diff --git a/croppa/main.py b/croppa/main.py
index 900dd11..760c4e6 100644
--- a/croppa/main.py
+++ b/croppa/main.py
@@ -1632,6 +1632,10 @@ class VideoEditor:
             else:
                 output_width = int(crop_width * self.zoom_factor)
                 output_height = int(crop_height * self.zoom_factor)
+            
+            # Ensure dimensions are divisible by 2 for H.264 encoding
+            output_width = output_width - (output_width % 2)
+            output_height = output_height - (output_height % 2)
 
             # Send progress update
             self.render_progress_queue.put(("progress", "Setting up FFmpeg encoder...", 0.1, 0.0))
@@ -1845,44 +1849,43 @@ class VideoEditor:
     def _render_with_ffmpeg_pipe(self, output_path: str, start_frame: int, end_frame: int, output_width: int, output_height: int):
         """Render video with transformations"""
         try:
+            # Test FFmpeg with a simple command first
             try:
-                subprocess.run(['ffmpeg', '-version'], capture_output=True, check=True)
-            except (subprocess.CalledProcessError, FileNotFoundError):
-                error_msg = "FFmpeg not found - please install FFmpeg and ensure it's in your PATH"
+                test_result = subprocess.run(['ffmpeg', '-version'], capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=10)
+                if test_result.returncode != 0:
+                    print(f"FFmpeg test failed with return code {test_result.returncode}")
+                    print(f"FFmpeg stderr: {test_result.stderr}")
+                    error_msg = "FFmpeg is not working properly"
+                    self.render_progress_queue.put(("error", error_msg, 1.0, 0.0))
+                    return False
+            except (subprocess.CalledProcessError, FileNotFoundError, subprocess.TimeoutExpired) as e:
+                error_msg = f"FFmpeg not found or not working: {e}"
                 print(error_msg)
                 self.render_progress_queue.put(("error", error_msg, 1.0, 0.0))
                 return False
             
             self.render_progress_queue.put(("progress", "Starting encoder...", 0.0, 0.0))
-            ffmpeg_cmd = [
-                'ffmpeg', '-y', '-v', 'quiet',
-                '-f', 'rawvideo',
-                '-vcodec', 'rawvideo',
-                '-s', f'{output_width}x{output_height}',
-                '-pix_fmt', 'bgr24',
-                '-r', str(self.fps),
-                '-i', '-',  # Read from stdin
-                '-c:v', 'libx264',
-                '-preset', 'fast',
-                '-crf', '18',
-                '-pix_fmt', 'yuv420p',
-                output_path
-            ]
-
+            
             import tempfile
             import os
             
             temp_file = tempfile.NamedTemporaryFile(delete=False, suffix='.raw')
             temp_file.close()
             
-            ffmpeg_cmd[ffmpeg_cmd.index('-i') + 1] = temp_file.name
-            self.ffmpeg_process = subprocess.Popen(
-                ffmpeg_cmd, 
-                stderr=subprocess.PIPE,
-                stdout=subprocess.DEVNULL,
-                creationflags=subprocess.CREATE_NO_WINDOW if hasattr(subprocess, 'CREATE_NO_WINDOW') else 0
-            )
-            
+            # Use a simpler, more Windows-compatible FFmpeg command
+            ffmpeg_cmd = [
+                'ffmpeg', '-y',
+                '-f', 'rawvideo',
+                '-s', f'{output_width}x{output_height}',
+                '-pix_fmt', 'bgr24',
+                '-r', str(self.fps),
+                '-i', temp_file.name,
+                '-c:v', 'libx264',
+                '-preset', 'fast',
+                '-crf', '18',
+                '-pix_fmt', 'yuv420p',
+                output_path
+            ]
             self.temp_file_name = temp_file.name
 
             render_cap = cv2.VideoCapture(str(self.video_path))
@@ -1927,11 +1930,27 @@ class VideoEditor:
             
             self.render_progress_queue.put(("progress", "Encoding...", 0.9, 0.0))
 
-            stderr = self.ffmpeg_process.communicate()[1]
-            return_code = self.ffmpeg_process.returncode
-            self.ffmpeg_process = None
+            # Use subprocess.run() with timeout for better Windows reliability
+            result = subprocess.run(
+                ffmpeg_cmd,
+                capture_output=True,
+                text=True,
+                timeout=300,  # 5 minute timeout
+                creationflags=subprocess.CREATE_NO_WINDOW if hasattr(subprocess, 'CREATE_NO_WINDOW') else 0
+            )
             
-            if hasattr(self, 'temp_file_name') and os.path.exists(self.temp_file_name):
+            return_code = result.returncode
+            stdout = result.stdout
+            stderr = result.stderr
+            
+            # Debug output
+            print(f"FFmpeg return code: {return_code}")
+            if stdout:
+                print(f"FFmpeg stdout: {stdout}")
+            if stderr:
+                print(f"FFmpeg stderr: {stderr}")
+            
+            if os.path.exists(self.temp_file_name):
                 try:
                     os.unlink(self.temp_file_name)
                 except OSError:
@@ -1944,7 +1963,7 @@ class VideoEditor:
                 print(f"Successfully rendered {frames_written} frames (avg {avg_fps:.1f} FPS)")
                 return True
             else:
-                error_details = stderr.decode() if stderr else "No error details available"
+                error_details = stderr if stderr else "No error details available"
                 print(f"Encoding failed with return code {return_code}")
                 print(f"Error: {error_details}")
                 self.render_progress_queue.put(("error", f"Encoding failed: {error_details}", 1.0, 0.0))