5 Tools to download videos from YouTube

Internet is home to millions of videos that are a rich source of information, and you will find videos for almost any topic under the sun. Whether you want to learn photography, learn how to play guitar, want to know how to nurture a bonsai plant, impress others with your culinary skills, or simply satisfy your curiosity about outer space, you will find videos that are useful. Unfortunately, there isn’t a direct way of downloading these videos to make them available offline in case you want to view them at your own pace, especially in the case of tutorials. However, there are several tools that will help you download the videos from popular online video destinations. Keep in mind though, that downloading copyrighted videos can have legal implications and will land you in trouble. Also, there is a risk of exposing your system to malware, spyware and adware by using these tools, so use them at your own discretion.    

KeepVid

Clutter free layout, easy to use

One of the most popular tools to download videos from the Internet is KeepVid. You can add the bookmark to your links toolbar and thereafter simply click on the ‘Keep it’ icon as you are watching a video that you would like to download. Alternatively, you can copy the link and enter it on the site, and click on download. However, you will need to have Java enabled on your system for it to function. Once you enable Java, you will be able to download videos from sites like YouTube, blip.tv, Facebook, Metacafe, TED, Vimeo, 4shared, Dailymotion, eHow and other sites. You can choose from the flv, MP4 or WebM format. It also supports HD videos. The site is easy to use and most importantly, the layout is free of clutter.

SaveVid

With SaveVid you can easily download videos

Another popular tool is SaveVid. It works similar to KeepVid and requires you to download Java. However, unlike KeepVid, the site has several other elements to it. You can browse categories like music, celebrity videos, movies, TV, travel, gaming, sports, pets, how-to, science, animation etc. You can also browse the Top Videos downloaded in each category and chances are you will find the video you are looking for right here. Apart from this, it will also show you the latest videos that have been downloaded, daily 20 downloaded and even top 50 videos. SaveVid supports sites like YouTube, Google Videos, Metacafe, Facebook, Vimeo, blip.tv and more. You can choose from flv, avi, mov, mpg or wmv formats.

YTD Video Downloader

YTD Video Downloader is an effective software you can look at

If you are looking for a software to download videos from Internet, then YTD Video Downloader is what you will find handy. It’s an easy to use tool using which you can download videos over sixty sites including YouTube, Facebook, Google Video, Yahoo Video, Blip.tv, ESPN Videos and Metacafe. You can even download HD and HQ videos with considerable ease. Additionally, you can convert the downloaded videos into other formats or even for specific devices. For instance, you can convert the video to play on your iPad. A plus point is that you can download and convert multiple videos at a time. However, this last feature of multiple download/convert is restricted to the pro version. The pro account will cost you approximately Rs 800.

VideoGrabber

VideoGrabber provides several options

With VideoGrabber you can download videos from several sites including the popular ones like YouTube, Vimeo, Dailymotion, Metacafe, myspaceTV, theonion, Nationalgeograhic, blip.tv and break. VideoGrabber, which claims support for over thousand video sites, provides options to download videos even from some of the more obscure sites. In case there is a site you want to download videos from, then you can just write to the VideoGrabber team and they will try and provide support for the same. With VideoGrabber you can also download HD videos. When you paste your link in the browser, it will grab the video for you and will display the format options available and you can choose which one you want to download. It supports MP4, WebM, flv, MP3 etc. Additionally, VideoGrabber also has a video conversion tool.  It also provides you with the option to record the audio, create a demo video by opting for screen recorder and even burn videos on DVD.

Firefox Video DownloadHelper

This Firefox extension is very handy to download videos

If you use Firefox, then you can install the Video DownloadHelper add-on. Once installed, you will see the add-in icon in your toolbar. On clicking the icon, you will see the list of sites it is compatible with, such as YouTube, Vimeo, Google Video, National Geographic, HowStuffWorks, NASA and more. So when you are on the site that is compatible with Video DownloadHelper, you will see the icon highlighted; clicking on it will provide you options to download the video. It will show you the options of the available video resolutions and you can select one from here. It also provides an option to convert the video to popular video and audio formats like MP3, mpeg, avi etc. and even device specific formats for Galaxy Tab, iPad, iPhone, Zune and more. It’s a quite efficient and easy to use tool.   

Cover Image: Getty Images

Disclaimer: Downloading copyrighted videos can have legal implications and may land you in trouble. Also, there is a risk of exposing your system to malware, spyware and adware by using these tools, so use them at your own discretion. We do not endorse any of these tools.