Ffmpeg Shapes Graphics

CRITICAL GUIDELINES

Windows File Path Requirements

MANDATORY: Always Use Backslashes on Windows for File Paths

When using Edit or Write tools on Windows, you MUST use backslashes (\) in file paths, NOT forward slashes (/).

Documentation Guidelines

NEVER create new documentation files unless explicitly requested by the user.

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Quick Reference

When to Use This Skill

Use for graphics and shape overlays:

• Drawing rectangles, boxes, borders
• Adding watermarks and logos
• Lower third graphics
• Progress bars and indicators
• Grid overlays and safe area guides

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FFmpeg Shapes and Graphics (2025)

Complete guide to drawing shapes, graphics overlays, and geometric patterns using FFmpeg.

Shape Drawing Filters

Available Drawing Filters

Drawing Boxes (drawbox)

Basic Rectangle

# Draw red box
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 \
  -vf "drawbox=x=100:y=100:w=200:h=150:color=red:t=3" \
  output.mp4

# Filled rectangle
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 \
  -vf "drawbox=x=100:y=100:w=200:h=150:color=red:t=fill" \
  output.mp4

# Semi-transparent rectangle
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 \
  -vf "drawbox=x=100:y=100:w=200:h=150:color=red@0.5:t=fill" \
  output.mp4

Position Options

# Centered box
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 \
  -vf "drawbox=x=(iw-200)/2:y=(ih-150)/2:w=200:h=150:color=blue:t=fill" \
  output.mp4

# Box at bottom right
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 \
  -vf "drawbox=x=iw-210:y=ih-160:w=200:h=150:color=green:t=3" \
  output.mp4

# Full-width bar at top
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 \
  -vf "drawbox=x=0:y=0:w=iw:h=80:color=black@0.7:t=fill" \
  output.mp4

# Full-width bar at bottom
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 \
  -vf "drawbox=x=0:y=ih-80:w=iw:h=80:color=black@0.7:t=fill" \
  output.mp4

Letterbox/Pillarbox

# Add letterbox bars (16:9 to 2.35:1)
ffmpeg -i video_16x9.mp4 \
  -vf "drawbox=x=0:y=0:w=iw:h=ih*0.12:color=black:t=fill,\
       drawbox=x=0:y=ih-ih*0.12:w=iw:h=ih*0.12:color=black:t=fill" \
  letterbox.mp4

# Add pillarbox bars (4:3 in 16:9 frame)
ffmpeg -i video_4x3.mp4 \
  -vf "scale=-1:1080,pad=1920:1080:(ow-iw)/2:0:black" \
  pillarbox.mp4

Animated Boxes

# Growing box
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 \
  -vf "drawbox=x=100:y=100:w='min(t*50,300)':h='min(t*30,200)':color=red:t=fill" \
  growing_box.mp4

# Moving box
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 \
  -vf "drawbox=x='mod(t*100,iw)':y=100:w=100:h=100:color=blue:t=fill" \
  moving_box.mp4

# Pulsing opacity
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 \
  -vf "drawbox=x=100:y=100:w=200:h=150:color=red@'0.3+0.3*sin(t*3)':t=fill" \
  pulsing_box.mp4

# Box appears at specific time
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 \
  -vf "drawbox=x=100:y=100:w=200:h=150:color=yellow:t=fill:enable='between(t,2,5)'" \
  timed_box.mp4

Multiple Boxes

# Border/frame effect
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 \
  -vf "drawbox=x=0:y=0:w=iw:h=20:color=white:t=fill,\
       drawbox=x=0:y=ih-20:w=iw:h=20:color=white:t=fill,\
       drawbox=x=0:y=0:w=20:h=ih:color=white:t=fill,\
       drawbox=x=iw-20:y=0:w=20:h=ih:color=white:t=fill" \
  bordered.mp4

# Grid of boxes
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 \
  -vf "drawbox=x=0:y=0:w=iw/3:h=ih/3:color=red@0.3:t=fill,\
       drawbox=x=iw/3:y=0:w=iw/3:h=ih/3:color=green@0.3:t=fill,\
       drawbox=x=2*iw/3:y=0:w=iw/3:h=ih/3:color=blue@0.3:t=fill" \
  color_grid.mp4

Drawing Grids (drawgrid)

Basic Grid

# Simple grid overlay
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 \
  -vf "drawgrid=w=100:h=100:t=1:color=white@0.5" \
  grid.mp4

# Rule of thirds grid
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 \
  -vf "drawgrid=w=iw/3:h=ih/3:t=2:color=white@0.7" \
  thirds.mp4

# Fine grid
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 \
  -vf "drawgrid=w=50:h=50:t=1:color=cyan@0.3" \
  fine_grid.mp4

Crosshair/Center Marker

# Center crosshair
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 \
  -vf "drawbox=x=iw/2-1:y=0:w=2:h=ih:color=red:t=fill,\
       drawbox=x=0:y=ih/2-1:w=iw:h=2:color=red:t=fill" \
  crosshair.mp4

# Center circle marker (using multiple points)
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 \
  -vf "drawbox=x=iw/2-5:y=ih/2-5:w=10:h=10:color=red:t=2" \
  center_marker.mp4

Drawing Circles and Ellipses (geq)

Using geq Filter for Circles

# Draw circle outline
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 \
  -vf "geq=lum='if(between(sqrt(pow(X-iw/2,2)+pow(Y-ih/2,2)),100,105),255,lum(X,Y))':cb='cb(X,Y)':cr='cr(X,Y)'" \
  circle_outline.mp4

# Filled circle (white)
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 \
  -filter_complex "\
    color=c=white:s=1920x1080[c];\
    [c]geq=lum='if(lt(sqrt(pow(X-W/2,2)+pow(Y-H/2,2)),200),255,0)':cb=128:cr=128[mask];\
    [0:v][mask]overlay[v]" \
  -map "[v]" \
  filled_circle.mp4

Using Overlay with Circle Images

# More practical: overlay a circle image
# First create circle image
ffmpeg -f lavfi \
  -i "color=c=red:s=200x200" \
  -vf "geq=lum='if(lt(sqrt(pow(X-100,2)+pow(Y-100,2)),100),255,0)':cb=128:cr=128,format=rgba,colorchannelmixer=aa='if(lt(sqrt(pow(X-100,2)+pow(Y-100,2)),100),1,0)'" \
  -frames:v 1 \
  circle.png

# Overlay circle on video
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -i circle.png \
  -filter_complex "[0:v][1:v]overlay=100:100" \
  video_with_circle.mp4

Generate Shape Patterns

# Radial gradient
ffmpeg -f lavfi \
  -i "color=c=black:s=500x500,geq=lum='255*sqrt(pow(X-W/2,2)+pow(Y-H/2,2))/(W/2)':cb=128:cr=128" \
  -frames:v 1 \
  radial_gradient.png

# Checkerboard pattern
ffmpeg -f lavfi \
  -i "color=c=white:s=800x800,geq=lum='if(mod(floor(X/100)+floor(Y/100),2),255,0)':cb=128:cr=128" \
  -frames:v 1 \
  checkerboard.png

# Diagonal stripes
ffmpeg -f lavfi \
  -i "color=c=black:s=800x600,geq=lum='if(mod(X+Y,100)<50,255,0)':cb=128:cr=128" \
  -frames:v 1 \
  stripes.png

Image Overlays

Basic Overlay

# Overlay logo at top-right corner
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -i logo.png \
  -filter_complex "[0:v][1:v]overlay=W-w-10:10" \
  watermarked.mp4

# Overlay at bottom-left
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -i logo.png \
  -filter_complex "[0:v][1:v]overlay=10:H-h-10" \
  watermarked.mp4

# Centered overlay
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -i overlay.png \
  -filter_complex "[0:v][1:v]overlay=(W-w)/2:(H-h)/2" \
  centered.mp4

Overlay with Transparency

# Scale and position logo with transparency
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -i logo.png \
  -filter_complex "\
    [1:v]format=rgba,colorchannelmixer=aa=0.5[logo];\
    [0:v][logo]overlay=W-w-20:H-h-20" \
  watermark_50.mp4

# Fade in logo
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -i logo.png \
  -filter_complex "\
    [1:v]format=rgba,fade=t=in:st=0:d=1:alpha=1[logo];\
    [0:v][logo]overlay=W-w-10:10:enable='gte(t,1)'" \
  fade_logo.mp4

Animated Overlays

# Moving logo across screen
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -i logo.png \
  -filter_complex "\
    [0:v][1:v]overlay=x='mod(t*100,W+w)-w':y=10" \
  scrolling_logo.mp4

# Bouncing logo
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -i logo.png \
  -filter_complex "\
    [0:v][1:v]overlay=x='abs(mod(t*100,2*(W-w))-(W-w))':y='abs(mod(t*80,2*(H-h))-(H-h))'" \
  bouncing_logo.mp4

# Rotating overlay (using rotate filter)
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -i logo.png \
  -filter_complex "\
    [1:v]rotate=t*PI/4:c=none:ow=200:oh=200[rot];\
    [0:v][rot]overlay=(W-200)/2:(H-200)/2" \
  rotating_logo.mp4

Multiple Overlays

# Multiple logos/watermarks
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -i logo1.png -i logo2.png \
  -filter_complex "\
    [0:v][1:v]overlay=10:10[tmp];\
    [tmp][2:v]overlay=W-w-10:10" \
  multi_logo.mp4

# Grid of thumbnails
ffmpeg -i main.mp4 -i thumb1.png -i thumb2.png -i thumb3.png -i thumb4.png \
  -filter_complex "\
    [1:v]scale=200:150[t1];[2:v]scale=200:150[t2];\
    [3:v]scale=200:150[t3];[4:v]scale=200:150[t4];\
    [0:v][t1]overlay=10:10[a];\
    [a][t2]overlay=220:10[b];\
    [b][t3]overlay=10:170[c];\
    [c][t4]overlay=220:170" \
  thumbnail_grid.mp4

Text Graphics (drawtext)

Styled Text

# Text with background box
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 \
  -vf "drawtext=text='LIVE':x=10:y=10:fontsize=36:fontcolor=white:\
       box=1:boxcolor=red:boxborderw=10" \
  live_badge.mp4

# Text with shadow
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 \
  -vf "drawtext=text='Title':x=(w-tw)/2:y=50:fontsize=72:fontcolor=white:\
       shadowcolor=black:shadowx=3:shadowy=3" \
  title.mp4

# Text with outline
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 \
  -vf "drawtext=text='Outlined':x=100:y=100:fontsize=64:fontcolor=yellow:\
       borderw=3:bordercolor=black" \
  outlined.mp4

Lower Thirds

# Professional lower third
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 \
  -vf "drawbox=x=0:y=ih-120:w=400:h=100:color=0x1a1a2e@0.9:t=fill,\
       drawbox=x=0:y=ih-120:w=5:h=100:color=0x00ff88:t=fill,\
       drawtext=text='John Smith':x=20:y=ih-110:fontsize=32:fontcolor=white,\
       drawtext=text='Senior Developer':x=20:y=ih-70:fontsize=24:fontcolor=0xaaaaaa" \
  lower_third.mp4

# Animated lower third (slide in)
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 \
  -vf "drawbox=x='if(lt(t,1),-400+t*400,0)':y=ih-120:w=400:h=100:color=blue@0.8:t=fill:\
       enable='gte(t,0.5)',\
       drawtext=text='Guest Speaker':x='if(lt(t,1.2),-400+t*333,20)':y=ih-100:\
       fontsize=28:fontcolor=white:enable='gte(t,0.7)'" \
  animated_lower.mp4

Timecode Display

# Timecode overlay
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 \
  -vf "drawtext=timecode='00\:00\:00\:00':rate=30:x=10:y=10:\
       fontsize=32:fontcolor=white:box=1:boxcolor=black@0.6" \
  with_timecode.mp4

# Frame counter
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 \
  -vf "drawtext=text='Frame\: %{frame_num}':x=10:y=10:fontsize=24:fontcolor=white:\
       box=1:boxcolor=black@0.5" \
  frame_counter.mp4

Progress Bars and Indicators

Progress Bar

# Horizontal progress bar
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 \
  -vf "drawbox=x=50:y=ih-30:w=iw-100:h=10:color=gray@0.5:t=fill,\
       drawbox=x=50:y=ih-30:w='(iw-100)*t/10':h=10:color=red:t=fill" \
  progress_bar.mp4

# Circular progress (approximate with boxes)
# Note: True circular progress requires more complex expressions

Loading Spinner (Approximation)

# Rotating indicator using drawbox
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 \
  -vf "drawbox=x='iw/2+50*cos(t*3)':y='ih/2+50*sin(t*3)':w=10:h=10:color=white:t=fill" \
  spinner.mp4

Color Correction Overlays

Vignette Effect

# Dark vignette
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 \
  -vf "vignette=PI/4" \
  vignette.mp4

# Custom vignette intensity
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 \
  -vf "vignette=angle=PI/4:mode=backward" \
  soft_vignette.mp4

Color Tint Overlay

# Warm tint using blend
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 \
  -f lavfi -i "color=c=0xFF8800:s=1920x1080" \
  -filter_complex "[0:v][1:v]blend=all_mode=softlight:all_opacity=0.3" \
  warm_tint.mp4

# Cool tint
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 \
  -f lavfi -i "color=c=0x0088FF:s=1920x1080" \
  -filter_complex "[0:v][1:v]blend=all_mode=softlight:all_opacity=0.2" \
  cool_tint.mp4

Blend Modes

Available Blend Modes

Blend Mode Examples

# Multiply blend (darken)
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -i texture.png \
  -filter_complex "[0:v][1:v]blend=all_mode=multiply" \
  multiply.mp4

# Screen blend (lighten)
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -i light_leak.png \
  -filter_complex "[0:v][1:v]blend=all_mode=screen" \
  light_leak.mp4

# Overlay blend
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -i texture.png \
  -filter_complex "[0:v][1:v]blend=all_mode=overlay:all_opacity=0.5" \
  textured.mp4

Safe Areas and Guides

Broadcast Safe Areas

# Title safe (90%) and action safe (80%) guides
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 \
  -vf "drawbox=x=iw*0.05:y=ih*0.05:w=iw*0.9:h=ih*0.9:color=red:t=1,\
       drawbox=x=iw*0.1:y=ih*0.1:w=iw*0.8:h=ih*0.8:color=yellow:t=1" \
  safe_areas.mp4

Aspect Ratio Guides

# 16:9 guide on 4:3 content
ffmpeg -i video_4x3.mp4 \
  -vf "drawbox=x=(iw-iw*0.75)/2:y=0:w=iw*0.75:h=ih:color=green:t=1" \
  aspect_guide.mp4

# 2.35:1 cinematic guide
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 \
  -vf "drawbox=x=0:y=ih*0.12:w=iw:h=ih*0.76:color=red:t=1" \
  cinematic_guide.mp4

Masking

Rectangle Mask

# Blur outside rectangle
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 \
  -filter_complex "\
    [0:v]split[a][b];\
    [a]boxblur=20[blur];\
    [b]crop=400:300:100:100[crop];\
    [blur][crop]overlay=100:100" \
  spotlight.mp4

Using Alpha Mask

# Apply effect only to masked area
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -i mask.png \
  -filter_complex "\
    [0:v]split[a][b];\
    [a]curves=preset=lighter[light];\
    [1:v]format=gray[mask];\
    [light][b][mask]maskedmerge" \
  masked_effect.mp4

Generating Graphics Programmatically

Color Bars and Test Patterns

# SMPTE color bars
ffmpeg -f lavfi -i "smptebars=size=1920x1080:duration=10" \
  -c:v libx264 -pix_fmt yuv420p \
  colorbars.mp4

# Test pattern with grid
ffmpeg -f lavfi -i "testsrc=size=1920x1080:duration=10" \
  -c:v libx264 -pix_fmt yuv420p \
  testpattern.mp4

# Solid color
ffmpeg -f lavfi -i "color=c=red:s=1920x1080:d=5" \
  -c:v libx264 -pix_fmt yuv420p \
  red.mp4

Gradient Backgrounds

# Horizontal gradient
ffmpeg -f lavfi -i "gradients=s=1920x1080:c0=0x000033:c1=0x003366:duration=5" \
  -c:v libx264 -pix_fmt yuv420p \
  gradient.mp4

# Radial gradient (using geq)
ffmpeg -f lavfi \
  -i "color=c=black:s=1920x1080:d=5,geq=lum='255-255*sqrt(pow(X-W/2,2)+pow(Y-H/2,2))/sqrt(pow(W/2,2)+pow(H/2,2))':cb=128:cr=128" \
  -c:v libx264 -pix_fmt yuv420p \
  radial.mp4

Noise and Texture

# Noise overlay
ffmpeg -f lavfi -i "nullsrc=size=1920x1080:duration=5,geq=lum='random(1)*255':cb=128:cr=128" \
  -c:v libx264 -pix_fmt yuv420p \
  noise.mp4

# Film grain effect
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -f lavfi -i "nullsrc=size=1920x1080,geq=lum='random(1)*20+lum(X,Y)':cb=128:cr=128" \
  -filter_complex "[0:v][1:v]blend=all_mode=addition:all_opacity=0.1" \
  grainy.mp4

Performance Tips

Optimize Drawing Operations

# Use enable parameter to limit processing
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 \
  -vf "drawbox=x=100:y=100:w=200:h=150:color=red:t=fill:enable='between(t,5,10)'" \
  optimized.mp4

# Pre-render static graphics
# Instead of complex real-time drawing, overlay pre-made images
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -i prerendered_graphic.png \
  -filter_complex "[0:v][1:v]overlay=10:10" \
  faster.mp4

Hardware Acceleration

# Use hardware encoding for graphics-heavy output
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 \
  -vf "drawbox=x=100:y=100:w=200:h=150:color=red:t=fill" \
  -c:v h264_nvenc -preset fast \
  output.mp4

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

"Expression syntax error"

# Escape special characters properly
# Use single quotes around expression values
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 \
  -vf "drawbox=x='iw/2':y='ih/2':w=100:h=100:color=red:t=fill" \
  output.mp4

Overlay not visible

# Check PNG has alpha channel
ffprobe -v error -select_streams v -show_entries stream=pix_fmt overlay.png

# Convert to RGBA if needed
ffmpeg -i overlay.png -pix_fmt rgba overlay_rgba.png

Text not rendering

# Specify font file explicitly
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 \
  -vf "drawtext=text='Hello':fontfile=/path/to/font.ttf:fontsize=24:fontcolor=white" \
  output.mp4

# List available fonts
fc-list : family | sort | uniq

Performance issues with complex filters

# Reduce filter chain complexity
# Pre-render graphics
# Use lower resolution for preview
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 \
  -vf "scale=640:360,drawbox=..." \
  -preset ultrafast \
  preview.mp4

Best Practices

Design

1. Use transparency (RGBA) for overlays 2. Match overlay resolution to video 3. Use appropriate colors for visibility 4. Test on various backgrounds

Performance

1. Pre-render complex graphics as images 2. Use enable parameter for timed effects 3. Limit filter chain length 4. Use hardware encoding for final output

Accessibility

1. Ensure sufficient contrast for text 2. Avoid flashing/blinking elements 3. Keep important content within safe areas 4. Test at multiple resolutions

This guide covers FFmpeg shape and graphics operations. For subtitle and caption overlays, see the captions-subtitles skill.