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 commandline 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.
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...]]])|(HH[MM[SS[.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 second stream:
192 ffmpeg -i INPUT -metadata:s: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).
227 @item -pre[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{preset_name} (@emph{output,per-stream})
228 Specify the preset for matching stream(s).
230 @item -stats (@emph{global})
231 Print encoding progress/statistics. On by default.
233 @item -attach @var{filename} (@emph{output})
234 Add an attachment to the output file. This is supported by a few formats
235 like Matroska for e.g. fonts used in rendering subtitles. Attachments
236 are implemented as a specific type of stream, so this option will add
237 a new stream to the file. It is then possible to use per-stream options
238 on this stream in the usual way. Attachment streams created with this
239 option will be created after all the other streams (i.e. those created
240 with @code{-map} or automatic mappings).
242 Note that for Matroska you also have to set the mimetype metadata tag:
244 ffmpeg -i INPUT -attach DejaVuSans.ttf -metadata:s:2 mimetype=application/x-truetype-font out.mkv
246 (assuming that the attachment stream will be third in the output file).
248 @item -dump_attachment[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{filename} (@emph{input,per-stream})
249 Extract the matching attachment stream into a file named @var{filename}. If
250 @var{filename} is empty, then the value of the @code{filename} metadata tag
253 E.g. to extract the first attachment to a file named 'out.ttf':
255 ffmpeg -dump_attachment:t:0 out.ttf INPUT
257 To extract all attachments to files determined by the @code{filename} tag:
259 ffmpeg -dump_attachment:t "" INPUT
262 Technical note -- attachments are implemented as codec extradata, so this
263 option can actually be used to extract extradata from any stream, not just
268 @section Video Options
271 @item -vframes @var{number} (@emph{output})
272 Set the number of video frames to record. This is an alias for @code{-frames:v}.
273 @item -r[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{fps} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
274 Set frame rate (Hz value, fraction or abbreviation), (default = 25).
275 @item -s[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{size} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
276 Set frame size. The format is @samp{wxh} (default - same as source).
277 The following abbreviations are recognized:
339 @item -aspect[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{aspect} (@emph{output,per-stream})
340 Set the video display aspect ratio specified by @var{aspect}.
342 @var{aspect} can be a floating point number string, or a string of the
343 form @var{num}:@var{den}, where @var{num} and @var{den} are the
344 numerator and denominator of the aspect ratio. For example "4:3",
345 "16:9", "1.3333", and "1.7777" are valid argument values.
347 @item -croptop @var{size}
348 @item -cropbottom @var{size}
349 @item -cropleft @var{size}
350 @item -cropright @var{size}
351 All the crop options have been removed. Use -vf
352 crop=width:height:x:y instead.
354 @item -padtop @var{size}
355 @item -padbottom @var{size}
356 @item -padleft @var{size}
357 @item -padright @var{size}
358 @item -padcolor @var{hex_color}
359 All the pad options have been removed. Use -vf
360 pad=width:height:x:y:color instead.
362 @item -vn (@emph{output})
363 Disable video recording.
364 @item -bt @var{tolerance}
365 Set video bitrate tolerance (in bits, default 4000k).
366 Has a minimum value of: (target_bitrate/target_framerate).
367 In 1-pass mode, bitrate tolerance specifies how far ratecontrol is
368 willing to deviate from the target average bitrate value. This is
369 not related to min/max bitrate. Lowering tolerance too much has
370 an adverse effect on quality.
371 @item -maxrate @var{bitrate}
372 Set max video bitrate (in bit/s).
373 Requires -bufsize to be set.
374 @item -minrate @var{bitrate}
375 Set min video bitrate (in bit/s).
376 Most useful in setting up a CBR encode:
378 ffmpeg -i myfile.avi -b:v 4000k -minrate 4000k -maxrate 4000k -bufsize 1835k out.m2v
380 It is of little use elsewise.
381 @item -bufsize @var{size}
382 Set video buffer verifier buffer size (in bits).
383 @item -vcodec @var{codec} (@emph{output})
384 Set the video codec. This is an alias for @code{-codec:v}.
386 Use same quantizer as source (implies VBR).
388 Note that this is NOT SAME QUALITY. Do not use this option unless you know you
392 Select the pass number (1 or 2). It is used to do two-pass
393 video encoding. The statistics of the video are recorded in the first
394 pass into a log file (see also the option -passlogfile),
395 and in the second pass that log file is used to generate the video
396 at the exact requested bitrate.
397 On pass 1, you may just deactivate audio and set output to null,
398 examples for Windows and Unix:
400 ffmpeg -i foo.mov -c:v libxvid -pass 1 -an -f rawvideo -y NUL
401 ffmpeg -i foo.mov -c:v libxvid -pass 1 -an -f rawvideo -y /dev/null
404 @item -passlogfile @var{prefix} (@emph{global})
405 Set two-pass log file name prefix to @var{prefix}, the default file name
406 prefix is ``ffmpeg2pass''. The complete file name will be
407 @file{PREFIX-N.log}, where N is a number specific to the output
410 @item -vlang @var{code}
411 Set the ISO 639 language code (3 letters) of the current video stream.
413 @item -vf @var{filter_graph} (@emph{output})
414 @var{filter_graph} is a description of the filter graph to apply to
416 Use the option "-filters" to show all the available filters (including
417 also sources and sinks). This is an alias for @code{-filter:v}.
421 @section Advanced Video Options
424 @item -pix_fmt[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{format} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
425 Set pixel format. Use @code{-pix_fmts} to show all the supported
427 @item -sws_flags @var{flags} (@emph{input/output})
429 @item -g @var{gop_size}
430 Set the group of pictures size.
436 minimum video quantizer scale (VBR)
438 maximum video quantizer scale (VBR)
440 maximum difference between the quantizer scales (VBR)
441 @item -qblur @var{blur}
442 video quantizer scale blur (VBR) (range 0.0 - 1.0)
443 @item -qcomp @var{compression}
444 video quantizer scale compression (VBR) (default 0.5).
445 Constant of ratecontrol equation. Recommended range for default rc_eq: 0.0-1.0
447 @item -lmin @var{lambda}
448 minimum video lagrange factor (VBR)
449 @item -lmax @var{lambda}
450 max video lagrange factor (VBR)
451 @item -mblmin @var{lambda}
452 minimum macroblock quantizer scale (VBR)
453 @item -mblmax @var{lambda}
454 maximum macroblock quantizer scale (VBR)
456 These four options (lmin, lmax, mblmin, mblmax) use 'lambda' units,
457 but you may use the QP2LAMBDA constant to easily convert from 'q' units:
459 ffmpeg -i src.ext -lmax 21*QP2LAMBDA dst.ext
462 @item -rc_init_cplx @var{complexity}
463 initial complexity for single pass encoding
464 @item -b_qfactor @var{factor}
465 qp factor between P- and B-frames
466 @item -i_qfactor @var{factor}
467 qp factor between P- and I-frames
468 @item -b_qoffset @var{offset}
469 qp offset between P- and B-frames
470 @item -i_qoffset @var{offset}
471 qp offset between P- and I-frames
472 @item -rc_eq @var{equation}
473 Set rate control equation (see section "Expression Evaluation")
474 (default = @code{tex^qComp}).
476 When computing the rate control equation expression, besides the
477 standard functions defined in the section "Expression Evaluation", the
478 following functions are available:
484 and the following constants are available:
506 @item -rc_override[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{override} (@emph{output,per-stream})
507 Rate control override for specific intervals, formatted as "int,int,int"
508 list separated with slashes. Two first values are the beginning and
509 end frame numbers, last one is quantizer to use if positive, or quality
511 @item -me_method @var{method}
512 Set motion estimation method to @var{method}.
513 Available methods are (from lowest to best quality):
516 Try just the (0, 0) vector.
525 exhaustive search (slow and marginally better than epzs)
528 @item -dct_algo @var{algo}
529 Set DCT algorithm to @var{algo}. Available values are:
532 FF_DCT_AUTO (default)
545 @item -idct_algo @var{algo}
546 Set IDCT algorithm to @var{algo}. Available values are:
549 FF_IDCT_AUTO (default)
573 Set error resilience to @var{n}.
576 FF_ER_CAREFUL (default)
582 FF_ER_VERY_AGGRESSIVE
585 @item -ec @var{bit_mask}
586 Set error concealment to @var{bit_mask}. @var{bit_mask} is a bit mask of
587 the following values:
590 FF_EC_GUESS_MVS (default = enabled)
592 FF_EC_DEBLOCK (default = enabled)
595 @item -bf @var{frames}
596 Use 'frames' B-frames (supported for MPEG-1, MPEG-2 and MPEG-4).
597 @item -mbd @var{mode}
601 FF_MB_DECISION_SIMPLE: Use mb_cmp (cannot change it yet in ffmpeg).
603 FF_MB_DECISION_BITS: Choose the one which needs the fewest bits.
605 FF_MB_DECISION_RD: rate distortion
609 Use four motion vector by macroblock (MPEG-4 only).
611 Use data partitioning (MPEG-4 only).
612 @item -bug @var{param}
613 Work around encoder bugs that are not auto-detected.
614 @item -strict @var{strictness}
615 How strictly to follow the standards.
617 Enable Advanced intra coding (h263+).
619 Enable Unlimited Motion Vector (h263+)
622 Deinterlace pictures.
624 Force interlacing support in encoder (MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 only).
625 Use this option if your input file is interlaced and you want
626 to keep the interlaced format for minimum losses.
627 The alternative is to deinterlace the input stream with
628 @option{-deinterlace}, but deinterlacing introduces losses.
630 Calculate PSNR of compressed frames.
632 Dump video coding statistics to @file{vstats_HHMMSS.log}.
633 @item -vstats_file @var{file}
634 Dump video coding statistics to @var{file}.
635 @item -top[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{n} (@emph{output,per-stream})
636 top=1/bottom=0/auto=-1 field first
637 @item -dc @var{precision}
639 @item -vtag @var{fourcc/tag} (@emph{output})
640 Force video tag/fourcc. This is an alias for @code{-tag:v}.
641 @item -qphist (@emph{global})
643 @item -vbsf @var{bitstream_filter}
645 @item -force_key_frames[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{time}[,@var{time}...] (@emph{output,per-stream})
646 Force key frames at the specified timestamps, more precisely at the first
647 frames after each specified time.
648 This option can be useful to ensure that a seek point is present at a
649 chapter mark or any other designated place in the output file.
650 The timestamps must be specified in ascending order.
652 @item -copyinkf[:@var{stream_specifier}] (@emph{output,per-stream})
653 When doing stream copy, copy also non-key frames found at the
657 @section Audio Options
660 @item -aframes @var{number} (@emph{output})
661 Set the number of audio frames to record. This is an alias for @code{-frames:a}.
662 @item -ar[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{freq} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
663 Set the audio sampling frequency. For output streams it is set by
664 default to the frequency of the corresponding input stream. For input
665 streams this option only makes sense for audio grabbing devices and raw
666 demuxers and is mapped to the corresponding demuxer options.
667 @item -aq @var{q} (@emph{output})
668 Set the audio quality (codec-specific, VBR). This is an alias for -q:a.
669 @item -ac[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{channels} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
670 Set the number of audio channels. For output streams it is set by
671 default to the number of input audio channels. For input streams
672 this option only makes sense for audio grabbing devices and raw demuxers
673 and is mapped to the corresponding demuxer options.
674 @item -an (@emph{output})
675 Disable audio recording.
676 @item -acodec @var{codec} (@emph{input/output})
677 Set the audio codec. This is an alias for @code{-codec:a}.
678 @item -sample_fmt[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{sample_fmt} (@emph{output,per-stream})
679 Set the audio sample format. Use @code{-sample_fmts} to get a list
680 of supported sample formats.
683 @section Advanced Audio options:
686 @item -atag @var{fourcc/tag} (@emph{output})
687 Force audio tag/fourcc. This is an alias for @code{-tag:a}.
688 @item -audio_service_type @var{type}
689 Set the type of service that the audio stream contains.
692 Main Audio Service (default)
710 @item -absf @var{bitstream_filter}
714 @section Subtitle options:
717 @item -slang @var{code}
718 Set the ISO 639 language code (3 letters) of the current subtitle stream.
719 @item -scodec @var{codec} (@emph{input/output})
720 Set the subtitle codec. This is an alias for @code{-codec:s}.
721 @item -sn (@emph{output})
722 Disable subtitle recording.
723 @item -sbsf @var{bitstream_filter}
727 @section Audio/Video grab options
730 @item -isync (@emph{global})
731 Synchronize read on input.
734 @section Advanced options
737 @item -map [-]@var{input_file_id}[:@var{stream_specifier}][,@var{sync_file_id}[:@var{stream_specifier}]] (@emph{output})
739 Designate one or more input streams as a source for the output file. Each input
740 stream is identified by the input file index @var{input_file_id} and
741 the input stream index @var{input_stream_id} within the input
742 file. Both indices start at 0. If specified,
743 @var{sync_file_id}:@var{stream_specifier} sets which input stream
744 is used as a presentation sync reference.
746 The first @code{-map} option on the command line specifies the
747 source for output stream 0, the second @code{-map} option specifies
748 the source for output stream 1, etc.
750 A @code{-} character before the stream identifier creates a "negative" mapping.
751 It disables matching streams from already created mappings.
753 For example, to map ALL streams from the first input file to output
755 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map 0 output
758 For example, if you have two audio streams in the first input file,
759 these streams are identified by "0:0" and "0:1". You can use
760 @code{-map} to select which streams to place in an output file. For
763 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map 0:1 out.wav
765 will map the input stream in @file{INPUT} identified by "0:1" to
766 the (single) output stream in @file{out.wav}.
768 For example, to select the stream with index 2 from input file
769 @file{a.mov} (specified by the identifier "0:2"), and stream with
770 index 6 from input @file{b.mov} (specified by the identifier "1:6"),
771 and copy them to the output file @file{out.mov}:
773 ffmpeg -i a.mov -i b.mov -c copy -map 0:2 -map 1:6 out.mov
776 To select all video and the third audio stream from an input file:
778 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map 0:v -map 0:a:2 OUTPUT
781 To map all the streams except the second audio, use negative mappings
783 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map 0 -map -0:a:1 OUTPUT
786 Note that using this option disables the default mappings for this output file.
788 @item -map_channel [@var{input_file_id}.@var{stream_specifier}.@var{channel_id}|-1][:@var{output_file_id}.@var{stream_specifier}]
789 Map an audio channel from a given input to an output. If
790 @var{output_file_id}.@var{stream_specifier} are not set, the audio channel will
791 be mapped on all the audio streams.
793 Using "-1" instead of
794 @var{input_file_id}.@var{stream_specifier}.@var{channel_id} will map a muted
797 For example, assuming @var{INPUT} is a stereo audio file, you can switch the
798 two audio channels with the following command:
800 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map_channel 0.0.1 -map_channel 0.0.0 OUTPUT
803 If you want to mute the first channel and keep the second:
805 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map_channel -1 -map_channel 0.0.1 OUTPUT
808 The order of the "-map_channel" option specifies the order of the channels in
809 the output stream. The output channel layout is guessed from the number of
810 channels mapped (mono if one "-map_channel", stereo if two, etc.). Using "-ac"
811 in combination of "-map_channel" makes the channel gain levels to be updated if
812 channel layouts don't match (for instance two "-map_channel" options and "-ac
815 You can also extract each channel of an @var{INPUT} to specific outputs; the
816 following command extract each channel of the audio stream (file 0, stream 0)
817 to the respective @var{OUTPUT_CH0} and @var{OUTPUT_CH1}:
819 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map_channel 0.0.0 OUTPUT_CH0 -map_channel 0.0.1 OUTPUT_CH1
822 The following example split the channels of a stereo input into streams:
825 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
828 Note that currently each output stream can only contain channels from a single
829 input stream; you can't for example use "-map_channel" to pick multiple input
830 audio channels contained in different streams (from the same or different files)
831 and merge them into a single output stream. It is therefore not currently
832 possible, for example, to turn two separate mono streams into a single stereo
833 stream. However spliting a stereo stream into two single channel mono streams
836 @item -map_metadata[:@var{metadata_type}][:@var{index}] @var{infile}[:@var{metadata_type}][:@var{index}] (@emph{output,per-metadata})
837 Set metadata information of the next output file from @var{infile}. Note that
838 those are file indices (zero-based), not filenames.
839 Optional @var{metadata_type} parameters specify, which metadata to copy - (g)lobal
840 (i.e. metadata that applies to the whole file), per-(s)tream, per-(c)hapter or
841 per-(p)rogram. All metadata specifiers other than global must be followed by the
842 stream/chapter/program index. If metadata specifier is omitted, it defaults to
845 By default, global metadata is copied from the first input file,
846 per-stream and per-chapter metadata is copied along with streams/chapters. These
847 default mappings are disabled by creating any mapping of the relevant type. A negative
848 file index can be used to create a dummy mapping that just disables automatic copying.
850 For example to copy metadata from the first stream of the input file to global metadata
853 ffmpeg -i in.ogg -map_metadata 0:s:0 out.mp3
855 @item -map_chapters @var{input_file_index} (@emph{output})
856 Copy chapters from input file with index @var{input_file_index} to the next
857 output file. If no chapter mapping is specified, then chapters are copied from
858 the first input file with at least one chapter. Use a negative file index to
859 disable any chapter copying.
860 @item -debug @var{category}
861 Print specific debug info.
862 @var{category} is a number or a string containing one of the following values:
866 picture buffer allocations
874 memory management control operations (H.264)
881 per-block quantization parameter (QP)
889 visualize block types
891 visualize quantization parameter (QP), lower QP are tinted greener
893 @item -benchmark (@emph{global})
894 Show benchmarking information at the end of an encode.
895 Shows CPU time used and maximum memory consumption.
896 Maximum memory consumption is not supported on all systems,
897 it will usually display as 0 if not supported.
898 @item -timelimit @var{duration} (@emph{global})
899 Exit after ffmpeg has been running for @var{duration} seconds.
900 @item -dump (@emph{global})
901 Dump each input packet to stderr.
902 @item -hex (@emph{global})
903 When dumping packets, also dump the payload.
905 Set RTP payload size in bytes.
906 @item -re (@emph{input})
907 Read input at native frame rate. Mainly used to simulate a grab device.
909 Loop over the input stream. Currently it works only for image
910 streams. This option is used for automatic FFserver testing.
911 This option is deprecated, use -loop 1.
912 @item -loop_output @var{number_of_times}
913 Repeatedly loop output for formats that support looping such as animated GIF
914 (0 will loop the output infinitely).
915 This option is deprecated, use -loop.
916 @item -threads @var{count}
918 @item -vsync @var{parameter}
923 Each frame is passed with its timestamp from the demuxer to the muxer.
925 Frames will be duplicated and dropped to achieve exactly the requested
928 Frames are passed through with their timestamp or dropped so as to
929 prevent 2 frames from having the same timestamp.
931 Chooses between 1 and 2 depending on muxer capabilities. This is the
935 With -map you can select from which stream the timestamps should be
936 taken. You can leave either video or audio unchanged and sync the
937 remaining stream(s) to the unchanged one.
939 @item -async @var{samples_per_second}
940 Audio sync method. "Stretches/squeezes" the audio stream to match the timestamps,
941 the parameter is the maximum samples per second by which the audio is changed.
942 -async 1 is a special case where only the start of the audio stream is corrected
943 without any later correction.
945 Copy timestamps from input to output.
947 Copy input stream time base from input to output when stream copying.
949 Finish encoding when the shortest input stream ends.
950 @item -dts_delta_threshold
951 Timestamp discontinuity delta threshold.
952 @item -muxdelay @var{seconds} (@emph{input})
953 Set the maximum demux-decode delay.
954 @item -muxpreload @var{seconds} (@emph{input})
955 Set the initial demux-decode delay.
956 @item -streamid @var{output-stream-index}:@var{new-value} (@emph{output})
957 Assign a new stream-id value to an output stream. This option should be
958 specified prior to the output filename to which it applies.
959 For the situation where multiple output files exist, a streamid
960 may be reassigned to a different value.
962 For example, to set the stream 0 PID to 33 and the stream 1 PID to 36 for
963 an output mpegts file:
965 ffmpeg -i infile -streamid 0:33 -streamid 1:36 out.ts
968 @item -bsf[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{bitstream_filters} (@emph{output,per-stream})
969 Set bitstream filters for matching streams. @var{bistream_filters} is
970 a comma-separated list of bitstream filters. Use the @code{-bsfs} option
971 to get the list of bitstream filters.
973 ffmpeg -i h264.mp4 -c:v copy -vbsf h264_mp4toannexb -an out.h264
976 ffmpeg -i file.mov -an -vn -sbsf mov2textsub -c:s copy -f rawvideo sub.txt
979 @item -tag[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{codec_tag} (@emph{per-stream})
980 Force a tag/fourcc for matching streams.
983 @section Preset files
984 A preset file contains a sequence of @var{option}=@var{value} pairs,
985 one for each line, specifying a sequence of options which would be
986 awkward to specify on the command line. Lines starting with the hash
987 ('#') character are ignored and are used to provide comments. Check
988 the @file{presets} directory in the FFmpeg source tree for examples.
990 Preset files are specified with the @code{vpre}, @code{apre},
991 @code{spre}, and @code{fpre} options. The @code{fpre} option takes the
992 filename of the preset instead of a preset name as input and can be
993 used for any kind of codec. For the @code{vpre}, @code{apre}, and
994 @code{spre} options, the options specified in a preset file are
995 applied to the currently selected codec of the same type as the preset
998 The argument passed to the @code{vpre}, @code{apre}, and @code{spre}
999 preset options identifies the preset file to use according to the
1002 First ffmpeg searches for a file named @var{arg}.ffpreset in the
1003 directories @file{$FFMPEG_DATADIR} (if set), and @file{$HOME/.ffmpeg}, and in
1004 the datadir defined at configuration time (usually @file{PREFIX/share/ffmpeg})
1005 or in a @file{ffpresets} folder along the executable on win32,
1006 in that order. For example, if the argument is @code{libx264-max}, it will
1007 search for the file @file{libx264-max.ffpreset}.
1009 If no such file is found, then ffmpeg will search for a file named
1010 @var{codec_name}-@var{arg}.ffpreset in the above-mentioned
1011 directories, where @var{codec_name} is the name of the codec to which
1012 the preset file options will be applied. For example, if you select
1013 the video codec with @code{-vcodec libx264} and use @code{-vpre max},
1014 then it will search for the file @file{libx264-max.ffpreset}.
1022 For streaming at very low bitrate application, use a low frame rate
1023 and a small GOP size. This is especially true for RealVideo where
1024 the Linux player does not seem to be very fast, so it can miss
1025 frames. An example is:
1028 ffmpeg -g 3 -r 3 -t 10 -b:v 50k -s qcif -f rv10 /tmp/b.rm
1032 The parameter 'q' which is displayed while encoding is the current
1033 quantizer. The value 1 indicates that a very good quality could
1034 be achieved. The value 31 indicates the worst quality. If q=31 appears
1035 too often, it means that the encoder cannot compress enough to meet
1036 your bitrate. You must either increase the bitrate, decrease the
1037 frame rate or decrease the frame size.
1040 If your computer is not fast enough, you can speed up the
1041 compression at the expense of the compression ratio. You can use
1042 '-me zero' to speed up motion estimation, and '-intra' to disable
1043 motion estimation completely (you have only I-frames, which means it
1044 is about as good as JPEG compression).
1047 To have very low audio bitrates, reduce the sampling frequency
1048 (down to 22050 Hz for MPEG audio, 22050 or 11025 for AC-3).
1051 To have a constant quality (but a variable bitrate), use the option
1052 '-qscale n' when 'n' is between 1 (excellent quality) and 31 (worst
1059 @c man begin EXAMPLES
1061 @section Preset files
1063 A preset file contains a sequence of @var{option=value} pairs, one for
1064 each line, specifying a sequence of options which can be specified also on
1065 the command line. Lines starting with the hash ('#') character are ignored and
1066 are used to provide comments. Empty lines are also ignored. Check the
1067 @file{presets} directory in the FFmpeg source tree for examples.
1069 Preset files are specified with the @code{pre} option, this option takes a
1070 preset name as input. FFmpeg searches for a file named @var{preset_name}.avpreset in
1071 the directories @file{$AVCONV_DATADIR} (if set), and @file{$HOME/.ffmpeg}, and in
1072 the data directory defined at configuration time (usually @file{$PREFIX/share/ffmpeg})
1073 in that order. For example, if the argument is @code{libx264-max}, it will
1074 search for the file @file{libx264-max.avpreset}.
1076 @section Video and Audio grabbing
1078 If you specify the input format and device then ffmpeg can grab video
1082 ffmpeg -f oss -i /dev/dsp -f video4linux2 -i /dev/video0 /tmp/out.mpg
1085 Or with an ALSA audio source (mono input, card id 1) instead of OSS:
1087 ffmpeg -f alsa -ac 1 -i hw:1 -f video4linux2 -i /dev/video0 /tmp/out.mpg
1090 Note that you must activate the right video source and channel before
1091 launching ffmpeg with any TV viewer such as
1092 @uref{http://linux.bytesex.org/xawtv/, xawtv} by Gerd Knorr. You also
1093 have to set the audio recording levels correctly with a
1096 @section X11 grabbing
1098 Grab the X11 display with ffmpeg via
1101 ffmpeg -f x11grab -s cif -r 25 -i :0.0 /tmp/out.mpg
1104 0.0 is display.screen number of your X11 server, same as
1105 the DISPLAY environment variable.
1108 ffmpeg -f x11grab -s cif -r 25 -i :0.0+10,20 /tmp/out.mpg
1111 0.0 is display.screen number of your X11 server, same as the DISPLAY environment
1112 variable. 10 is the x-offset and 20 the y-offset for the grabbing.
1114 @section Video and Audio file format conversion
1116 Any supported file format and protocol can serve as input to ffmpeg:
1121 You can use YUV files as input:
1124 ffmpeg -i /tmp/test%d.Y /tmp/out.mpg
1127 It will use the files:
1129 /tmp/test0.Y, /tmp/test0.U, /tmp/test0.V,
1130 /tmp/test1.Y, /tmp/test1.U, /tmp/test1.V, etc...
1133 The Y files use twice the resolution of the U and V files. They are
1134 raw files, without header. They can be generated by all decent video
1135 decoders. You must specify the size of the image with the @option{-s} option
1136 if ffmpeg cannot guess it.
1139 You can input from a raw YUV420P file:
1142 ffmpeg -i /tmp/test.yuv /tmp/out.avi
1145 test.yuv is a file containing raw YUV planar data. Each frame is composed
1146 of the Y plane followed by the U and V planes at half vertical and
1147 horizontal resolution.
1150 You can output to a raw YUV420P file:
1153 ffmpeg -i mydivx.avi hugefile.yuv
1157 You can set several input files and output files:
1160 ffmpeg -i /tmp/a.wav -s 640x480 -i /tmp/a.yuv /tmp/a.mpg
1163 Converts the audio file a.wav and the raw YUV video file a.yuv
1167 You can also do audio and video conversions at the same time:
1170 ffmpeg -i /tmp/a.wav -ar 22050 /tmp/a.mp2
1173 Converts a.wav to MPEG audio at 22050 Hz sample rate.
1176 You can encode to several formats at the same time and define a
1177 mapping from input stream to output streams:
1180 ffmpeg -i /tmp/a.wav -map 0:a -b:a 64k /tmp/a.mp2 -map 0:a -b:a 128k /tmp/b.mp2
1183 Converts a.wav to a.mp2 at 64 kbits and to b.mp2 at 128 kbits. '-map
1184 file:index' specifies which input stream is used for each output
1185 stream, in the order of the definition of output streams.
1188 You can transcode decrypted VOBs:
1191 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
1194 This is a typical DVD ripping example; the input is a VOB file, the
1195 output an AVI file with MPEG-4 video and MP3 audio. Note that in this
1196 command we use B-frames so the MPEG-4 stream is DivX5 compatible, and
1197 GOP size is 300 which means one intra frame every 10 seconds for 29.97fps
1198 input video. Furthermore, the audio stream is MP3-encoded so you need
1199 to enable LAME support by passing @code{--enable-libmp3lame} to configure.
1200 The mapping is particularly useful for DVD transcoding
1201 to get the desired audio language.
1203 NOTE: To see the supported input formats, use @code{ffmpeg -formats}.
1206 You can extract images from a video, or create a video from many images:
1208 For extracting images from a video:
1210 ffmpeg -i foo.avi -r 1 -s WxH -f image2 foo-%03d.jpeg
1213 This will extract one video frame per second from the video and will
1214 output them in files named @file{foo-001.jpeg}, @file{foo-002.jpeg},
1215 etc. Images will be rescaled to fit the new WxH values.
1217 If you want to extract just a limited number of frames, you can use the
1218 above command in combination with the -vframes or -t option, or in
1219 combination with -ss to start extracting from a certain point in time.
1221 For creating a video from many images:
1223 ffmpeg -f image2 -i foo-%03d.jpeg -r 12 -s WxH foo.avi
1226 The syntax @code{foo-%03d.jpeg} specifies to use a decimal number
1227 composed of three digits padded with zeroes to express the sequence
1228 number. It is the same syntax supported by the C printf function, but
1229 only formats accepting a normal integer are suitable.
1232 You can put many streams of the same type in the output:
1235 ffmpeg -i test1.avi -i test2.avi -map 0.3 -map 0.2 -map 0.1 -map 0.0 -c copy test12.nut
1238 The resulting output file @file{test12.avi} will contain first four streams from
1239 the input file in reverse order.
1245 @include decoders.texi
1246 @include encoders.texi
1247 @include demuxers.texi
1248 @include muxers.texi
1249 @include indevs.texi
1250 @include outdevs.texi
1251 @include protocols.texi
1252 @include bitstream_filters.texi
1253 @include filters.texi
1254 @include metadata.texi
1259 @settitle ffmpeg video converter
1261 @c man begin SEEALSO
1262 ffplay(1), ffprobe(1), ffserver(1) and the FFmpeg HTML documentation
1265 @c man begin AUTHORS