ffmprovisr

Making FFmpeg Easier

FFmpeg is a powerful tool for manipulating audiovisual files. Unfortunately, it also has a steep learning curve, especially for users unfamiliar with a command line interface. This app helps users through the command generation process so that more people can reap the benefits of FFmpeg.

Each button displays helpful information about how to perform a wide variety of tasks using FFmpeg. To use this site, click on the task you would like to perform. A new window will open up with a sample command and a description of how that command works. You can copy this command and understand how the command works with a breakdown of each of the flags.

For FFmpeg basics, check out the program's official website.

For Bash and command line basics, try the Command Line Crash Course

What do you want to do?

Select from the following.

Create GIF

Part 1: Create 3 second clip from an existing source file (no audio necessary)

ffmpeg -ss HH:MM:SS -i input -c:v copy -c:a copy -t 3 output

ffmpeg starts the command
-i input file (path, name and extension)
-ss HH:MM:SS starting point of the gift
-t 3 number of seconds after the starting point repeated in the gif (here 3)
output file (path, name and extension)

Part 2: Make the gif

ffmpeg -i input -vf scale=500:-1 -t 10 -r 30 output.gif

ffmpeg starts the command
-vf scale=width:height in pixels (a negative number keeps it in proportion)
-t 10 running time in seconds (here 10)
-r 30 run at 30 fps (frames per second)

WAV to MP3

ffmpeg -i [inputfile.wav] -sample_fmt s16p -ar 44100 [outputfile.mp3]

This will convert your wav files to mp3s.

ffmpeg : starts the command
-i for input
[inputfile.wav] : file you would like to convert to mp3
-sample_fmt s16p: sample format. This will give you 16 bit audio (To see a list of supported sample formats, type: ffmpeg -sample_fmts)
-ar 44100: Sets the audio sampling frequency to 44.1 kHz (CD quality).
[outputfile.mp3] : outputname and format

Create Bash Script named “Rewrap.MXF.sh” to do Batch FFMPEG Processing

for f in *.MXF; do ffmpeg -i "$f" -acodec copy -vcodec copy "${f%.MXF}.mov"; done

Re-wrap .MFX files in a specified directory to .mov files by using this code within a .sh file. The shell script (.sh file) and all MXF files must be contained in the same directory, and the script must be run from the directory itself (cd ~/Desktop/MXF_file_directory). Execute .sh file with the command sh Rewrap-MXF.sh

-acodec copy (copy audio codec)
-vcodec copy (copy video codec)

Modify the ffmpeg script as needed to perform different transcodes :)

Create frame md5s

ffmpeg -i [inputfile.extension] -an -f framemd5 [outputfile.framemd5]

This will create an md5 checksum per frame

ffmpeg: starts the command
-i for input
[inputfile.extension]: the file you want to create framemd5 checksums for
-an: ignores the audio track
-f framemed5: file type
[outputfile.framemd5]: output name and format

Transcode into a deinterlaced Apple ProRes LT

ffmpeg -i input.mov -c:v prores -profile:v 1 -c:a pcm_s16le -vf yadif output.mov

This command transcodes an input file (input.mov) into a deinterlaced Apple ProRes LT .mov file with 16-bit linear PCM encoded audio. The file is deinterlaced using the yadif (Yet Another De-Interlacing Filter) command.

ffmpeg: Calls the program ffmpeg
-i: Tells ffmpeg to expect an input file
[inputfile]: Specifies the name and location of the file you want to transcode into ProRes
-c:v prores: Tells ffmpeg to transcode the video stream into Apple ProRes 422
-profile:v 1: Declares profile of ProRes you want to use. The profiles are explained below:

0 : ProRes422 (Proxy)
1 : ProRes422 (LT)
2 : ProRes422 (Normal)
3 : ProRes422 (HQ)

-c:a pcm_s16le: Tells ffmpeg to encode the audio stream in 16-bit linear PCM
-vf yadif: Runs a deinterlacing video filter (yet another deinterlacing filter) on the new file
[output.mov]: Specifies the name, location, and extension of the new ProRes file

One thumbnail

ffmpeg -i [file path] -ss 00:00:20 -f image2 -vframes 1 thumb.png

This command will grab a thumbnail 20 seconds into the video.

ffmpeg: calls the program
-i for input
-ss 00:00:20: seeks video file to 20 seconds into the video
-f image2: Forces the file format. image2 is an image file demuxer.
-vframes 1: sets the number of frames (in this example, one frame)
thumb.png: output name and format

Many thumbnails

ffmpeg -i {path/inputfile.extension} -f image2 -vf fps=fps=1/60 out%d.png

This will grab a thumbnail every minute and output sequential png files.

ffmpeg: calls the program
-i for input
-ss 00:00:20: seeks video file to 20 seconds into the video
-f image2: Forces the file format. image2 is an image file demuxer
-vf fps=fps=1/60: -vf is an alias for -filter:v, which creates a filtergraph to use for the streams. The rest of the command identifies filtering by frames per second, and sets the frames per second at 1/60 (which is one per minute).
out%d.png: Names the output file. The %d is a regular expression that adds a number (d is for digit) and increments with each frame (out1.png, out2.png, out3.png…)

Generate thumbnails from a video at regular intervals

ffmpeg -i [inputfile] -ss 00:12.235 -i "$f" -vframes 1 [outputfile]

Create one thumbnail in JPEG format from a video file at a specific time. In this example: 0hours:0minutes:12sec.235msec

ffmpeg: Calls the program ffmpeg
-i: for input video file
[inputfile]: Specifies the file that you want to create a thumbnail from
-vframes: Tells ffmpeg to create a still image from file
-ss: Specifies the specific point in input file where the still will be captured
[outputfile]: Specifies the desired name, location, and format of the image

Pull specs from video file

ffprobe -i filename.avi -show_format -show_streams -print_format xml

This command extracts technical metadata from a video file and displays it in xml.

ffmpeg documentation on ffprobe (full list of flags, commands, https://www.ffmpeg.org/ffprobe.html)

ffprobe: calls the program
-i: tells ffprobe to expect input files
-show_format: outputs file container
-show_streams: outputs audio and video codec
-show_data: adds “hexdump” to show_streams command output
-print_format: Set the output printing format (in this example “xml”; other formats are “json” and “flat”)

Join files together

ffmpeg -f concat -i mylist.txt -c copy [output]

This command takes two or more files of the same file type and joins them together to make a single file. All that the program needs is a text file with a list specifying the files that should be joined. However, it only works properly if the files to be combined have the exact same codec and technical specifications. Be careful, ffmpeg may appear to have successfully joined two video files with different codecs, but may only bring over the audio from the second file or have other weird behaviors. Don’t use this command for joining files with different codecs and technical specs and always preview your resulting video file!

ffmpeg documentation on concatenating files (full list of flags, commands, https://trac.ffmpeg.org/wiki/Concatenate)

ffmpeg: calls the program
-f: forces ffmpeg to keep the same file format of the joined files
concat: ffmpeg’s concatenate command. This tells ffmpeg to join the files.
-i: tells ffmpeg to expect input files
mylist.txt: specifies the location of a text file with a list of files to be concatenated. You should create a text file that is formatted as follows:

file [path to file 1]
file [path to file 2]

-c copy: specifies the encoder for the output file by telling ffmpeg to copy the codecs of the original files and use them for the output file
[output]: specifies the filename and location for the output file

Excerpt from beginning

ffmpeg -i [input file] -t 5 -c copy [output]

This command captures a certain portion of a video file, starting from the beginning and continuing for the amount of time (in seconds) specified in the script. This can be used to create a preview file, or to remove unwanted content from the end of the file. To be more specific, use timecode, such as 00:00:05.

ffmpeg: Calls the program ffmpeg
-i: Tells ffmpeg to expect input files
[input file]: Specifies the location of the file you want to capture a clip from
-t 5: Tells ffmpeg to stop copying from the input file after a certain time, and specifies the number of seconds after which to stop copying. In this case, 5 seconds is specified
-c copy: Specifies the encoder for the output file by telling ffmpeg to copy the codecs of the original file and use them for the new output file
[output]: Specifies the filename and location for the new file

Excerpt from middle

ffmpeg -i [input file] -ss 5 -t 5 -c copy [output]

This command captures a certain portion of a video file, starting from a designated point in the file and taking an excerpt as long as the amount of time (in seconds) specified in the script. This can be used to create a preview or clip out a desired segment. To be more specific, use timecode, such as 00:00:05.

ffmpeg: Calls the program ffmpeg
-i: Tells ffmpeg to expect input files
[input file]: Specifies the location of the file you want to capture a clip from
-ss 5: Tells ffmpeg what timecode in the file to look for to start copying, and specifies the number of seconds into the video that ffmpeg should start copying. To be more specific, you can use timecode such as 00:00:05
-t 5: Tells ffmpeg to stop copying from the input file after a certain time, and specifies the number of seconds after which to stop copying. In this case, 5 seconds is specified
-c copy: Specifies the encoder for the output file by telling ffmpeg to copy the codecs of the original file and use them for the new output file
[output]: Specifies the filename and location for the new file

Excerpt to end

ffmpeg -i [input file] -ss 5 -c copy [output]

This command copies a video file starting from a specified time, removing the first few seconds from the output. This can be used to create an excerpt, or remove unwanted content from the beginning of a video file.

ffmpeg: Calls the program ffmpeg
-i: Tells ffmpeg to expect input files
[input file]: Specifies the location of the file you want to capture a clip from
-ss 5: Tells ffmpeg what timecode in the file to look for to start copying, and specifies the number of seconds into the video that ffmpeg should start copying. To be more specific, you can use timecode such as 00:00:05
-t 5: Tells ffmpeg to stop copying from the input file after a certain time, and specifies the number of seconds after which to stop copying. In this case, 5 seconds is specified
-c copy: Specifies the encoder for the output file by telling ffmpeg to copy the codecs of the original file and use them for the new output file
[output]: Specifies the filename and location for the new file

Split audio and video tracks

ffmpeg -i [input file] -map 0:0 [video output file] -map 0:1 [audio output file]

This command splits the original input file into a video and audio stream. The -map command identifies which streams are mapped to which file. To ensure that you’re mapping the right streams to the right file, run ffprobe before writing the script to identify which stream is 0:0, which is 0:1, etc.

ffmpeg: calls the program
-i: tells ffmpeg to expect input file
[input file]: the file you want to split
-map 0:0: tells ffmpeg to grab one of the streams, and identifies the first stream (stream 0:0) to map
[video output file]: desired filename for the video output file
-map 0:1: tells ffmpeg to grab one of the streams, and identifies the second stream (stream 0:1) to map
[audio output file]: desired filename for the audio output file

Transcode to h.264

ffmpeg -i [input file] -c:v libx264 -c:a copy [output file.mp4]

This command takes an input file and transcodes it to h.264 with an .mp4 wrapper, keeping the audio the same codec as the original. The libx264 codec defaults to a “medium” preset for compression quality and a CRF of 23. CRF stands for constant rate factor and determines the quality and file size of the resulting h.264 video. A low CRF means high quality and large file size; a high CRF means the opposite.

ffmpeg: Calls the program ffmpeg
-i: Tells ffmpeg to expect an input file
[input file]: Tells ffmpeg the location of the file you want to process
-c:v libx264: Tells ffmpeg to change the video codec of the file to h264
-c:a copy: tells ffmpeg not to change the audio codec
[output file.mp4]: Specifies the name and location of the new file, including the desired codec extension

In order to use the same basic command to make a higher quality file, you can add some of these presets:

ffmpeg -i [input file] -vcodec libx264 -acodec copy -preset veryslow -crf 18 [output file.mp4]

-preset veryslow: This option tells ffmpeg to use the slowest preset possible for the best compression quality

-crf 18: Specifying a lower CRF will make a larger file with better visual quality

libx264 also defaults to 4:2:2 chroma subsampling. Some versions of Quicktime can't read x264 files in 4:2:2. In order to allow the video to play in all Quicktime players, you can specify 4:2:0 chroma subsampling instead:

ffmpeg -i [input file] -c:v libx264 -pix_fmt yuv420p -c:a copy -preset veryslow -crf 18 [output file.mp4]

-pix_fmt yuv420p: Specifies a pixel format of YUV 4:2:0 to allow the file to play in a standard Quicktime player

H.264 from DCP

ffmpeg -i video.mxf -i audio.mxf -c:v libx264 -pix_fmt yuv420p output.mp4

This will transcode mxf wrapped video and audio files to an h.264 encoded .mp4 file. Please note this only works for non-encrypted DCPs.

ffmpeg: Calls the program ffmpeg
-i: for input video file and audio file
-c:v: transcodes video to h.264
-pix_fmt: sets pixel format to yuv420p
[output.mp4] states out filename and extension

Create ISO files for DVD access

Create an ISO file that can be used to burn a DVD. Please note, you will have to install dvdauthor. To install dvd author using Homebrew run: brew install dvdauthor

ffmpeg -i [inputfile.extension] -aspect 4:3 -target ntsc-dvd [outputfile.mpg]

This command will take any file and create an MPEG file that dvdauthor can use to create an ISO.

ffmpeg: Calls the program ffmpeg
-i: for input video file and audio file
[inputfile.extension]: Specifies the location of the file you that you want to transcode into an MPEG
-aspect 4:3: Declares the aspect ratio of the resulting video file. You can also use 16:9.
-target [DVD region]: Specifies the region for your DVD. This could be ntsc-dvd or pal-dvd outputfile.mpg: Specifies the name and location of your output file

Upscaled, Pillar-boxed HD H.264 Access Files from SD NTSC source

ffmpeg -i [inputfile] -c:v libx264 -pix_fmt yuv420p -filter:v "scale=1440:1080, pad=1920:1080:240:0" -vf yadif [outputfile]

Pad without specifying pad width, just put the input video in the middle of the output: pad=1920:1080:(ow-iw)/2:(oh-ih)/2

ffmpeg: Calls the program ffmpeg
-i: for input video file and audio file
-c:v libx264: encodes video stream with libx264 (h264)
-pix_fmt yuv420p - creates YUV colorspace, progressive scan
-filter:v: calls an option to apply a filter to the video stream. scale=1440:1080, pad=1920:1080:240:0": does the math! resizes the video frame then pads the area around the 4:3 aspect to complete 16:9.
-vf yadif: deinterlaces the file (optional)

➺ ffmprovisr ❥

Making FFmpeg Easier

What do you want to do?

Select from the following.