1 \input texinfo @c -*- texinfo -*-
3 @settitle ffmpeg Documentation
5 @center @titlefont{ffmpeg Documentation}
14 The generic syntax is:
18 ffmpeg [global options] [[infile options][@option{-i} @var{infile}]]... @{[outfile options] @var{outfile}@}...
23 @c man begin DESCRIPTION
25 ffmpeg is a very fast video and audio converter that can also grab from
26 a live audio/video source. It can also convert between arbitrary sample
27 rates and resize video on the fly with a high quality polyphase filter.
29 ffmpeg reads from an arbitrary number of input "files" (which can be regular
30 files, pipes, network streams, grabbing devices, etc.), specified by the
31 @code{-i} option, and writes to an arbitrary number of output "files", which are
32 specified by a plain output filename. Anything found on the command line which
33 cannot be interpreted as an option is considered to be an output filename.
35 Each input or output file can in principle contain any number of streams of
36 different types (video/audio/subtitle/attachment/data). Allowed number and/or
37 types of streams can be limited by the container format. Selecting, which
38 streams from which inputs go into output, is done either automatically or with
39 the @code{-map} option (see the Stream selection chapter).
41 To refer to input files in options, you must use their indices (0-based). E.g.
42 the first input file is @code{0}, the second is @code{1} etc. Similarly, streams
43 within a file are referred to by their indices. E.g. @code{2:3} refers to the
44 fourth stream in the third input file. See also the Stream specifiers chapter.
46 As a general rule, options are applied to the next specified
47 file. Therefore, order is important, and you can have the same
48 option on the command line multiple times. Each occurrence is
49 then applied to the next input or output file.
50 Exceptions from this rule are the global options (e.g. verbosity level),
51 which should be specified first.
53 Do not mix input and output files -- first specify all input files, then all
54 output files. Also do not mix options which belong to different files. All
55 options apply ONLY to the next input or output file and are reset between files.
59 To set the video bitrate of the output file to 64kbit/s:
61 ffmpeg -i input.avi -b:v 64k output.avi
65 To force the frame rate of the output file to 24 fps:
67 ffmpeg -i input.avi -r 24 output.avi
71 To force the frame rate of the input file (valid for raw formats only)
72 to 1 fps and the frame rate of the output file to 24 fps:
74 ffmpeg -r 1 -i input.m2v -r 24 output.avi
78 The format option may be needed for raw input files.
80 @c man end DESCRIPTION
82 @chapter Stream selection
83 @c man begin STREAM SELECTION
85 By default ffmpeg includes only one stream of each type (video, audio, subtitle)
86 present in the input files and adds them to each output file. It picks the
87 "best" of each based upon the following criteria; for video it is the stream
88 with the highest resolution, for audio the stream with the most channels, for
89 subtitle it's the first subtitle stream. In the case where several streams of
90 the same type rate equally, the lowest numbered stream is chosen.
92 You can disable some of those defaults by using @code{-vn/-an/-sn} options. For
93 full manual control, use the @code{-map} option, which disables the defaults just
96 @c man end STREAM SELECTION
101 @include avtools-common-opts.texi
103 @section Main options
107 @item -f @var{fmt} (@emph{input/output})
108 Force input or output file format. The format is normally auto detected for input
109 files and guessed from file extension for output files, so this option is not
110 needed in most cases.
112 @item -i @var{filename} (@emph{input})
115 @item -y (@emph{global})
116 Overwrite output files without asking.
118 @item -n (@emph{global})
119 Do not overwrite output files but exit if file exists.
121 @item -c[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{codec} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
122 @itemx -codec[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{codec} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
123 Select an encoder (when used before an output file) or a decoder (when used
124 before an input file) for one or more streams. @var{codec} is the name of a
125 decoder/encoder or a special value @code{copy} (output only) to indicate that
126 the stream is not to be re-encoded.
130 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map 0 -c:v libx264 -c:a copy OUTPUT
132 encodes all video streams with libx264 and copies all audio streams.
134 For each stream, the last matching @code{c} option is applied, so
136 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map 0 -c copy -c:v:1 libx264 -c:a:137 libvorbis OUTPUT
138 will copy all the streams except the second video, which will be encoded with
139 libx264, and the 138th audio, which will be encoded with libvorbis.
141 @item -t @var{duration} (@emph{output})
142 Stop writing the output after its duration reaches @var{duration}.
143 @var{duration} may be a number in seconds, or in @code{hh:mm:ss[.xxx]} form.
145 @item -fs @var{limit_size} (@emph{output})
146 Set the file size limit, expressed in bytes.
148 @item -ss @var{position} (@emph{input/output})
149 When used as an input option (before @code{-i}), seeks in this input file to
150 @var{position}. When used as an output option (before an output filename),
151 decodes but discards input until the timestamps reach @var{position}. This is
152 slower, but more accurate.
154 @var{position} may be either in seconds or in @code{hh:mm:ss[.xxx]} form.
156 @item -itsoffset @var{offset} (@emph{input})
157 Set the input time offset in seconds.
158 @code{[-]hh:mm:ss[.xxx]} syntax is also supported.
159 The offset is added to the timestamps of the input files.
160 Specifying a positive offset means that the corresponding
161 streams are delayed by @var{offset} seconds.
163 @item -timestamp @var{time} (@emph{output})
164 Set the recording timestamp in the container.
165 The syntax for @var{time} is:
167 now|([(YYYY-MM-DD|YYYYMMDD)[T|t| ]]((HH:MM:SS[.m...])|(HHMMSS[.m...]))[Z|z])
169 If the value is "now" it takes the current time.
170 Time is local time unless 'Z' or 'z' is appended, in which case it is
172 If the year-month-day part is not specified it takes the current
175 @item -metadata[:metadata_specifier] @var{key}=@var{value} (@emph{output,per-metadata})
176 Set a metadata key/value pair.
178 An optional @var{metadata_specifier} may be given to set metadata
179 on streams or chapters. See @code{-map_metadata} documentation for
182 This option overrides metadata set with @code{-map_metadata}. It is
183 also possible to delete metadata by using an empty value.
185 For example, for setting the title in the output file:
187 ffmpeg -i in.avi -metadata title="my title" out.flv
190 To set the language of the first audio stream:
192 ffmpeg -i INPUT -metadata:s:a:1 language=eng OUTPUT
195 @item -target @var{type} (@emph{output})
196 Specify target file type (@code{vcd}, @code{svcd}, @code{dvd}, @code{dv},
197 @code{dv50}). @var{type} may be prefixed with @code{pal-}, @code{ntsc-} or
198 @code{film-} to use the corresponding standard. All the format options
199 (bitrate, codecs, buffer sizes) are then set automatically. You can just type:
202 ffmpeg -i myfile.avi -target vcd /tmp/vcd.mpg
205 Nevertheless you can specify additional options as long as you know
206 they do not conflict with the standard, as in:
209 ffmpeg -i myfile.avi -target vcd -bf 2 /tmp/vcd.mpg
212 @item -dframes @var{number} (@emph{output})
213 Set the number of data frames to record. This is an alias for @code{-frames:d}.
215 @item -frames[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{framecount} (@emph{output,per-stream})
216 Stop writing to the stream after @var{framecount} frames.
218 @item -q[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{q} (@emph{output,per-stream})
219 @itemx -qscale[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{q} (@emph{output,per-stream})
220 Use fixed quality scale (VBR). The meaning of @var{q} is
223 @item -filter[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{filter_graph} (@emph{output,per-stream})
224 @var{filter_graph} is a description of the filter graph to apply to
225 the stream. Use @code{-filters} to show all the available filters
226 (including also sources and sinks).
228 See also the @option{-filter_complex} option if you want to create filter graphs
229 with multiple inputs and/or outputs.
230 @item -pre[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{preset_name} (@emph{output,per-stream})
231 Specify the preset for matching stream(s).
233 @item -stats (@emph{global})
234 Print encoding progress/statistics. On by default.
236 @item -debug_ts (@emph{global})
237 Print timestamp information. It is off by default. This option is
238 mostly useful for testing and debugging purposes, and the output
239 format may change from one version to another, so it should not be
240 employed by portable scripts.
242 See also the option @code{-fdebug ts}.
244 @item -attach @var{filename} (@emph{output})
245 Add an attachment to the output file. This is supported by a few formats
246 like Matroska for e.g. fonts used in rendering subtitles. Attachments
247 are implemented as a specific type of stream, so this option will add
248 a new stream to the file. It is then possible to use per-stream options
249 on this stream in the usual way. Attachment streams created with this
250 option will be created after all the other streams (i.e. those created
251 with @code{-map} or automatic mappings).
253 Note that for Matroska you also have to set the mimetype metadata tag:
255 ffmpeg -i INPUT -attach DejaVuSans.ttf -metadata:s:2 mimetype=application/x-truetype-font out.mkv
257 (assuming that the attachment stream will be third in the output file).
259 @item -dump_attachment[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{filename} (@emph{input,per-stream})
260 Extract the matching attachment stream into a file named @var{filename}. If
261 @var{filename} is empty, then the value of the @code{filename} metadata tag
264 E.g. to extract the first attachment to a file named 'out.ttf':
266 ffmpeg -dump_attachment:t:0 out.ttf INPUT
268 To extract all attachments to files determined by the @code{filename} tag:
270 ffmpeg -dump_attachment:t "" INPUT
273 Technical note -- attachments are implemented as codec extradata, so this
274 option can actually be used to extract extradata from any stream, not just
279 @section Video Options
282 @item -vframes @var{number} (@emph{output})
283 Set the number of video frames to record. This is an alias for @code{-frames:v}.
284 @item -r[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{fps} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
285 Set frame rate (Hz value, fraction or abbreviation), (default = 25). For output
286 streams implies @code{-vsync cfr}.
287 @item -s[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{size} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
288 Set frame size. The format is @samp{wxh} (default - same as source).
289 The following abbreviations are recognized:
351 @item -aspect[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{aspect} (@emph{output,per-stream})
352 Set the video display aspect ratio specified by @var{aspect}.
354 @var{aspect} can be a floating point number string, or a string of the
355 form @var{num}:@var{den}, where @var{num} and @var{den} are the
356 numerator and denominator of the aspect ratio. For example "4:3",
357 "16:9", "1.3333", and "1.7777" are valid argument values.
359 @item -croptop @var{size}
360 @item -cropbottom @var{size}
361 @item -cropleft @var{size}
362 @item -cropright @var{size}
363 All the crop options have been removed. Use -vf
364 crop=width:height:x:y instead.
366 @item -padtop @var{size}
367 @item -padbottom @var{size}
368 @item -padleft @var{size}
369 @item -padright @var{size}
370 @item -padcolor @var{hex_color}
371 All the pad options have been removed. Use -vf
372 pad=width:height:x:y:color instead.
374 @item -vn (@emph{output})
375 Disable video recording.
377 @item -vcodec @var{codec} (@emph{output})
378 Set the video codec. This is an alias for @code{-codec:v}.
380 Use same quantizer as source (implies VBR).
382 Note that this is NOT SAME QUALITY. Do not use this option unless you know you
386 Select the pass number (1 or 2). It is used to do two-pass
387 video encoding. The statistics of the video are recorded in the first
388 pass into a log file (see also the option -passlogfile),
389 and in the second pass that log file is used to generate the video
390 at the exact requested bitrate.
391 On pass 1, you may just deactivate audio and set output to null,
392 examples for Windows and Unix:
394 ffmpeg -i foo.mov -c:v libxvid -pass 1 -an -f rawvideo -y NUL
395 ffmpeg -i foo.mov -c:v libxvid -pass 1 -an -f rawvideo -y /dev/null
398 @item -passlogfile @var{prefix} (@emph{global})
399 Set two-pass log file name prefix to @var{prefix}, the default file name
400 prefix is ``ffmpeg2pass''. The complete file name will be
401 @file{PREFIX-N.log}, where N is a number specific to the output
404 @item -vlang @var{code}
405 Set the ISO 639 language code (3 letters) of the current video stream.
407 @item -vf @var{filter_graph} (@emph{output})
408 @var{filter_graph} is a description of the filter graph to apply to
410 Use the option "-filters" to show all the available filters (including
411 also sources and sinks). This is an alias for @code{-filter:v}.
415 @section Advanced Video Options
418 @item -pix_fmt[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{format} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
419 Set pixel format. Use @code{-pix_fmts} to show all the supported
421 @item -sws_flags @var{flags} (@emph{input/output})
426 @item -rc_override[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{override} (@emph{output,per-stream})
427 Rate control override for specific intervals, formatted as "int,int,int"
428 list separated with slashes. Two first values are the beginning and
429 end frame numbers, last one is quantizer to use if positive, or quality
433 Deinterlace pictures.
434 This option is deprecated since the deinterlacing is very low quality.
435 Use the yadif filter with @code{-filter:v yadif}.
437 Force interlacing support in encoder (MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 only).
438 Use this option if your input file is interlaced and you want
439 to keep the interlaced format for minimum losses.
440 The alternative is to deinterlace the input stream with
441 @option{-deinterlace}, but deinterlacing introduces losses.
443 Calculate PSNR of compressed frames.
445 Dump video coding statistics to @file{vstats_HHMMSS.log}.
446 @item -vstats_file @var{file}
447 Dump video coding statistics to @var{file}.
448 @item -top[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{n} (@emph{output,per-stream})
449 top=1/bottom=0/auto=-1 field first
450 @item -dc @var{precision}
452 @item -vtag @var{fourcc/tag} (@emph{output})
453 Force video tag/fourcc. This is an alias for @code{-tag:v}.
454 @item -qphist (@emph{global})
456 @item -vbsf @var{bitstream_filter}
458 @item -force_key_frames[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{time}[,@var{time}...] (@emph{output,per-stream})
459 Force key frames at the specified timestamps, more precisely at the first
460 frames after each specified time.
461 This option can be useful to ensure that a seek point is present at a
462 chapter mark or any other designated place in the output file.
463 The timestamps must be specified in ascending order.
465 @item -copyinkf[:@var{stream_specifier}] (@emph{output,per-stream})
466 When doing stream copy, copy also non-key frames found at the
470 @section Audio Options
473 @item -aframes @var{number} (@emph{output})
474 Set the number of audio frames to record. This is an alias for @code{-frames:a}.
475 @item -ar[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{freq} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
476 Set the audio sampling frequency. For output streams it is set by
477 default to the frequency of the corresponding input stream. For input
478 streams this option only makes sense for audio grabbing devices and raw
479 demuxers and is mapped to the corresponding demuxer options.
480 @item -aq @var{q} (@emph{output})
481 Set the audio quality (codec-specific, VBR). This is an alias for -q:a.
482 @item -ac[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{channels} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
483 Set the number of audio channels. For output streams it is set by
484 default to the number of input audio channels. For input streams
485 this option only makes sense for audio grabbing devices and raw demuxers
486 and is mapped to the corresponding demuxer options.
487 @item -an (@emph{output})
488 Disable audio recording.
489 @item -acodec @var{codec} (@emph{input/output})
490 Set the audio codec. This is an alias for @code{-codec:a}.
491 @item -sample_fmt[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{sample_fmt} (@emph{output,per-stream})
492 Set the audio sample format. Use @code{-sample_fmts} to get a list
493 of supported sample formats.
496 @section Advanced Audio options:
499 @item -atag @var{fourcc/tag} (@emph{output})
500 Force audio tag/fourcc. This is an alias for @code{-tag:a}.
501 @item -absf @var{bitstream_filter}
505 @section Subtitle options:
508 @item -slang @var{code}
509 Set the ISO 639 language code (3 letters) of the current subtitle stream.
510 @item -scodec @var{codec} (@emph{input/output})
511 Set the subtitle codec. This is an alias for @code{-codec:s}.
512 @item -sn (@emph{output})
513 Disable subtitle recording.
514 @item -sbsf @var{bitstream_filter}
518 @section Audio/Video grab options
521 @item -isync (@emph{global})
522 Synchronize read on input.
525 @section Advanced options
528 @item -map [-]@var{input_file_id}[:@var{stream_specifier}][,@var{sync_file_id}[:@var{stream_specifier}]] | @var{[linklabel]} (@emph{output})
530 Designate one or more input streams as a source for the output file. Each input
531 stream is identified by the input file index @var{input_file_id} and
532 the input stream index @var{input_stream_id} within the input
533 file. Both indices start at 0. If specified,
534 @var{sync_file_id}:@var{stream_specifier} sets which input stream
535 is used as a presentation sync reference.
537 The first @code{-map} option on the command line specifies the
538 source for output stream 0, the second @code{-map} option specifies
539 the source for output stream 1, etc.
541 A @code{-} character before the stream identifier creates a "negative" mapping.
542 It disables matching streams from already created mappings.
544 An alternative @var{[linklabel]} form will map outputs from complex filter
545 graphs (see the @option{-filter_complex} option) to the output file.
546 @var{linklabel} must correspond to a defined output link label in the graph.
548 For example, to map ALL streams from the first input file to output
550 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map 0 output
553 For example, if you have two audio streams in the first input file,
554 these streams are identified by "0:0" and "0:1". You can use
555 @code{-map} to select which streams to place in an output file. For
558 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map 0:1 out.wav
560 will map the input stream in @file{INPUT} identified by "0:1" to
561 the (single) output stream in @file{out.wav}.
563 For example, to select the stream with index 2 from input file
564 @file{a.mov} (specified by the identifier "0:2"), and stream with
565 index 6 from input @file{b.mov} (specified by the identifier "1:6"),
566 and copy them to the output file @file{out.mov}:
568 ffmpeg -i a.mov -i b.mov -c copy -map 0:2 -map 1:6 out.mov
571 To select all video and the third audio stream from an input file:
573 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map 0:v -map 0:a:2 OUTPUT
576 To map all the streams except the second audio, use negative mappings
578 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map 0 -map -0:a:1 OUTPUT
581 Note that using this option disables the default mappings for this output file.
583 @item -map_channel [@var{input_file_id}.@var{stream_specifier}.@var{channel_id}|-1][:@var{output_file_id}.@var{stream_specifier}]
584 Map an audio channel from a given input to an output. If
585 @var{output_file_id}.@var{stream_specifier} is not set, the audio channel will
586 be mapped on all the audio streams.
588 Using "-1" instead of
589 @var{input_file_id}.@var{stream_specifier}.@var{channel_id} will map a muted
592 For example, assuming @var{INPUT} is a stereo audio file, you can switch the
593 two audio channels with the following command:
595 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map_channel 0.0.1 -map_channel 0.0.0 OUTPUT
598 If you want to mute the first channel and keep the second:
600 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map_channel -1 -map_channel 0.0.1 OUTPUT
603 The order of the "-map_channel" option specifies the order of the channels in
604 the output stream. The output channel layout is guessed from the number of
605 channels mapped (mono if one "-map_channel", stereo if two, etc.). Using "-ac"
606 in combination of "-map_channel" makes the channel gain levels to be updated if
607 input and output channel layouts don't match (for instance two "-map_channel"
608 options and "-ac 6").
610 You can also extract each channel of an input to specific outputs; the following
611 command extracts two channels of the @var{INPUT} audio stream (file 0, stream 0)
612 to the respective @var{OUTPUT_CH0} and @var{OUTPUT_CH1} outputs:
614 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map_channel 0.0.0 OUTPUT_CH0 -map_channel 0.0.1 OUTPUT_CH1
617 The following example splits the channels of a stereo input into two separate
618 streams, which are put into the same output file:
620 ffmpeg -i stereo.wav -map 0:0 -map 0:0 -map_channel 0.0.0:0.0 -map_channel 0.0.1:0.1 -y out.ogg
623 Note that currently each output stream can only contain channels from a single
624 input stream; you can't for example use "-map_channel" to pick multiple input
625 audio channels contained in different streams (from the same or different files)
626 and merge them into a single output stream. It is therefore not currently
627 possible, for example, to turn two separate mono streams into a single stereo
628 stream. However splitting a stereo stream into two single channel mono streams
631 If you need this feature, a possible workaround is to use the @emph{amerge}
632 filter. For example, if you need to merge a media (here @file{input.mkv}) with 2
633 mono audio streams into one single stereo channel audio stream (and keep the
634 video stream), you can use the following command:
636 ffmpeg -i input.mkv -f lavfi -i "
637 amovie=input.mkv:si=1 [a1];
638 amovie=input.mkv:si=2 [a2];
639 [a1][a2] amerge" -c:a pcm_s16le -c:v copy output.mkv
642 @item -map_metadata[:@var{metadata_spec_out}] @var{infile}[:@var{metadata_spec_in}] (@emph{output,per-metadata})
643 Set metadata information of the next output file from @var{infile}. Note that
644 those are file indices (zero-based), not filenames.
645 Optional @var{metadata_spec_in/out} parameters specify, which metadata to copy.
646 A metadata specifier can have the following forms:
649 global metadata, i.e. metadata that applies to the whole file
651 @item @var{s}[:@var{stream_spec}]
652 per-stream metadata. @var{stream_spec} is a stream specifier as described
653 in the @ref{Stream specifiers} chapter. In an input metadata specifier, the first
654 matching stream is copied from. In an output metadata specifier, all matching
655 streams are copied to.
657 @item @var{c}:@var{chapter_index}
658 per-chapter metadata. @var{chapter_index} is the zero-based chapter index.
660 @item @var{p}:@var{program_index}
661 per-program metadata. @var{program_index} is the zero-based program index.
663 If metadata specifier is omitted, it defaults to global.
665 By default, global metadata is copied from the first input file,
666 per-stream and per-chapter metadata is copied along with streams/chapters. These
667 default mappings are disabled by creating any mapping of the relevant type. A negative
668 file index can be used to create a dummy mapping that just disables automatic copying.
670 For example to copy metadata from the first stream of the input file to global metadata
673 ffmpeg -i in.ogg -map_metadata 0:s:0 out.mp3
676 To do the reverse, i.e. copy global metadata to all audio streams:
678 ffmpeg -i in.mkv -map_metadata:s:a 0:g out.mkv
680 Note that simple @code{0} would work as well in this example, since global
681 metadata is assumed by default.
683 @item -map_chapters @var{input_file_index} (@emph{output})
684 Copy chapters from input file with index @var{input_file_index} to the next
685 output file. If no chapter mapping is specified, then chapters are copied from
686 the first input file with at least one chapter. Use a negative file index to
687 disable any chapter copying.
688 @item -debug @var{category}
689 Print specific debug info.
690 @var{category} is a number or a string containing one of the following values:
694 picture buffer allocations
702 memory management control operations (H.264)
709 per-block quantization parameter (QP)
717 visualize block types
719 visualize quantization parameter (QP), lower QP are tinted greener
721 @item -benchmark (@emph{global})
722 Show benchmarking information at the end of an encode.
723 Shows CPU time used and maximum memory consumption.
724 Maximum memory consumption is not supported on all systems,
725 it will usually display as 0 if not supported.
726 @item -benchmark_all (@emph{global})
727 Show benchmarking information during the encode.
728 Shows CPU time used in various steps (audio/video encode/decode).
729 @item -timelimit @var{duration} (@emph{global})
730 Exit after ffmpeg has been running for @var{duration} seconds.
731 @item -dump (@emph{global})
732 Dump each input packet to stderr.
733 @item -hex (@emph{global})
734 When dumping packets, also dump the payload.
735 @item -re (@emph{input})
736 Read input at native frame rate. Mainly used to simulate a grab device.
738 Loop over the input stream. Currently it works only for image
739 streams. This option is used for automatic FFserver testing.
740 This option is deprecated, use -loop 1.
741 @item -loop_output @var{number_of_times}
742 Repeatedly loop output for formats that support looping such as animated GIF
743 (0 will loop the output infinitely).
744 This option is deprecated, use -loop.
745 @item -vsync @var{parameter}
747 For compatibility reasons old values can be specified as numbers.
748 Newly added values will have to be specified as strings always.
752 Each frame is passed with its timestamp from the demuxer to the muxer.
754 Frames will be duplicated and dropped to achieve exactly the requested
757 Frames are passed through with their timestamp or dropped so as to
758 prevent 2 frames from having the same timestamp.
760 As passthrough but destroys all timestamps, making the muxer generate
761 fresh timestamps based on frame-rate.
763 Chooses between 1 and 2 depending on muxer capabilities. This is the
767 With -map you can select from which stream the timestamps should be
768 taken. You can leave either video or audio unchanged and sync the
769 remaining stream(s) to the unchanged one.
771 @item -async @var{samples_per_second}
772 Audio sync method. "Stretches/squeezes" the audio stream to match the timestamps,
773 the parameter is the maximum samples per second by which the audio is changed.
774 -async 1 is a special case where only the start of the audio stream is corrected
775 without any later correction.
777 Copy timestamps from input to output.
778 @item -copytb @var{mode}
779 Specify how to set the encoder timebase when stream copying. @var{mode} is an
780 integer numeric value, and can assume one of the following values:
784 Use the demuxer timebase.
786 The time base is copied to the output encoder from the corresponding input
787 demuxer. This is sometimes required to avoid non monotonically increasing
788 timestamps when copying video streams with variable frame rate.
791 Use the decoder timebase.
793 The time base is copied to the output encoder from the corresponding input
797 Try to make the choice automatically, in order to generate a sane output.
803 Finish encoding when the shortest input stream ends.
804 @item -dts_delta_threshold
805 Timestamp discontinuity delta threshold.
806 @item -muxdelay @var{seconds} (@emph{input})
807 Set the maximum demux-decode delay.
808 @item -muxpreload @var{seconds} (@emph{input})
809 Set the initial demux-decode delay.
810 @item -streamid @var{output-stream-index}:@var{new-value} (@emph{output})
811 Assign a new stream-id value to an output stream. This option should be
812 specified prior to the output filename to which it applies.
813 For the situation where multiple output files exist, a streamid
814 may be reassigned to a different value.
816 For example, to set the stream 0 PID to 33 and the stream 1 PID to 36 for
817 an output mpegts file:
819 ffmpeg -i infile -streamid 0:33 -streamid 1:36 out.ts
822 @item -bsf[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{bitstream_filters} (@emph{output,per-stream})
823 Set bitstream filters for matching streams. @var{bistream_filters} is
824 a comma-separated list of bitstream filters. Use the @code{-bsfs} option
825 to get the list of bitstream filters.
827 ffmpeg -i h264.mp4 -c:v copy -bsf:v h264_mp4toannexb -an out.h264
830 ffmpeg -i file.mov -an -vn -bsf:s mov2textsub -c:s copy -f rawvideo sub.txt
833 @item -tag[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{codec_tag} (@emph{per-stream})
834 Force a tag/fourcc for matching streams.
836 @item -timecode @var{hh}:@var{mm}:@var{ss}SEP@var{ff}
837 Specify Timecode for writing. @var{SEP} is ':' for non drop timecode and ';'
840 ffmpeg -i input.mpg -timecode 01:02:03.04 -r 30000/1001 -s ntsc output.mpg
843 @item -filter_complex @var{filtergraph} (@emph{global})
844 Define a complex filter graph, i.e. one with arbitrary number of inputs and/or
845 outputs. For simple graphs -- those with one input and one output of the same
846 type -- see the @option{-filter} options. @var{filtergraph} is a description of
847 the filter graph, as described in @ref{Filtergraph syntax}.
849 Input link labels must refer to input streams using the
850 @code{[file_index:stream_specifier]} syntax (i.e. the same as @option{-map}
851 uses). If @var{stream_specifier} matches multiple streams, the first one will be
852 used. An unlabeled input will be connected to the first unused input stream of
855 Output link labels are referred to with @option{-map}. Unlabeled outputs are
856 added to the first output file.
858 For example, to overlay an image over video
860 ffmpeg -i video.mkv -i image.png -filter_complex '[0:v][1:v]overlay[out]' -map
863 Here @code{[0:v]} refers to the first video stream in the first input file,
864 which is linked to the first (main) input of the overlay filter. Similarly the
865 first video stream in the second input is linked to the second (overlay) input
868 Assuming there is only one video stream in each input file, we can omit input
869 labels, so the above is equivalent to
871 ffmpeg -i video.mkv -i image.png -filter_complex 'overlay[out]' -map
875 Furthermore we can omit the output label and the single output from the filter
876 graph will be added to the output file automatically, so we can simply write
878 ffmpeg -i video.mkv -i image.png -filter_complex 'overlay' out.mkv
882 @section Preset files
883 A preset file contains a sequence of @var{option}=@var{value} pairs,
884 one for each line, specifying a sequence of options which would be
885 awkward to specify on the command line. Lines starting with the hash
886 ('#') character are ignored and are used to provide comments. Check
887 the @file{presets} directory in the FFmpeg source tree for examples.
889 Preset files are specified with the @code{vpre}, @code{apre},
890 @code{spre}, and @code{fpre} options. The @code{fpre} option takes the
891 filename of the preset instead of a preset name as input and can be
892 used for any kind of codec. For the @code{vpre}, @code{apre}, and
893 @code{spre} options, the options specified in a preset file are
894 applied to the currently selected codec of the same type as the preset
897 The argument passed to the @code{vpre}, @code{apre}, and @code{spre}
898 preset options identifies the preset file to use according to the
901 First ffmpeg searches for a file named @var{arg}.ffpreset in the
902 directories @file{$FFMPEG_DATADIR} (if set), and @file{$HOME/.ffmpeg}, and in
903 the datadir defined at configuration time (usually @file{PREFIX/share/ffmpeg})
904 or in a @file{ffpresets} folder along the executable on win32,
905 in that order. For example, if the argument is @code{libx264-max}, it will
906 search for the file @file{libx264-max.ffpreset}.
908 If no such file is found, then ffmpeg will search for a file named
909 @var{codec_name}-@var{arg}.ffpreset in the above-mentioned
910 directories, where @var{codec_name} is the name of the codec to which
911 the preset file options will be applied. For example, if you select
912 the video codec with @code{-vcodec libx264} and use @code{-vpre max},
913 then it will search for the file @file{libx264-max.ffpreset}.
921 For streaming at very low bitrate application, use a low frame rate
922 and a small GOP size. This is especially true for RealVideo where
923 the Linux player does not seem to be very fast, so it can miss
924 frames. An example is:
927 ffmpeg -g 3 -r 3 -t 10 -b:v 50k -s qcif -f rv10 /tmp/b.rm
931 The parameter 'q' which is displayed while encoding is the current
932 quantizer. The value 1 indicates that a very good quality could
933 be achieved. The value 31 indicates the worst quality. If q=31 appears
934 too often, it means that the encoder cannot compress enough to meet
935 your bitrate. You must either increase the bitrate, decrease the
936 frame rate or decrease the frame size.
939 If your computer is not fast enough, you can speed up the
940 compression at the expense of the compression ratio. You can use
941 '-me zero' to speed up motion estimation, and '-intra' to disable
942 motion estimation completely (you have only I-frames, which means it
943 is about as good as JPEG compression).
946 To have very low audio bitrates, reduce the sampling frequency
947 (down to 22050 Hz for MPEG audio, 22050 or 11025 for AC-3).
950 To have a constant quality (but a variable bitrate), use the option
951 '-qscale n' when 'n' is between 1 (excellent quality) and 31 (worst
958 @c man begin EXAMPLES
960 @section Preset files
962 A preset file contains a sequence of @var{option=value} pairs, one for
963 each line, specifying a sequence of options which can be specified also on
964 the command line. Lines starting with the hash ('#') character are ignored and
965 are used to provide comments. Empty lines are also ignored. Check the
966 @file{presets} directory in the FFmpeg source tree for examples.
968 Preset files are specified with the @code{pre} option, this option takes a
969 preset name as input. FFmpeg searches for a file named @var{preset_name}.avpreset in
970 the directories @file{$AVCONV_DATADIR} (if set), and @file{$HOME/.ffmpeg}, and in
971 the data directory defined at configuration time (usually @file{$PREFIX/share/ffmpeg})
972 in that order. For example, if the argument is @code{libx264-max}, it will
973 search for the file @file{libx264-max.avpreset}.
975 @section Video and Audio grabbing
977 If you specify the input format and device then ffmpeg can grab video
981 ffmpeg -f oss -i /dev/dsp -f video4linux2 -i /dev/video0 /tmp/out.mpg
984 Or with an ALSA audio source (mono input, card id 1) instead of OSS:
986 ffmpeg -f alsa -ac 1 -i hw:1 -f video4linux2 -i /dev/video0 /tmp/out.mpg
989 Note that you must activate the right video source and channel before
990 launching ffmpeg with any TV viewer such as
991 @uref{http://linux.bytesex.org/xawtv/, xawtv} by Gerd Knorr. You also
992 have to set the audio recording levels correctly with a
995 @section X11 grabbing
997 Grab the X11 display with ffmpeg via
1000 ffmpeg -f x11grab -s cif -r 25 -i :0.0 /tmp/out.mpg
1003 0.0 is display.screen number of your X11 server, same as
1004 the DISPLAY environment variable.
1007 ffmpeg -f x11grab -s cif -r 25 -i :0.0+10,20 /tmp/out.mpg
1010 0.0 is display.screen number of your X11 server, same as the DISPLAY environment
1011 variable. 10 is the x-offset and 20 the y-offset for the grabbing.
1013 @section Video and Audio file format conversion
1015 Any supported file format and protocol can serve as input to ffmpeg:
1020 You can use YUV files as input:
1023 ffmpeg -i /tmp/test%d.Y /tmp/out.mpg
1026 It will use the files:
1028 /tmp/test0.Y, /tmp/test0.U, /tmp/test0.V,
1029 /tmp/test1.Y, /tmp/test1.U, /tmp/test1.V, etc...
1032 The Y files use twice the resolution of the U and V files. They are
1033 raw files, without header. They can be generated by all decent video
1034 decoders. You must specify the size of the image with the @option{-s} option
1035 if ffmpeg cannot guess it.
1038 You can input from a raw YUV420P file:
1041 ffmpeg -i /tmp/test.yuv /tmp/out.avi
1044 test.yuv is a file containing raw YUV planar data. Each frame is composed
1045 of the Y plane followed by the U and V planes at half vertical and
1046 horizontal resolution.
1049 You can output to a raw YUV420P file:
1052 ffmpeg -i mydivx.avi hugefile.yuv
1056 You can set several input files and output files:
1059 ffmpeg -i /tmp/a.wav -s 640x480 -i /tmp/a.yuv /tmp/a.mpg
1062 Converts the audio file a.wav and the raw YUV video file a.yuv
1066 You can also do audio and video conversions at the same time:
1069 ffmpeg -i /tmp/a.wav -ar 22050 /tmp/a.mp2
1072 Converts a.wav to MPEG audio at 22050 Hz sample rate.
1075 You can encode to several formats at the same time and define a
1076 mapping from input stream to output streams:
1079 ffmpeg -i /tmp/a.wav -map 0:a -b:a 64k /tmp/a.mp2 -map 0:a -b:a 128k /tmp/b.mp2
1082 Converts a.wav to a.mp2 at 64 kbits and to b.mp2 at 128 kbits. '-map
1083 file:index' specifies which input stream is used for each output
1084 stream, in the order of the definition of output streams.
1087 You can transcode decrypted VOBs:
1090 ffmpeg -i snatch_1.vob -f avi -c:v mpeg4 -b:v 800k -g 300 -bf 2 -c:a libmp3lame -b:a 128k snatch.avi
1093 This is a typical DVD ripping example; the input is a VOB file, the
1094 output an AVI file with MPEG-4 video and MP3 audio. Note that in this
1095 command we use B-frames so the MPEG-4 stream is DivX5 compatible, and
1096 GOP size is 300 which means one intra frame every 10 seconds for 29.97fps
1097 input video. Furthermore, the audio stream is MP3-encoded so you need
1098 to enable LAME support by passing @code{--enable-libmp3lame} to configure.
1099 The mapping is particularly useful for DVD transcoding
1100 to get the desired audio language.
1102 NOTE: To see the supported input formats, use @code{ffmpeg -formats}.
1105 You can extract images from a video, or create a video from many images:
1107 For extracting images from a video:
1109 ffmpeg -i foo.avi -r 1 -s WxH -f image2 foo-%03d.jpeg
1112 This will extract one video frame per second from the video and will
1113 output them in files named @file{foo-001.jpeg}, @file{foo-002.jpeg},
1114 etc. Images will be rescaled to fit the new WxH values.
1116 If you want to extract just a limited number of frames, you can use the
1117 above command in combination with the -vframes or -t option, or in
1118 combination with -ss to start extracting from a certain point in time.
1120 For creating a video from many images:
1122 ffmpeg -f image2 -i foo-%03d.jpeg -r 12 -s WxH foo.avi
1125 The syntax @code{foo-%03d.jpeg} specifies to use a decimal number
1126 composed of three digits padded with zeroes to express the sequence
1127 number. It is the same syntax supported by the C printf function, but
1128 only formats accepting a normal integer are suitable.
1130 When importing an image sequence, -i also supports expanding shell-like
1131 wildcard patterns (globbing) internally. To lower the chance of interfering
1132 with your actual file names and the shell's glob expansion, you are required
1133 to activate glob meta characters by prefixing them with a single @code{%}
1134 character, like in @code{foo-%*.jpeg}, @code{foo-%?%?%?.jpeg} or
1135 @code{foo-00%[234%]%*.jpeg}.
1136 If your filename actually contains a character sequence of a @code{%} character
1137 followed by a glob character, you must double the @code{%} character to escape
1138 it. Imagine your files begin with @code{%?-foo-}, then you could use a glob
1139 pattern like @code{%%?-foo-%*.jpeg}. For input patterns that could be both a
1140 printf or a glob pattern, ffmpeg will assume it is a glob pattern.
1143 You can put many streams of the same type in the output:
1146 ffmpeg -i test1.avi -i test2.avi -map 0.3 -map 0.2 -map 0.1 -map 0.0 -c copy test12.nut
1149 The resulting output file @file{test12.avi} will contain first four streams from
1150 the input file in reverse order.
1153 To force CBR video output:
1155 ffmpeg -i myfile.avi -b 4000k -minrate 4000k -maxrate 4000k -bufsize 1835k out.m2v
1159 The four options lmin, lmax, mblmin and mblmax use 'lambda' units,
1160 but you may use the QP2LAMBDA constant to easily convert from 'q' units:
1162 ffmpeg -i src.ext -lmax 21*QP2LAMBDA dst.ext
1169 @include decoders.texi
1170 @include encoders.texi
1171 @include demuxers.texi
1172 @include muxers.texi
1173 @include indevs.texi
1174 @include outdevs.texi
1175 @include protocols.texi
1176 @include bitstream_filters.texi
1177 @include filters.texi
1178 @include metadata.texi
1183 @settitle ffmpeg video converter
1185 @c man begin SEEALSO
1186 ffplay(1), ffprobe(1), ffserver(1) and the FFmpeg HTML documentation
1189 @c man begin AUTHORS