Play an image sequence
Play an image sequence directly as moving images, without having to create a video first.
-
ffplay input_file_%06d.ext
+
ffplay -framerate 5 input_file_%06d.ext
- - ffmpeg
- starts the command
+ - ffplay
- starts the command
+ - -framerate 5
- plays image sequence at rate of 5 images per second
+ Note: this low framerate will produce a slideshow effect.
- -i input_file
- path, name and extension of the input file
- This must match the naming convention actually used! The regex %06d matches six digits long numbers, possibly with leading zeroes. This allows to read in ascending order, one image after the other, the full sequence inside one folder. The extension for TIFF files is .tif or maybe .tiff; the extension for DPX files is .dpx (or eventually .cin for old files).
- The showing speed depends on the image’s file size and on the computing power. It is usually too slow, yet you can visualise immediately the moving images without having to recode and remux into a new file.
- You can click into the visualisation window to jump: to the beginning on the left side, to the on the right side, and to every other position proportionally in between.
+ This must match the naming convention used! The regex %06d matches six-digit-long numbers, possibly with leading zeroes. This allows the full sequence to be read in ascending order, one image after the other.
+ The extension for TIFF files is .tif or maybe .tiff; the extension for DPX files is .dpx (or even .cin for old files). Screenshots are often in .png format.
+
Notes:
+
If -framerate
is omitted, the playback speed depends on the image’s file size and on the computer's processing power. It may be rather slow for large image files.
+
You can navigate durationally by clicking within the playback window. Clicking towards the left-hand side of the playback window takes you towards the beginning of the playback sequence; clicking towards the right takes you towards the end of the sequence.