FFmpeg Master
Comprehensive guide for professional video and audio manipulation using FFmpeg and FFprobe.
Core Concepts
FFmpeg is the leading multimedia framework, able to decode, encode, transcode, mux, demux, stream, filter and play almost anything that humans and machines have created. It is a command-line tool that processes streams through a complex pipeline of demuxers, decoders, filters, encoders, and muxers.
Common Operations
# Basic Transcoding (MP4 to MKV)
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 output.mkv
# Change Video Codec (to H.265/HEVC)
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c:v libx265 -crf 28 -c:a copy output.mp4
# Extract Audio (No Video)
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vn -c:a libmp3lame -q:a 2 output.mp3
# Resize/Scale Video
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vf "scale=1280:720" output.mp4
# Cut Video (Start at 10s, Duration 30s)
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -ss 00:00:10 -t 00:00:30 -c copy output.mp4
# Fast Precise Cut (Re-encoding only the cut points is complex, so standard re-encoding is safer for precision)
ffmpeg -ss 00:00:10 -i input.mp4 -to 00:00:40 -c:v libx264 -crf 23 -c:a aac output.mp4
# Concatenate Files (using demuxer)
# Create filelist.txt: file 'part1.mp4' \n file 'part2.mp4'
ffmpeg -f concat -safe 0 -i filelist.txt -c copy output.mp4
# Speed Up/Slow Down Video (2x speed)
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -filter_complex "[0:v]setpts=0.5*PTS[v];[0:a]atempo=2.0[a]" -map "[v]" -map "[a]" output.mp4
Processing Categories & When to Use
Codecs & Quality
| Option |
Use When |
-c:v libx264 |
Standard H.264 encoding (best compatibility) |
-c:v libx265 |
H.265/HEVC encoding (best compression/quality) |
-crf [0-51] |
Constant Rate Factor (lower is higher quality, 18-28 recommended) |
-preset |
Encoding speed vs compression (ultrafast, medium, veryslow) |
-c:a copy |
Pass-through audio without re-encoding (saves time/quality) |
Filters & Manipulation
| Filter |
Use When |
scale |
Changing resolution (e.g., scale=1920:-1 for 1080p width) |
crop |
Removing edges (e.g., crop=w:h:x:y) |
transpose |
Rotating video (1=90deg CW, 2=90deg CCW) |
fps |
Changing frame rate (e.g., fps=30) |
drawtext |
Adding text overlays/watermarks |
overlay |
Picture-in-picture or adding image watermarks |
fade |
Adding fade-in/out effects (e.g., fade=in:0:30 for first 30 frames) |
volume |
Adjusting audio levels (e.g., volume=1.5 for 150% volume) |
setpts |
Changing video speed (e.g., setpts=0.5*PTS for double speed) |
atempo |
Changing audio speed without pitch shift (0.5 to 2.0) |
Inspection & Metadata
| Tool/Option |
Use When |
ffprobe -v error -show_format -show_streams |
Getting detailed technical info of a file |
-metadata title="Name" |
Setting global metadata tags |
-map |
Selecting specific streams (e.g., -map 0:v:0 -map 0:a:1) |
Advanced: Complex Filtergraphs
Use filter_complex when you need to process multiple inputs or create non-linear filter chains.
# Example: Adding a watermark at the bottom right
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -i watermark.png -filter_complex "overlay=main_w-overlay_w-10:main_h-overlay_h-10" output.mp4
# Example: Vertical Stack (2 videos)
ffmpeg -i top.mp4 -i bottom.mp4 -filter_complex "vstack=inputs=2" output.mp4
# Example: Side-by-Side (2 videos)
ffmpeg -i left.mp4 -i right.mp4 -filter_complex "hstack=inputs=2" output.mp4
# Example: Grid (4 videos 2x2)
ffmpeg -i v1.mp4 -i v2.mp4 -i v3.mp4 -i v4.mp4 -filter_complex "[0:v][1:v]hstack=inputs=2[top];[2:v][3:v]hstack=inputs=2[bottom];[top][bottom]vstack=inputs=2" output.mp4
# Example: Fade Transition (Simple crossfade between two clips)
# Requires manual offset calculation, using xfade is better
ffmpeg -i input1.mp4 -i input2.mp4 -filter_complex "xfade=transition=fade:duration=1:offset=9" output.mp4
Hardware Acceleration
| Platform |
Codec |
Command |
| NVIDIA (NVENC) |
H.264 |
-c:v h264_nvenc |
| Intel (QSV) |
H.264 |
-c:v h264_qsv |
| Apple (VideoToolbox) |
H.265 |
-c:v hevc_videotoolbox |
Constraints & Error Handling
- Stream Mapping: Always use
-map for complex files to ensure you get the right audio/subtitle tracks.
- Seeking: Put
-ss before -i for fast seeking (input seeking), or after -i for accurate seeking (output seeking).
- Format Support: Ensure the output container (extension) supports the codecs you've chosen.
1---2name: ffmpeg-master3description: Use when performing video/audio processing tasks including transcoding, filtering, streaming, metadata manipulation, or complex filtergraph operations with FFmpeg.4---5
6# FFmpeg Master
7
8Comprehensive guide for professional video and audio manipulation using FFmpeg and FFprobe.
9
10## Core Concepts
11
12FFmpeg is the leading multimedia framework, able to **decode, encode, transcode, mux, demux, stream, filter and play** almost anything that humans and machines have created. It is a command-line tool that processes streams through a complex pipeline of demuxers, decoders, filters, encoders, and muxers.
13
14## Common Operations
15
16```bash
17# Basic Transcoding (MP4 to MKV)
18ffmpeg -i input.mp4 output.mkv
19
20# Change Video Codec (to H.265/HEVC)
21ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c:v libx265 -crf 28 -c:a copy output.mp4
22
23# Extract Audio (No Video)
24ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vn -c:a libmp3lame -q:a 2 output.mp3
25
26# Resize/Scale Video
27ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vf "scale=1280:720" output.mp4
28
29# Cut Video (Start at 10s, Duration 30s)
30ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -ss 00:00:10 -t 00:00:30 -c copy output.mp4
31
32# Fast Precise Cut (Re-encoding only the cut points is complex, so standard re-encoding is safer for precision)
33ffmpeg -ss 00:00:10 -i input.mp4 -to 00:00:40 -c:v libx264 -crf 23 -c:a aac output.mp4
34
35# Concatenate Files (using demuxer)
36# Create filelist.txt: file 'part1.mp4' \n file 'part2.mp4'
37ffmpeg -f concat -safe 0 -i filelist.txt -c copy output.mp4
38
39# Speed Up/Slow Down Video (2x speed)
40ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -filter_complex "[0:v]setpts=0.5*PTS[v];[0:a]atempo=2.0[a]" -map "[v]" -map "[a]" output.mp4
41```
42
43---
44
45## Processing Categories & When to Use
46
47### Codecs & Quality
48| Option | Use When |
49|-----------|----------|
50| `-c:v libx264` | Standard H.264 encoding (best compatibility) |
51| `-c:v libx265` | H.265/HEVC encoding (best compression/quality) |
52| `-crf [0-51]` | Constant Rate Factor (lower is higher quality, 18-28 recommended) |
53| `-preset` | Encoding speed vs compression (ultrafast, medium, veryslow) |
54| `-c:a copy` | Pass-through audio without re-encoding (saves time/quality) |
55
56### Filters & Manipulation
57| Filter | Use When |
58|-----------|----------|
59| `scale` | Changing resolution (e.g., `scale=1920:-1` for 1080p width) |
60| `crop` | Removing edges (e.g., `crop=w:h:x:y`) |
61| `transpose` | Rotating video (1=90deg CW, 2=90deg CCW) |
62| `fps` | Changing frame rate (e.g., `fps=30`) |
63| `drawtext` | Adding text overlays/watermarks |
64| `overlay` | Picture-in-picture or adding image watermarks |
65| `fade` | Adding fade-in/out effects (e.g., `fade=in:0:30` for first 30 frames) |
66| `volume` | Adjusting audio levels (e.g., `volume=1.5` for 150% volume) |
67| `setpts` | Changing video speed (e.g., `setpts=0.5*PTS` for double speed) |
68| `atempo` | Changing audio speed without pitch shift (0.5 to 2.0) |
69
70### Inspection & Metadata
71| Tool/Option | Use When |
72|-----------|----------|
73| `ffprobe -v error -show_format -show_streams` | Getting detailed technical info of a file |
74| `-metadata title="Name"` | Setting global metadata tags |
75| `-map` | Selecting specific streams (e.g., `-map 0:v:0 -map 0:a:1`) |
76
77---
78
79## Advanced: Complex Filtergraphs
80
81Use `filter_complex` when you need to process multiple inputs or create non-linear filter chains.
82
83```bash
84# Example: Adding a watermark at the bottom right
85ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -i watermark.png -filter_complex "overlay=main_w-overlay_w-10:main_h-overlay_h-10" output.mp4
86
87# Example: Vertical Stack (2 videos)
88ffmpeg -i top.mp4 -i bottom.mp4 -filter_complex "vstack=inputs=2" output.mp4
89
90# Example: Side-by-Side (2 videos)
91ffmpeg -i left.mp4 -i right.mp4 -filter_complex "hstack=inputs=2" output.mp4
92
93# Example: Grid (4 videos 2x2)
94ffmpeg -i v1.mp4 -i v2.mp4 -i v3.mp4 -i v4.mp4 -filter_complex "[0:v][1:v]hstack=inputs=2[top];[2:v][3:v]hstack=inputs=2[bottom];[top][bottom]vstack=inputs=2" output.mp4
95
96# Example: Fade Transition (Simple crossfade between two clips)
97# Requires manual offset calculation, using xfade is better
98ffmpeg -i input1.mp4 -i input2.mp4 -filter_complex "xfade=transition=fade:duration=1:offset=9" output.mp4
99```
100
101## Hardware Acceleration
102
103| Platform | Codec | Command |
104|----------|-------|---------|
105| NVIDIA (NVENC) | H.264 | `-c:v h264_nvenc` |
106| Intel (QSV) | H.264 | `-c:v h264_qsv` |
107| Apple (VideoToolbox) | H.265 | `-c:v hevc_videotoolbox` |
108
109## Constraints & Error Handling
110
111- **Stream Mapping**: Always use `-map` for complex files to ensure you get the right audio/subtitle tracks.
112- **Seeking**: Put `-ss` *before* `-i` for fast seeking (input seeking), or *after* `-i` for accurate seeking (output seeking).
113- **Format Support**: Ensure the output container (extension) supports the codecs you've chosen.
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