recordings to a local drive
Bookmarking chords by generating a link that encodes all the chords from your buttons

6. Revontulet: Perfect Piano

| Android |

Perfect Piano is an intelligent piano simulator developed for Android phones and tablets. With built-in authentic piano sounds, the app can teach users how to play the piano and be entertaining at the same time.

After installation, users can have a widget on their home screen to quickly play the piano without opening the app itself.

The app supports Timbre plugins such as bass, electric guitar, saxophone, etc. and has an 88-key piano keyboard.

Key Features

Support USB MIDI Keyboard
MIDI and ACC audio recording
Multiplayer Connection & Competition (real-time chat and challenge)
Three play modes: autoplay, semi-auto play, note pause
Left & right-hand setup
A->B loop

7. FunAIs: Piano+

| Android |

With more than 50 million downloads, Piano+ is one of Android’s most popular virtual piano apps.

The virtual piano app has an impressive sound to mimic that of a grand piano while allowing users to compose their own music after playing and learning using the 88-key piano app.

Key Features

MIDI keyboard recording, allowing the creation of own MIDI files to share with the community
Huge music library with lots of classical piano songs, kids’ songs, pop and many more
Daily challenges to unlock themes and customization

8. Peaksel Games: Virtual Piano

| For iOS | For Android |

Virtual Piano is a simple, easy-to-use mobile app that supports iOS and Android devices.

It has over one million+ downloads on the Play Store and App Store with plenty of positive reviews.

Key Features

Pedal for changing the instrument’s sound
Three instrument sounds: piano, banjo, toy piano
Pitch correction
Zoom buttons for zooming in and out for piano keys
Adjustable octaves

9. T.V CO: Piano

| For Mac and iOS |

Piano for Mac and iOS is a classic piano app that allows users to learn and play thousands of songs on a virtual piano.

Users can import their popular songs and music sheets into the app and learn with the 88-key virtual piano.

The piano app also offers a Metronome, pedal, dual scrollable keyboard and supports a USB MIDI keyboard and Bluetooth MIDI keyboard.

Key Features

Connect to a MIDI-Keyboard via USB / Lightning cable or Bluetooth MIDI Connect
Use the keyboard as an output device to play the MIDI-Files
Show notes and sheet as song timeline
View sustain-pedal events and sustained notes
Customize colours, effects, instruments and much more

9 BEST Free Virtual Piano Keyboard [PC, Mac, iOS, Android] Read More »