Ffmpeg Toolkit

FFmpeg Toolkit

Comprehensive guide for video and audio processing with ffmpeg.

Overview

This skill provides guidance on using ffmpeg for common video and audio operations. ffmpeg is a powerful command-line tool for processing multimedia files - converting formats, trimming, resizing, extracting audio, creating GIFs, and much more.

Core Principles

Always Use These Flags

• -hide_banner - Suppress ffmpeg version info for cleaner output
• -y - Overwrite output file without asking (for automation)

When to Use -c copy (Stream Copy)

Use -c copy when you want to:

• Preserve original quality (no re-encoding)
• Process quickly (10-100x faster than re-encoding)
• Keep file size similar to source

Limitation: Stream copy cannot change codec, resolution, or apply filters.

When to Re-encode

Re-encode when you need to:

• Change resolution or aspect ratio
• Apply filters (crop, rotate, overlay)
• Change codec (e.g., HEVC to H.264)
• Adjust quality/bitrate
• Frame-accurate trimming

Common Operations

1. Format Conversion

Basic conversion (re-encodes):

ffmpeg -hide_banner -i input.mkv output.mp4

Lossless remux (no re-encoding):

ffmpeg -hide_banner -i input.mkv -c copy output.mp4

Convert to web-optimized MP4:

ffmpeg -hide_banner -i input.mov -c:v libx264 -crf 23 -c:a aac -movflags faststart output.mp4

2. Trimming/Cutting

Fast trim (no re-encoding, may have keyframe issues):

ffmpeg -hide_banner -ss 00:01:30 -i input.mp4 -t 00:00:30 -c copy output.mp4

• -ss 00:01:30 - Start at 1 minute 30 seconds
• -t 00:00:30 - Duration of 30 seconds

Frame-accurate trim (requires re-encoding):

ffmpeg -hide_banner -i input.mp4 -ss 00:01:30 -t 00:00:30 -c:v libx264 -c:a aac output.mp4

Trim to end of file:

ffmpeg -hide_banner -ss 00:05:00 -i input.mp4 -c copy output.mp4

3. Audio Operations

Extract audio to MP3:

ffmpeg -hide_banner -i video.mp4 -vn -c:a libmp3lame -q:a 2 audio.mp3

Extract audio to WAV (lossless):

ffmpeg -hide_banner -i video.mp4 -vn audio.wav

Remove audio from video:

ffmpeg -hide_banner -i input.mp4 -an -c:v copy output.mp4

Add audio to video:

ffmpeg -hide_banner -i video.mp4 -i audio.mp3 -c:v copy -c:a aac -map 0:v -map 1:a output.mp4

Replace audio in video:

ffmpeg -hide_banner -i video.mp4 -i new_audio.mp3 -c:v copy -c:a aac -map 0:v -map 1:a -shortest output.mp4

4. Resizing/Scaling

Scale to specific resolution:

ffmpeg -hide_banner -i input.mp4 -vf "scale=1920:1080" -c:a copy output.mp4

Scale maintaining aspect ratio (width 1280, auto height):

ffmpeg -hide_banner -i input.mp4 -vf "scale=1280:-1" -c:a copy output.mp4

Scale to fit within bounds (won't exceed 1920x1080):

ffmpeg -hide_banner -i input.mp4 -vf "scale='min(1920,iw)':'min(1080,ih)'" -c:a copy output.mp4

5. Compression

Constant Rate Factor (CRF) - Recommended:

ffmpeg -hide_banner -i input.mp4 -c:v libx264 -crf 23 -c:a aac output.mp4

• CRF 18: Visually lossless
• CRF 23: Default, good balance
• CRF 28: Smaller file, lower quality

Target bitrate:

ffmpeg -hide_banner -i input.mp4 -c:v libx264 -b:v 2M -c:a aac -b:a 128k output.mp4

Two-pass encoding (best quality for target size):

ffmpeg -hide_banner -i input.mp4 -c:v libx264 -b:v 2M -pass 1 -f null /dev/null
ffmpeg -hide_banner -i input.mp4 -c:v libx264 -b:v 2M -pass 2 output.mp4

6. Creating GIFs

Basic GIF:

ffmpeg -hide_banner -i input.mp4 -vf "fps=10,scale=480:-1" output.gif

High-quality GIF with palette:

ffmpeg -hide_banner -i input.mp4 -vf "fps=10,scale=480:-1:flags=lanczos,split[s0][s1];[s0]palettegen[p];[s1][p]paletteuse" output.gif

GIF from specific section:

ffmpeg -hide_banner -ss 00:00:05 -t 3 -i input.mp4 -vf "fps=15,scale=320:-1:flags=lanczos" output.gif

7. Combining Videos

Concatenate videos (same codec):

First create a file list (videos.txt):

file 'video1.mp4'
file 'video2.mp4'
file 'video3.mp4'

Then concatenate:

ffmpeg -hide_banner -f concat -safe 0 -i videos.txt -c copy output.mp4

Concatenate with re-encoding (different codecs/resolutions):

ffmpeg -hide_banner -f concat -safe 0 -i videos.txt -c:v libx264 -c:a aac output.mp4

8. Rotation

Rotate 90° clockwise:

ffmpeg -hide_banner -i input.mp4 -vf "transpose=1" output.mp4

Transpose values:

• 0 - 90° counterclockwise + vertical flip
• 1 - 90° clockwise
• 2 - 90° counterclockwise
• 3 - 90° clockwise + vertical flip

Rotate 180°:

ffmpeg -hide_banner -i input.mp4 -vf "transpose=1,transpose=1" output.mp4

9. Cropping

Crop to specific dimensions:

ffmpeg -hide_banner -i input.mp4 -vf "crop=640:480:100:50" output.mp4

Format: crop=width:height:x:y

Crop center square:

ffmpeg -hide_banner -i input.mp4 -vf "crop=min(iw\,ih):min(iw\,ih)" output.mp4

10. Speed Adjustment

Speed up video 2x:

ffmpeg -hide_banner -i input.mp4 -vf "setpts=0.5*PTS" -af "atempo=2.0" output.mp4

Slow down video 0.5x:

ffmpeg -hide_banner -i input.mp4 -vf "setpts=2*PTS" -af "atempo=0.5" output.mp4

Speed up without audio:

ffmpeg -hide_banner -i input.mp4 -vf "setpts=0.5*PTS" -an output.mp4

Advanced Operations

Add Subtitles

Burn subtitles into video:

ffmpeg -hide_banner -i input.mp4 -vf "subtitles=subs.srt" output.mp4

Burn ASS subtitles (styled):

ffmpeg -hide_banner -i input.mp4 -vf "ass=subs.ass" output.mp4

Add Watermark/Overlay

Image overlay (top-right corner):

ffmpeg -hide_banner -i input.mp4 -i logo.png -filter_complex "overlay=W-w-10:10" output.mp4

Extract Frames

Extract all frames:

ffmpeg -hide_banner -i input.mp4 frame_%04d.png

Extract 1 frame per second:

ffmpeg -hide_banner -i input.mp4 -vf "fps=1" frame_%04d.png

Extract single frame at timestamp:

ffmpeg -hide_banner -ss 00:00:10 -i input.mp4 -frames:v 1 thumbnail.png

Create Video from Images

Images to video:

ffmpeg -hide_banner -framerate 30 -i frame_%04d.png -c:v libx264 -pix_fmt yuv420p output.mp4

Change Metadata

Set title:

ffmpeg -hide_banner -i input.mp4 -c copy -metadata title="My Video" output.mp4

Remove all metadata:

ffmpeg -hide_banner -i input.mp4 -c copy -map_metadata -1 output.mp4

Hardware Acceleration (NVIDIA)

Encode with NVENC:

ffmpeg -hide_banner -i input.mp4 -c:v h264_nvenc -preset fast -b:v 5M output.mp4

Decode and encode with GPU:

ffmpeg -hide_banner -hwaccel cuda -i input.mp4 -c:v h264_nvenc output.mp4

Quick Reference

Best Practices

1. Always test on a short clip first before processing large files 2. Use `-c copy` when possible for speed and quality preservation 3. Add `-movflags faststart` for web-optimized MP4s 4. Use CRF for quality-based encoding instead of fixed bitrate 5. Check input info first with ffmpeg -i input.mp4 to understand source 6. Use two-pass encoding when targeting specific file size

Common Pitfalls

• Audio/video sync issues after trim: Use re-encoding instead of -c copy
• Black frames at start: Add -avoid_negative_ts make_zero
• Incompatible codec in container: Check container format supports codec
• GIF too large: Reduce FPS, scale down, or shorten duration

Additional Resources

For detailed command reference, see references/ffmpeg-commands.md.

FFmpeg Command Reference

Detailed reference for ffmpeg flags, options, and advanced usage.

Command Structure

ffmpeg [global_options] {[input_options] -i input} ... {[output_options] output} ...

Global Options

Input Options

Position Notes

• -ss before -i: Fast seek (may be inaccurate)
• -ss after -i: Slow seek (frame-accurate)
• Use seconds or HH:MM:SS.ms format

Output Options

Video Codec Options

Common Video Codecs

Audio Codec Options

Common Audio Codecs

Quality Control

CRF (Constant Rate Factor)

H.264/libx264:

-c:v libx264 -crf 23

• Range: 0-51 (0 = lossless, 51 = worst)
• 18: Visually lossless
• 23: Default
• 28: Low quality, small file

H.265/libx265:

-c:v libx265 -crf 28

• Range: 0-51
• 28: Equivalent to x264 CRF 23

VP9:

-c:v libvpx-vp9 -crf 31 -b:v 0

• Range: 0-63
• 31: Good quality
• Must set -b:v 0 to use CRF mode

Presets (Speed vs Compression)

-preset ultrafast  # Fastest, largest file
-preset superfast
-preset veryfast
-preset faster
-preset fast
-preset medium     # Default
-preset slow
-preset slower
-preset veryslow   # Slowest, smallest file

Bitrate Control

Video Filters (-vf)

Scaling

scale=1920:1080           # Exact size
scale=1280:-1             # Width 1280, auto height
scale=-1:720              # Auto width, height 720
scale=iw/2:ih/2           # Half size
scale='min(1920,iw)':'-1' # Max width 1920

Cropping

crop=640:480:100:50       # width:height:x:y
crop=in_w:in_h-100        # Remove 100px from bottom
crop=iw:ih-100:0:0        # Remove 100px from bottom

Padding

pad=1920:1080:(ow-iw)/2:(oh-ih)/2  # Center in 1920x1080
pad=iw:ih+100:0:50:black          # Add 50px top/bottom

Rotation

transpose=0  # 90° CCW + vertical flip
transpose=1  # 90° clockwise
transpose=2  # 90° counterclockwise
transpose=3  # 90° CW + vertical flip
hflip        # Horizontal flip
vflip        # Vertical flip

Speed/Tempo

setpts=0.5*PTS   # 2x speed (video)
setpts=2*PTS     # 0.5x speed (video)

Color/Effects

eq=brightness=0.1:saturation=1.5    # Adjust brightness/saturation
colorbalance=rs=0.3                  # Color correction
curves=preset=lighter                # Preset curves
hue=h=90                             # Rotate hue

Text Overlay

drawtext=text='Hello':fontsize=24:fontcolor=white:x=10:y=10
drawtext=textfile=text.txt:reload=1:fontsize=24:y=h-th-10

Timestamps

drawtext=text='%{pts\:hms}':fontsize=24:x=10:y=10

Audio Filters (-af)

Volume

volume=2           # Double volume
volume=0.5         # Half volume
volume=10dB        # Increase by 10dB
loudnorm           # Normalize loudness

Speed/Tempo

atempo=2.0         # 2x speed (0.5-2.0 range)
atempo=2.0,atempo=2.0  # 4x speed (chain for >2x)

Fade

afade=t=in:st=0:d=3     # Fade in 3s at start
afade=t=out:st=57:d=3   # Fade out starting at 57s

Channels

pan=mono|c0=0.5*c0+0.5*c1  # Convert to mono
channelsplit                # Split stereo to two mono

Stream Selection (-map)

-map 0        # All streams from first input
-map 0:v      # All video from first input
-map 0:a      # All audio from first input
-map 0:v:0    # First video stream from first input
-map 0:a:1    # Second audio stream from first input
-map 1:a      # All audio from second input

Examples

Replace audio:

ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -i audio.mp3 -map 0:v -map 1:a -c copy output.mp4

Keep video, remove audio:

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -map 0:v -c copy output.mp4

Select specific streams:

ffmpeg -i input.mkv -map 0:v:0 -map 0:a:1 -c copy output.mp4

Concatenation

Concat Demuxer (Same Codec)

Create files.txt:

file 'video1.mp4'
file 'video2.mp4'

ffmpeg -f concat -safe 0 -i files.txt -c copy output.mp4

Concat Filter (Different Codecs)

ffmpeg -i v1.mp4 -i v2.mp4 -filter_complex "[0:v][0:a][1:v][1:a]concat=n=2:v=1:a=1" output.mp4

Hardware Acceleration

NVIDIA (NVENC/NVDEC)

Decode with GPU:

-hwaccel cuda
-hwaccel_output_format cuda

Encode with GPU:

-c:v h264_nvenc
-c:v hevc_nvenc

Full GPU pipeline:

ffmpeg -hwaccel cuda -hwaccel_output_format cuda -i input.mp4 -c:v h264_nvenc output.mp4

Intel QuickSync

-c:v h264_qsv
-c:v hevc_qsv

Apple VideoToolbox

-c:v h264_videotoolbox
-c:v hevc_videotoolbox

Container Formats

Useful Flags

Getting Information

Full info:

ffmpeg -i input.mp4

JSON output:

ffprobe -v quiet -print_format json -show_format -show_streams input.mp4

Duration only:

ffprobe -v error -show_entries format=duration -of default=noprint_wrappers=1:nokey=1 input.mp4

Resolution:

ffprobe -v error -select_streams v:0 -show_entries stream=width,height -of csv=p=0 input.mp4

Common Patterns

Web-Ready MP4

ffmpeg -i input.mov -c:v libx264 -crf 23 -preset medium -c:a aac -b:a 128k -movflags faststart -pix_fmt yuv420p output.mp4

Thumbnail Generation

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -ss 00:00:05 -frames:v 1 -q:v 2 thumbnail.jpg

Preview/Proxy

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vf "scale=640:-1" -c:v libx264 -crf 28 -preset veryfast -c:a aac -b:a 64k proxy.mp4

Audio Normalization

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -af loudnorm -c:v copy output.mp4

Batch Processing

for f in *.mp4; do ffmpeg -i "$f" -c:v libx264 -crf 23 "converted_$f"; done

Error Solutions

Resources

• Official documentation: https://ffmpeg.org/documentation.html
• FFmpeg wiki: https://trac.ffmpeg.org/wiki
• CLI guidelines: https://clig.dev/