1 \input texinfo @c -*- texinfo -*-
3 @settitle ffmpeg Documentation
5 @center @titlefont{ffmpeg Documentation}
14 ffmpeg [@var{global_options}] @{[@var{input_file_options}] -i @file{input_file}@} ... @{[@var{output_file_options}] @file{output_file}@} ...
17 @c man begin DESCRIPTION
19 @command{ffmpeg} is a very fast video and audio converter that can also grab from
20 a live audio/video source. It can also convert between arbitrary sample
21 rates and resize video on the fly with a high quality polyphase filter.
23 @command{ffmpeg} reads from an arbitrary number of input "files" (which can be regular
24 files, pipes, network streams, grabbing devices, etc.), specified by the
25 @code{-i} option, and writes to an arbitrary number of output "files", which are
26 specified by a plain output filename. Anything found on the command line which
27 cannot be interpreted as an option is considered to be an output filename.
29 Each input or output file can, in principle, contain any number of streams of
30 different types (video/audio/subtitle/attachment/data). The allowed number and/or
31 types of streams may be limited by the container format. Selecting which
32 streams from which inputs will go into which output is either done automatically
33 or with the @code{-map} option (see the Stream selection chapter).
35 To refer to input files in options, you must use their indices (0-based). E.g.
36 the first input file is @code{0}, the second is @code{1}, etc. Similarly, streams
37 within a file are referred to by their indices. E.g. @code{2:3} refers to the
38 fourth stream in the third input file. Also see the Stream specifiers chapter.
40 As a general rule, options are applied to the next specified
41 file. Therefore, order is important, and you can have the same
42 option on the command line multiple times. Each occurrence is
43 then applied to the next input or output file.
44 Exceptions from this rule are the global options (e.g. verbosity level),
45 which should be specified first.
47 Do not mix input and output files -- first specify all input files, then all
48 output files. Also do not mix options which belong to different files. All
49 options apply ONLY to the next input or output file and are reset between files.
53 To set the video bitrate of the output file to 64 kbit/s:
55 ffmpeg -i input.avi -b:v 64k -bufsize 64k output.avi
59 To force the frame rate of the output file to 24 fps:
61 ffmpeg -i input.avi -r 24 output.avi
65 To force the frame rate of the input file (valid for raw formats only)
66 to 1 fps and the frame rate of the output file to 24 fps:
68 ffmpeg -r 1 -i input.m2v -r 24 output.avi
72 The format option may be needed for raw input files.
74 @c man end DESCRIPTION
76 @chapter Detailed description
77 @c man begin DETAILED DESCRIPTION
79 The transcoding process in @command{ffmpeg} for each output can be described by
80 the following diagram:
83 _______ ______________ _________ ______________ ________
85 | input | demuxer | encoded data | decoder | decoded | encoder | encoded data | muxer | output |
86 | file | ---------> | packets | ---------> | frames | ---------> | packets | -------> | file |
87 |_______| |______________| |_________| |______________| |________|
91 @command{ffmpeg} calls the libavformat library (containing demuxers) to read
92 input files and get packets containing encoded data from them. When there are
93 multiple input files, @command{ffmpeg} tries to keep them synchronized by
94 tracking lowest timestamp on any active input stream.
96 Encoded packets are then passed to the decoder (unless streamcopy is selected
97 for the stream, see further for a description). The decoder produces
98 uncompressed frames (raw video/PCM audio/...) which can be processed further by
99 filtering (see next section). After filtering, the frames are passed to the
100 encoder, which encodes them and outputs encoded packets. Finally those are
101 passed to the muxer, which writes the encoded packets to the output file.
104 Before encoding, @command{ffmpeg} can process raw audio and video frames using
105 filters from the libavfilter library. Several chained filters form a filter
106 graph. @command{ffmpeg} distinguishes between two types of filtergraphs:
109 @subsection Simple filtergraphs
110 Simple filtergraphs are those that have exactly one input and output, both of
111 the same type. In the above diagram they can be represented by simply inserting
112 an additional step between decoding and encoding:
115 _________ __________ ______________
117 | decoded | simple filtergraph | filtered | encoder | encoded data |
118 | frames | -------------------> | frames | ---------> | packets |
119 |_________| |__________| |______________|
123 Simple filtergraphs are configured with the per-stream @option{-filter} option
124 (with @option{-vf} and @option{-af} aliases for video and audio respectively).
125 A simple filtergraph for video can look for example like this:
128 _______ _____________ _______ _____ ________
130 | input | ---> | deinterlace | ---> | scale | ---> | fps | ---> | output |
131 |_______| |_____________| |_______| |_____| |________|
135 Note that some filters change frame properties but not frame contents. E.g. the
136 @code{fps} filter in the example above changes number of frames, but does not
137 touch the frame contents. Another example is the @code{setpts} filter, which
138 only sets timestamps and otherwise passes the frames unchanged.
140 @subsection Complex filtergraphs
141 Complex filtergraphs are those which cannot be described as simply a linear
142 processing chain applied to one stream. This is the case, for example, when the graph has
143 more than one input and/or output, or when output stream type is different from
144 input. They can be represented with the following diagram:
149 | input 0 |\ __________
151 \ _________ /| output 0 |
153 _________ \| complex | /
155 | input 1 |---->| filter |\
156 |_________| | | \ __________
159 _________ / |_________| |__________|
166 Complex filtergraphs are configured with the @option{-filter_complex} option.
167 Note that this option is global, since a complex filtergraph, by its nature,
168 cannot be unambiguously associated with a single stream or file.
170 The @option{-lavfi} option is equivalent to @option{-filter_complex}.
172 A trivial example of a complex filtergraph is the @code{overlay} filter, which
173 has two video inputs and one video output, containing one video overlaid on top
174 of the other. Its audio counterpart is the @code{amix} filter.
177 Stream copy is a mode selected by supplying the @code{copy} parameter to the
178 @option{-codec} option. It makes @command{ffmpeg} omit the decoding and encoding
179 step for the specified stream, so it does only demuxing and muxing. It is useful
180 for changing the container format or modifying container-level metadata. The
181 diagram above will, in this case, simplify to this:
184 _______ ______________ ________
186 | input | demuxer | encoded data | muxer | output |
187 | file | ---------> | packets | -------> | file |
188 |_______| |______________| |________|
192 Since there is no decoding or encoding, it is very fast and there is no quality
193 loss. However, it might not work in some cases because of many factors. Applying
194 filters is obviously also impossible, since filters work on uncompressed data.
196 @c man end DETAILED DESCRIPTION
198 @chapter Stream selection
199 @c man begin STREAM SELECTION
201 By default, @command{ffmpeg} includes only one stream of each type (video, audio, subtitle)
202 present in the input files and adds them to each output file. It picks the
203 "best" of each based upon the following criteria: for video, it is the stream
204 with the highest resolution, for audio, it is the stream with the most channels, for
205 subtitles, it is the first subtitle stream. In the case where several streams of
206 the same type rate equally, the stream with the lowest index is chosen.
208 You can disable some of those defaults by using the @code{-vn/-an/-sn} options. For
209 full manual control, use the @code{-map} option, which disables the defaults just
212 @c man end STREAM SELECTION
217 @include fftools-common-opts.texi
219 @section Main options
223 @item -f @var{fmt} (@emph{input/output})
224 Force input or output file format. The format is normally auto detected for input
225 files and guessed from the file extension for output files, so this option is not
226 needed in most cases.
228 @item -i @var{filename} (@emph{input})
231 @item -y (@emph{global})
232 Overwrite output files without asking.
234 @item -n (@emph{global})
235 Do not overwrite output files, and exit immediately if a specified
236 output file already exists.
238 @item -c[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{codec} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
239 @itemx -codec[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{codec} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
240 Select an encoder (when used before an output file) or a decoder (when used
241 before an input file) for one or more streams. @var{codec} is the name of a
242 decoder/encoder or a special value @code{copy} (output only) to indicate that
243 the stream is not to be re-encoded.
247 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map 0 -c:v libx264 -c:a copy OUTPUT
249 encodes all video streams with libx264 and copies all audio streams.
251 For each stream, the last matching @code{c} option is applied, so
253 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map 0 -c copy -c:v:1 libx264 -c:a:137 libvorbis OUTPUT
255 will copy all the streams except the second video, which will be encoded with
256 libx264, and the 138th audio, which will be encoded with libvorbis.
258 @item -t @var{duration} (@emph{output})
259 Stop writing the output after its duration reaches @var{duration}.
260 @var{duration} may be a number in seconds, or in @code{hh:mm:ss[.xxx]} form.
262 -to and -t are mutually exclusive and -t has priority.
264 @item -to @var{position} (@emph{output})
265 Stop writing the output at @var{position}.
266 @var{position} may be a number in seconds, or in @code{hh:mm:ss[.xxx]} form.
268 -to and -t are mutually exclusive and -t has priority.
270 @item -fs @var{limit_size} (@emph{output})
271 Set the file size limit, expressed in bytes.
273 @item -ss @var{position} (@emph{input/output})
274 When used as an input option (before @code{-i}), seeks in this input file to
275 @var{position}. Note the in most formats it is not possible to seek exactly, so
276 @command{ffmpeg} will seek to the closest seek point before @var{position}.
277 When transcoding and @option{-accurate_seek} is enabled (the default), this
278 extra segment between the seek point and @var{position} will be decoded and
279 discarded. When doing stream copy or when @option{-noaccurate_seek} is used, it
282 When used as an output option (before an output filename), decodes but discards
283 input until the timestamps reach @var{position}.
285 @var{position} may be either in seconds or in @code{hh:mm:ss[.xxx]} form.
287 @item -itsoffset @var{offset} (@emph{input})
288 Set the input time offset.
290 @var{offset} must be a time duration specification,
291 see @ref{time duration syntax,,the Time duration section in the ffmpeg-utils(1) manual,ffmpeg-utils}.
293 The offset is added to the timestamps of the input files. Specifying
294 a positive offset means that the corresponding streams are delayed by
295 the time duration specified in @var{offset}.
297 @item -timestamp @var{date} (@emph{output})
298 Set the recording timestamp in the container.
300 @var{date} must be a time duration specification,
301 see @ref{date syntax,,the Date section in the ffmpeg-utils(1) manual,ffmpeg-utils}.
303 @item -metadata[:metadata_specifier] @var{key}=@var{value} (@emph{output,per-metadata})
304 Set a metadata key/value pair.
306 An optional @var{metadata_specifier} may be given to set metadata
307 on streams or chapters. See @code{-map_metadata} documentation for
310 This option overrides metadata set with @code{-map_metadata}. It is
311 also possible to delete metadata by using an empty value.
313 For example, for setting the title in the output file:
315 ffmpeg -i in.avi -metadata title="my title" out.flv
318 To set the language of the first audio stream:
320 ffmpeg -i INPUT -metadata:s:a:1 language=eng OUTPUT
323 @item -target @var{type} (@emph{output})
324 Specify target file type (@code{vcd}, @code{svcd}, @code{dvd}, @code{dv},
325 @code{dv50}). @var{type} may be prefixed with @code{pal-}, @code{ntsc-} or
326 @code{film-} to use the corresponding standard. All the format options
327 (bitrate, codecs, buffer sizes) are then set automatically. You can just type:
330 ffmpeg -i myfile.avi -target vcd /tmp/vcd.mpg
333 Nevertheless you can specify additional options as long as you know
334 they do not conflict with the standard, as in:
337 ffmpeg -i myfile.avi -target vcd -bf 2 /tmp/vcd.mpg
340 @item -dframes @var{number} (@emph{output})
341 Set the number of data frames to record. This is an alias for @code{-frames:d}.
343 @item -frames[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{framecount} (@emph{output,per-stream})
344 Stop writing to the stream after @var{framecount} frames.
346 @item -q[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{q} (@emph{output,per-stream})
347 @itemx -qscale[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{q} (@emph{output,per-stream})
348 Use fixed quality scale (VBR). The meaning of @var{q}/@var{qscale} is
350 If @var{qscale} is used without a @var{stream_specifier} then it applies only
351 to the video stream, this is to maintain compatibility with previous behavior
352 and as specifying the same codec specific value to 2 different codecs that is
353 audio and video generally is not what is intended when no stream_specifier is
356 @anchor{filter_option}
357 @item -filter[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{filtergraph} (@emph{output,per-stream})
358 Create the filtergraph specified by @var{filtergraph} and use it to
361 @var{filtergraph} is a description of the filtergraph to apply to
362 the stream, and must have a single input and a single output of the
363 same type of the stream. In the filtergraph, the input is associated
364 to the label @code{in}, and the output to the label @code{out}. See
365 the ffmpeg-filters manual for more information about the filtergraph
368 See the @ref{filter_complex_option,,-filter_complex option} if you
369 want to create filtergraphs with multiple inputs and/or outputs.
371 @item -filter_script[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{filename} (@emph{output,per-stream})
372 This option is similar to @option{-filter}, the only difference is that its
373 argument is the name of the file from which a filtergraph description is to be
376 @item -pre[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{preset_name} (@emph{output,per-stream})
377 Specify the preset for matching stream(s).
379 @item -stats (@emph{global})
380 Print encoding progress/statistics. It is on by default, to explicitly
381 disable it you need to specify @code{-nostats}.
383 @item -progress @var{url} (@emph{global})
384 Send program-friendly progress information to @var{url}.
386 Progress information is written approximately every second and at the end of
387 the encoding process. It is made of "@var{key}=@var{value}" lines. @var{key}
388 consists of only alphanumeric characters. The last key of a sequence of
389 progress information is always "progress".
392 Enable interaction on standard input. On by default unless standard input is
393 used as an input. To explicitly disable interaction you need to specify
396 Disabling interaction on standard input is useful, for example, if
397 ffmpeg is in the background process group. Roughly the same result can
398 be achieved with @code{ffmpeg ... < /dev/null} but it requires a
401 @item -debug_ts (@emph{global})
402 Print timestamp information. It is off by default. This option is
403 mostly useful for testing and debugging purposes, and the output
404 format may change from one version to another, so it should not be
405 employed by portable scripts.
407 See also the option @code{-fdebug ts}.
409 @item -attach @var{filename} (@emph{output})
410 Add an attachment to the output file. This is supported by a few formats
411 like Matroska for e.g. fonts used in rendering subtitles. Attachments
412 are implemented as a specific type of stream, so this option will add
413 a new stream to the file. It is then possible to use per-stream options
414 on this stream in the usual way. Attachment streams created with this
415 option will be created after all the other streams (i.e. those created
416 with @code{-map} or automatic mappings).
418 Note that for Matroska you also have to set the mimetype metadata tag:
420 ffmpeg -i INPUT -attach DejaVuSans.ttf -metadata:s:2 mimetype=application/x-truetype-font out.mkv
422 (assuming that the attachment stream will be third in the output file).
424 @item -dump_attachment[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{filename} (@emph{input,per-stream})
425 Extract the matching attachment stream into a file named @var{filename}. If
426 @var{filename} is empty, then the value of the @code{filename} metadata tag
429 E.g. to extract the first attachment to a file named 'out.ttf':
431 ffmpeg -dump_attachment:t:0 out.ttf -i INPUT
433 To extract all attachments to files determined by the @code{filename} tag:
435 ffmpeg -dump_attachment:t "" -i INPUT
438 Technical note -- attachments are implemented as codec extradata, so this
439 option can actually be used to extract extradata from any stream, not just
444 @section Video Options
447 @item -vframes @var{number} (@emph{output})
448 Set the number of video frames to record. This is an alias for @code{-frames:v}.
449 @item -r[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{fps} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
450 Set frame rate (Hz value, fraction or abbreviation).
452 As an input option, ignore any timestamps stored in the file and instead
453 generate timestamps assuming constant frame rate @var{fps}.
455 As an output option, duplicate or drop input frames to achieve constant output
456 frame rate @var{fps}.
458 @item -s[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{size} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
461 As an input option, this is a shortcut for the @option{video_size} private
462 option, recognized by some demuxers for which the frame size is either not
463 stored in the file or is configurable -- e.g. raw video or video grabbers.
465 As an output option, this inserts the @code{scale} video filter to the
466 @emph{end} of the corresponding filtergraph. Please use the @code{scale} filter
467 directly to insert it at the beginning or some other place.
469 The format is @samp{wxh} (default - same as source).
471 @item -aspect[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{aspect} (@emph{output,per-stream})
472 Set the video display aspect ratio specified by @var{aspect}.
474 @var{aspect} can be a floating point number string, or a string of the
475 form @var{num}:@var{den}, where @var{num} and @var{den} are the
476 numerator and denominator of the aspect ratio. For example "4:3",
477 "16:9", "1.3333", and "1.7777" are valid argument values.
479 If used together with @option{-vcodec copy}, it will affect the aspect ratio
480 stored at container level, but not the aspect ratio stored in encoded
481 frames, if it exists.
483 @item -vn (@emph{output})
484 Disable video recording.
486 @item -vcodec @var{codec} (@emph{output})
487 Set the video codec. This is an alias for @code{-codec:v}.
489 @item -pass[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{n} (@emph{output,per-stream})
490 Select the pass number (1 or 2). It is used to do two-pass
491 video encoding. The statistics of the video are recorded in the first
492 pass into a log file (see also the option -passlogfile),
493 and in the second pass that log file is used to generate the video
494 at the exact requested bitrate.
495 On pass 1, you may just deactivate audio and set output to null,
496 examples for Windows and Unix:
498 ffmpeg -i foo.mov -c:v libxvid -pass 1 -an -f rawvideo -y NUL
499 ffmpeg -i foo.mov -c:v libxvid -pass 1 -an -f rawvideo -y /dev/null
502 @item -passlogfile[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{prefix} (@emph{output,per-stream})
503 Set two-pass log file name prefix to @var{prefix}, the default file name
504 prefix is ``ffmpeg2pass''. The complete file name will be
505 @file{PREFIX-N.log}, where N is a number specific to the output
508 @item -vf @var{filtergraph} (@emph{output})
509 Create the filtergraph specified by @var{filtergraph} and use it to
512 This is an alias for @code{-filter:v}, see the @ref{filter_option,,-filter option}.
515 @section Advanced Video Options
518 @item -pix_fmt[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{format} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
519 Set pixel format. Use @code{-pix_fmts} to show all the supported
521 If the selected pixel format can not be selected, ffmpeg will print a
522 warning and select the best pixel format supported by the encoder.
523 If @var{pix_fmt} is prefixed by a @code{+}, ffmpeg will exit with an error
524 if the requested pixel format can not be selected, and automatic conversions
525 inside filtergraphs are disabled.
526 If @var{pix_fmt} is a single @code{+}, ffmpeg selects the same pixel format
527 as the input (or graph output) and automatic conversions are disabled.
529 @item -sws_flags @var{flags} (@emph{input/output})
534 @item -rc_override[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{override} (@emph{output,per-stream})
535 Rate control override for specific intervals, formatted as "int,int,int"
536 list separated with slashes. Two first values are the beginning and
537 end frame numbers, last one is quantizer to use if positive, or quality
541 Force interlacing support in encoder (MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 only).
542 Use this option if your input file is interlaced and you want
543 to keep the interlaced format for minimum losses.
544 The alternative is to deinterlace the input stream with
545 @option{-deinterlace}, but deinterlacing introduces losses.
547 Calculate PSNR of compressed frames.
549 Dump video coding statistics to @file{vstats_HHMMSS.log}.
550 @item -vstats_file @var{file}
551 Dump video coding statistics to @var{file}.
552 @item -top[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{n} (@emph{output,per-stream})
553 top=1/bottom=0/auto=-1 field first
554 @item -dc @var{precision}
556 @item -vtag @var{fourcc/tag} (@emph{output})
557 Force video tag/fourcc. This is an alias for @code{-tag:v}.
558 @item -qphist (@emph{global})
560 @item -vbsf @var{bitstream_filter}
563 @item -force_key_frames[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{time}[,@var{time}...] (@emph{output,per-stream})
564 @item -force_key_frames[:@var{stream_specifier}] expr:@var{expr} (@emph{output,per-stream})
565 Force key frames at the specified timestamps, more precisely at the first
566 frames after each specified time.
568 If the argument is prefixed with @code{expr:}, the string @var{expr}
569 is interpreted like an expression and is evaluated for each frame. A
570 key frame is forced in case the evaluation is non-zero.
572 If one of the times is "@code{chapters}[@var{delta}]", it is expanded into
573 the time of the beginning of all chapters in the file, shifted by
574 @var{delta}, expressed as a time in seconds.
575 This option can be useful to ensure that a seek point is present at a
576 chapter mark or any other designated place in the output file.
578 For example, to insert a key frame at 5 minutes, plus key frames 0.1 second
579 before the beginning of every chapter:
581 -force_key_frames 0:05:00,chapters-0.1
584 The expression in @var{expr} can contain the following constants:
587 the number of current processed frame, starting from 0
589 the number of forced frames
591 the number of the previous forced frame, it is @code{NAN} when no
592 keyframe was forced yet
594 the time of the previous forced frame, it is @code{NAN} when no
595 keyframe was forced yet
597 the time of the current processed frame
600 For example to force a key frame every 5 seconds, you can specify:
602 -force_key_frames expr:gte(t,n_forced*5)
605 To force a key frame 5 seconds after the time of the last forced one,
606 starting from second 13:
608 -force_key_frames expr:if(isnan(prev_forced_t),gte(t,13),gte(t,prev_forced_t+5))
611 Note that forcing too many keyframes is very harmful for the lookahead
612 algorithms of certain encoders: using fixed-GOP options or similar
613 would be more efficient.
615 @item -copyinkf[:@var{stream_specifier}] (@emph{output,per-stream})
616 When doing stream copy, copy also non-key frames found at the
619 @item -hwaccel[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{hwaccel} (@emph{input,per-stream})
620 Use hardware acceleration to decode the matching stream(s). The allowed values
621 of @var{hwaccel} are:
624 Do not use any hardware acceleration (the default).
627 Automatically select the hardware acceleration method.
630 Use VDPAU (Video Decode and Presentation API for Unix) hardware acceleration.
633 This option has no effect if the selected hwaccel is not available or not
634 supported by the chosen decoder.
636 Note that most acceleration methods are intended for playback and will not be
637 faster than software decoding on modern CPUs. Additionally, @command{ffmpeg}
638 will usually need to copy the decoded frames from the GPU memory into the system
639 memory, resulting in further performance loss. This option is thus mainly
642 @item -hwaccel_device[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{hwaccel_device} (@emph{input,per-stream})
643 Select a device to use for hardware acceleration.
645 This option only makes sense when the @option{-hwaccel} option is also
646 specified. Its exact meaning depends on the specific hardware acceleration
651 For VDPAU, this option specifies the X11 display/screen to use. If this option
652 is not specified, the value of the @var{DISPLAY} environment variable is used
656 @section Audio Options
659 @item -aframes @var{number} (@emph{output})
660 Set the number of audio frames to record. This is an alias for @code{-frames:a}.
661 @item -ar[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{freq} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
662 Set the audio sampling frequency. For output streams it is set by
663 default to the frequency of the corresponding input stream. For input
664 streams this option only makes sense for audio grabbing devices and raw
665 demuxers and is mapped to the corresponding demuxer options.
666 @item -aq @var{q} (@emph{output})
667 Set the audio quality (codec-specific, VBR). This is an alias for -q:a.
668 @item -ac[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{channels} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
669 Set the number of audio channels. For output streams it is set by
670 default to the number of input audio channels. For input streams
671 this option only makes sense for audio grabbing devices and raw demuxers
672 and is mapped to the corresponding demuxer options.
673 @item -an (@emph{output})
674 Disable audio recording.
675 @item -acodec @var{codec} (@emph{input/output})
676 Set the audio codec. This is an alias for @code{-codec:a}.
677 @item -sample_fmt[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{sample_fmt} (@emph{output,per-stream})
678 Set the audio sample format. Use @code{-sample_fmts} to get a list
679 of supported sample formats.
681 @item -af @var{filtergraph} (@emph{output})
682 Create the filtergraph specified by @var{filtergraph} and use it to
685 This is an alias for @code{-filter:a}, see the @ref{filter_option,,-filter option}.
688 @section Advanced Audio options:
691 @item -atag @var{fourcc/tag} (@emph{output})
692 Force audio tag/fourcc. This is an alias for @code{-tag:a}.
693 @item -absf @var{bitstream_filter}
695 @item -guess_layout_max @var{channels} (@emph{input,per-stream})
696 If some input channel layout is not known, try to guess only if it
697 corresponds to at most the specified number of channels. For example, 2
698 tells to @command{ffmpeg} to recognize 1 channel as mono and 2 channels as
699 stereo but not 6 channels as 5.1. The default is to always try to guess. Use
700 0 to disable all guessing.
703 @section Subtitle options:
706 @item -scodec @var{codec} (@emph{input/output})
707 Set the subtitle codec. This is an alias for @code{-codec:s}.
708 @item -sn (@emph{output})
709 Disable subtitle recording.
710 @item -sbsf @var{bitstream_filter}
714 @section Advanced Subtitle options:
718 @item -fix_sub_duration
719 Fix subtitles durations. For each subtitle, wait for the next packet in the
720 same stream and adjust the duration of the first to avoid overlap. This is
721 necessary with some subtitles codecs, especially DVB subtitles, because the
722 duration in the original packet is only a rough estimate and the end is
723 actually marked by an empty subtitle frame. Failing to use this option when
724 necessary can result in exaggerated durations or muxing failures due to
725 non-monotonic timestamps.
727 Note that this option will delay the output of all data until the next
728 subtitle packet is decoded: it may increase memory consumption and latency a
731 @item -canvas_size @var{size}
732 Set the size of the canvas used to render subtitles.
736 @section Advanced options
739 @item -map [-]@var{input_file_id}[:@var{stream_specifier}][,@var{sync_file_id}[:@var{stream_specifier}]] | @var{[linklabel]} (@emph{output})
741 Designate one or more input streams as a source for the output file. Each input
742 stream is identified by the input file index @var{input_file_id} and
743 the input stream index @var{input_stream_id} within the input
744 file. Both indices start at 0. If specified,
745 @var{sync_file_id}:@var{stream_specifier} sets which input stream
746 is used as a presentation sync reference.
748 The first @code{-map} option on the command line specifies the
749 source for output stream 0, the second @code{-map} option specifies
750 the source for output stream 1, etc.
752 A @code{-} character before the stream identifier creates a "negative" mapping.
753 It disables matching streams from already created mappings.
755 An alternative @var{[linklabel]} form will map outputs from complex filter
756 graphs (see the @option{-filter_complex} option) to the output file.
757 @var{linklabel} must correspond to a defined output link label in the graph.
759 For example, to map ALL streams from the first input file to output
761 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map 0 output
764 For example, if you have two audio streams in the first input file,
765 these streams are identified by "0:0" and "0:1". You can use
766 @code{-map} to select which streams to place in an output file. For
769 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map 0:1 out.wav
771 will map the input stream in @file{INPUT} identified by "0:1" to
772 the (single) output stream in @file{out.wav}.
774 For example, to select the stream with index 2 from input file
775 @file{a.mov} (specified by the identifier "0:2"), and stream with
776 index 6 from input @file{b.mov} (specified by the identifier "1:6"),
777 and copy them to the output file @file{out.mov}:
779 ffmpeg -i a.mov -i b.mov -c copy -map 0:2 -map 1:6 out.mov
782 To select all video and the third audio stream from an input file:
784 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map 0:v -map 0:a:2 OUTPUT
787 To map all the streams except the second audio, use negative mappings
789 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map 0 -map -0:a:1 OUTPUT
792 Note that using this option disables the default mappings for this output file.
794 @item -map_channel [@var{input_file_id}.@var{stream_specifier}.@var{channel_id}|-1][:@var{output_file_id}.@var{stream_specifier}]
795 Map an audio channel from a given input to an output. If
796 @var{output_file_id}.@var{stream_specifier} is not set, the audio channel will
797 be mapped on all the audio streams.
799 Using "-1" instead of
800 @var{input_file_id}.@var{stream_specifier}.@var{channel_id} will map a muted
803 For example, assuming @var{INPUT} is a stereo audio file, you can switch the
804 two audio channels with the following command:
806 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map_channel 0.0.1 -map_channel 0.0.0 OUTPUT
809 If you want to mute the first channel and keep the second:
811 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map_channel -1 -map_channel 0.0.1 OUTPUT
814 The order of the "-map_channel" option specifies the order of the channels in
815 the output stream. The output channel layout is guessed from the number of
816 channels mapped (mono if one "-map_channel", stereo if two, etc.). Using "-ac"
817 in combination of "-map_channel" makes the channel gain levels to be updated if
818 input and output channel layouts don't match (for instance two "-map_channel"
819 options and "-ac 6").
821 You can also extract each channel of an input to specific outputs; the following
822 command extracts two channels of the @var{INPUT} audio stream (file 0, stream 0)
823 to the respective @var{OUTPUT_CH0} and @var{OUTPUT_CH1} outputs:
825 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map_channel 0.0.0 OUTPUT_CH0 -map_channel 0.0.1 OUTPUT_CH1
828 The following example splits the channels of a stereo input into two separate
829 streams, which are put into the same output file:
831 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
834 Note that currently each output stream can only contain channels from a single
835 input stream; you can't for example use "-map_channel" to pick multiple input
836 audio channels contained in different streams (from the same or different files)
837 and merge them into a single output stream. It is therefore not currently
838 possible, for example, to turn two separate mono streams into a single stereo
839 stream. However splitting a stereo stream into two single channel mono streams
842 If you need this feature, a possible workaround is to use the @emph{amerge}
843 filter. For example, if you need to merge a media (here @file{input.mkv}) with 2
844 mono audio streams into one single stereo channel audio stream (and keep the
845 video stream), you can use the following command:
847 ffmpeg -i input.mkv -filter_complex "[0:1] [0:2] amerge" -c:a pcm_s16le -c:v copy output.mkv
850 @item -map_metadata[:@var{metadata_spec_out}] @var{infile}[:@var{metadata_spec_in}] (@emph{output,per-metadata})
851 Set metadata information of the next output file from @var{infile}. Note that
852 those are file indices (zero-based), not filenames.
853 Optional @var{metadata_spec_in/out} parameters specify, which metadata to copy.
854 A metadata specifier can have the following forms:
857 global metadata, i.e. metadata that applies to the whole file
859 @item @var{s}[:@var{stream_spec}]
860 per-stream metadata. @var{stream_spec} is a stream specifier as described
861 in the @ref{Stream specifiers} chapter. In an input metadata specifier, the first
862 matching stream is copied from. In an output metadata specifier, all matching
863 streams are copied to.
865 @item @var{c}:@var{chapter_index}
866 per-chapter metadata. @var{chapter_index} is the zero-based chapter index.
868 @item @var{p}:@var{program_index}
869 per-program metadata. @var{program_index} is the zero-based program index.
871 If metadata specifier is omitted, it defaults to global.
873 By default, global metadata is copied from the first input file,
874 per-stream and per-chapter metadata is copied along with streams/chapters. These
875 default mappings are disabled by creating any mapping of the relevant type. A negative
876 file index can be used to create a dummy mapping that just disables automatic copying.
878 For example to copy metadata from the first stream of the input file to global metadata
881 ffmpeg -i in.ogg -map_metadata 0:s:0 out.mp3
884 To do the reverse, i.e. copy global metadata to all audio streams:
886 ffmpeg -i in.mkv -map_metadata:s:a 0:g out.mkv
888 Note that simple @code{0} would work as well in this example, since global
889 metadata is assumed by default.
891 @item -map_chapters @var{input_file_index} (@emph{output})
892 Copy chapters from input file with index @var{input_file_index} to the next
893 output file. If no chapter mapping is specified, then chapters are copied from
894 the first input file with at least one chapter. Use a negative file index to
895 disable any chapter copying.
897 @item -benchmark (@emph{global})
898 Show benchmarking information at the end of an encode.
899 Shows CPU time used and maximum memory consumption.
900 Maximum memory consumption is not supported on all systems,
901 it will usually display as 0 if not supported.
902 @item -benchmark_all (@emph{global})
903 Show benchmarking information during the encode.
904 Shows CPU time used in various steps (audio/video encode/decode).
905 @item -timelimit @var{duration} (@emph{global})
906 Exit after ffmpeg has been running for @var{duration} seconds.
907 @item -dump (@emph{global})
908 Dump each input packet to stderr.
909 @item -hex (@emph{global})
910 When dumping packets, also dump the payload.
911 @item -re (@emph{input})
912 Read input at native frame rate. Mainly used to simulate a grab device.
913 or live input stream (e.g. when reading from a file). Should not be used
914 with actual grab devices or live input streams (where it can cause packet
916 By default @command{ffmpeg} attempts to read the input(s) as fast as possible.
917 This option will slow down the reading of the input(s) to the native frame rate
918 of the input(s). It is useful for real-time output (e.g. live streaming).
920 Loop over the input stream. Currently it works only for image
921 streams. This option is used for automatic FFserver testing.
922 This option is deprecated, use -loop 1.
923 @item -loop_output @var{number_of_times}
924 Repeatedly loop output for formats that support looping such as animated GIF
925 (0 will loop the output infinitely).
926 This option is deprecated, use -loop.
927 @item -vsync @var{parameter}
929 For compatibility reasons old values can be specified as numbers.
930 Newly added values will have to be specified as strings always.
934 Each frame is passed with its timestamp from the demuxer to the muxer.
936 Frames will be duplicated and dropped to achieve exactly the requested
939 Frames are passed through with their timestamp or dropped so as to
940 prevent 2 frames from having the same timestamp.
942 As passthrough but destroys all timestamps, making the muxer generate
943 fresh timestamps based on frame-rate.
945 Chooses between 1 and 2 depending on muxer capabilities. This is the
949 Note that the timestamps may be further modified by the muxer, after this.
950 For example, in the case that the format option @option{avoid_negative_ts}
953 With -map you can select from which stream the timestamps should be
954 taken. You can leave either video or audio unchanged and sync the
955 remaining stream(s) to the unchanged one.
957 @item -async @var{samples_per_second}
958 Audio sync method. "Stretches/squeezes" the audio stream to match the timestamps,
959 the parameter is the maximum samples per second by which the audio is changed.
960 -async 1 is a special case where only the start of the audio stream is corrected
961 without any later correction.
963 Note that the timestamps may be further modified by the muxer, after this.
964 For example, in the case that the format option @option{avoid_negative_ts}
967 This option has been deprecated. Use the @code{aresample} audio filter instead.
970 Do not process input timestamps, but keep their values without trying
971 to sanitize them. In particular, do not remove the initial start time
974 Note that, depending on the @option{vsync} option or on specific muxer
975 processing (e.g. in case the format option @option{avoid_negative_ts}
976 is enabled) the output timestamps may mismatch with the input
977 timestamps even when this option is selected.
979 @item -copytb @var{mode}
980 Specify how to set the encoder timebase when stream copying. @var{mode} is an
981 integer numeric value, and can assume one of the following values:
985 Use the demuxer timebase.
987 The time base is copied to the output encoder from the corresponding input
988 demuxer. This is sometimes required to avoid non monotonically increasing
989 timestamps when copying video streams with variable frame rate.
992 Use the decoder timebase.
994 The time base is copied to the output encoder from the corresponding input
998 Try to make the choice automatically, in order to generate a sane output.
1001 Default value is -1.
1003 @item -shortest (@emph{output})
1004 Finish encoding when the shortest input stream ends.
1005 @item -dts_delta_threshold
1006 Timestamp discontinuity delta threshold.
1007 @item -muxdelay @var{seconds} (@emph{input})
1008 Set the maximum demux-decode delay.
1009 @item -muxpreload @var{seconds} (@emph{input})
1010 Set the initial demux-decode delay.
1011 @item -streamid @var{output-stream-index}:@var{new-value} (@emph{output})
1012 Assign a new stream-id value to an output stream. This option should be
1013 specified prior to the output filename to which it applies.
1014 For the situation where multiple output files exist, a streamid
1015 may be reassigned to a different value.
1017 For example, to set the stream 0 PID to 33 and the stream 1 PID to 36 for
1018 an output mpegts file:
1020 ffmpeg -i infile -streamid 0:33 -streamid 1:36 out.ts
1023 @item -bsf[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{bitstream_filters} (@emph{output,per-stream})
1024 Set bitstream filters for matching streams. @var{bitstream_filters} is
1025 a comma-separated list of bitstream filters. Use the @code{-bsfs} option
1026 to get the list of bitstream filters.
1028 ffmpeg -i h264.mp4 -c:v copy -bsf:v h264_mp4toannexb -an out.h264
1031 ffmpeg -i file.mov -an -vn -bsf:s mov2textsub -c:s copy -f rawvideo sub.txt
1034 @item -tag[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{codec_tag} (@emph{per-stream})
1035 Force a tag/fourcc for matching streams.
1037 @item -timecode @var{hh}:@var{mm}:@var{ss}SEP@var{ff}
1038 Specify Timecode for writing. @var{SEP} is ':' for non drop timecode and ';'
1041 ffmpeg -i input.mpg -timecode 01:02:03.04 -r 30000/1001 -s ntsc output.mpg
1044 @anchor{filter_complex_option}
1045 @item -filter_complex @var{filtergraph} (@emph{global})
1046 Define a complex filtergraph, i.e. one with arbitrary number of inputs and/or
1047 outputs. For simple graphs -- those with one input and one output of the same
1048 type -- see the @option{-filter} options. @var{filtergraph} is a description of
1049 the filtergraph, as described in the ``Filtergraph syntax'' section of the
1050 ffmpeg-filters manual.
1052 Input link labels must refer to input streams using the
1053 @code{[file_index:stream_specifier]} syntax (i.e. the same as @option{-map}
1054 uses). If @var{stream_specifier} matches multiple streams, the first one will be
1055 used. An unlabeled input will be connected to the first unused input stream of
1058 Output link labels are referred to with @option{-map}. Unlabeled outputs are
1059 added to the first output file.
1061 Note that with this option it is possible to use only lavfi sources without
1064 For example, to overlay an image over video
1066 ffmpeg -i video.mkv -i image.png -filter_complex '[0:v][1:v]overlay[out]' -map
1069 Here @code{[0:v]} refers to the first video stream in the first input file,
1070 which is linked to the first (main) input of the overlay filter. Similarly the
1071 first video stream in the second input is linked to the second (overlay) input
1074 Assuming there is only one video stream in each input file, we can omit input
1075 labels, so the above is equivalent to
1077 ffmpeg -i video.mkv -i image.png -filter_complex 'overlay[out]' -map
1081 Furthermore we can omit the output label and the single output from the filter
1082 graph will be added to the output file automatically, so we can simply write
1084 ffmpeg -i video.mkv -i image.png -filter_complex 'overlay' out.mkv
1087 To generate 5 seconds of pure red video using lavfi @code{color} source:
1089 ffmpeg -filter_complex 'color=c=red' -t 5 out.mkv
1092 @item -lavfi @var{filtergraph} (@emph{global})
1093 Define a complex filtergraph, i.e. one with arbitrary number of inputs and/or
1094 outputs. Equivalent to @option{-filter_complex}.
1096 @item -filter_complex_script @var{filename} (@emph{global})
1097 This option is similar to @option{-filter_complex}, the only difference is that
1098 its argument is the name of the file from which a complex filtergraph
1099 description is to be read.
1101 @item -accurate_seek (@emph{input})
1102 This option enables or disables accurate seeking in input files with the
1103 @option{-ss} option. It is enabled by default, so seeking is accurate when
1104 transcoding. Use @option{-noaccurate_seek} to disable it, which may be useful
1105 e.g. when copying some streams and transcoding the others.
1107 @item -override_ffserver (@emph{global})
1108 Overrides the input specifications from @command{ffserver}. Using this
1109 option you can map any input stream to @command{ffserver} and control
1110 many aspects of the encoding from @command{ffmpeg}. Without this
1111 option @command{ffmpeg} will transmit to @command{ffserver} what is
1112 requested by @command{ffserver}.
1114 The option is intended for cases where features are needed that cannot be
1115 specified to @command{ffserver} but can be to @command{ffmpeg}.
1119 As a special exception, you can use a bitmap subtitle stream as input: it
1120 will be converted into a video with the same size as the largest video in
1121 the file, or 720x576 if no video is present. Note that this is an
1122 experimental and temporary solution. It will be removed once libavfilter has
1123 proper support for subtitles.
1125 For example, to hardcode subtitles on top of a DVB-T recording stored in
1126 MPEG-TS format, delaying the subtitles by 1 second:
1128 ffmpeg -i input.ts -filter_complex \
1129 '[#0x2ef] setpts=PTS+1/TB [sub] ; [#0x2d0] [sub] overlay' \
1130 -sn -map '#0x2dc' output.mkv
1132 (0x2d0, 0x2dc and 0x2ef are the MPEG-TS PIDs of respectively the video,
1133 audio and subtitles streams; 0:0, 0:3 and 0:7 would have worked too)
1135 @section Preset files
1136 A preset file contains a sequence of @var{option}=@var{value} pairs,
1137 one for each line, specifying a sequence of options which would be
1138 awkward to specify on the command line. Lines starting with the hash
1139 ('#') character are ignored and are used to provide comments. Check
1140 the @file{presets} directory in the FFmpeg source tree for examples.
1142 Preset files are specified with the @code{vpre}, @code{apre},
1143 @code{spre}, and @code{fpre} options. The @code{fpre} option takes the
1144 filename of the preset instead of a preset name as input and can be
1145 used for any kind of codec. For the @code{vpre}, @code{apre}, and
1146 @code{spre} options, the options specified in a preset file are
1147 applied to the currently selected codec of the same type as the preset
1150 The argument passed to the @code{vpre}, @code{apre}, and @code{spre}
1151 preset options identifies the preset file to use according to the
1154 First ffmpeg searches for a file named @var{arg}.ffpreset in the
1155 directories @file{$FFMPEG_DATADIR} (if set), and @file{$HOME/.ffmpeg}, and in
1156 the datadir defined at configuration time (usually @file{PREFIX/share/ffmpeg})
1157 or in a @file{ffpresets} folder along the executable on win32,
1158 in that order. For example, if the argument is @code{libvpx-1080p}, it will
1159 search for the file @file{libvpx-1080p.ffpreset}.
1161 If no such file is found, then ffmpeg will search for a file named
1162 @var{codec_name}-@var{arg}.ffpreset in the above-mentioned
1163 directories, where @var{codec_name} is the name of the codec to which
1164 the preset file options will be applied. For example, if you select
1165 the video codec with @code{-vcodec libvpx} and use @code{-vpre 1080p},
1166 then it will search for the file @file{libvpx-1080p.ffpreset}.
1174 For streaming at very low bitrates, use a low frame rate
1175 and a small GOP size. This is especially true for RealVideo where
1176 the Linux player does not seem to be very fast, so it can miss
1177 frames. An example is:
1180 ffmpeg -g 3 -r 3 -t 10 -b:v 50k -s qcif -f rv10 /tmp/b.rm
1184 The parameter 'q' which is displayed while encoding is the current
1185 quantizer. The value 1 indicates that a very good quality could
1186 be achieved. The value 31 indicates the worst quality. If q=31 appears
1187 too often, it means that the encoder cannot compress enough to meet
1188 your bitrate. You must either increase the bitrate, decrease the
1189 frame rate or decrease the frame size.
1192 If your computer is not fast enough, you can speed up the
1193 compression at the expense of the compression ratio. You can use
1194 '-me zero' to speed up motion estimation, and '-g 0' to disable
1195 motion estimation completely (you have only I-frames, which means it
1196 is about as good as JPEG compression).
1199 To have very low audio bitrates, reduce the sampling frequency
1200 (down to 22050 Hz for MPEG audio, 22050 or 11025 for AC-3).
1203 To have a constant quality (but a variable bitrate), use the option
1204 '-qscale n' when 'n' is between 1 (excellent quality) and 31 (worst
1211 @c man begin EXAMPLES
1213 @section Preset files
1215 A preset file contains a sequence of @var{option=value} pairs, one for
1216 each line, specifying a sequence of options which can be specified also on
1217 the command line. Lines starting with the hash ('#') character are ignored and
1218 are used to provide comments. Empty lines are also ignored. Check the
1219 @file{presets} directory in the FFmpeg source tree for examples.
1221 Preset files are specified with the @code{pre} option, this option takes a
1222 preset name as input. FFmpeg searches for a file named @var{preset_name}.avpreset in
1223 the directories @file{$AVCONV_DATADIR} (if set), and @file{$HOME/.ffmpeg}, and in
1224 the data directory defined at configuration time (usually @file{$PREFIX/share/ffmpeg})
1225 in that order. For example, if the argument is @code{libx264-max}, it will
1226 search for the file @file{libx264-max.avpreset}.
1228 @section Video and Audio grabbing
1230 If you specify the input format and device then ffmpeg can grab video
1234 ffmpeg -f oss -i /dev/dsp -f video4linux2 -i /dev/video0 /tmp/out.mpg
1237 Or with an ALSA audio source (mono input, card id 1) instead of OSS:
1239 ffmpeg -f alsa -ac 1 -i hw:1 -f video4linux2 -i /dev/video0 /tmp/out.mpg
1242 Note that you must activate the right video source and channel before
1243 launching ffmpeg with any TV viewer such as
1244 @uref{http://linux.bytesex.org/xawtv/, xawtv} by Gerd Knorr. You also
1245 have to set the audio recording levels correctly with a
1248 @section X11 grabbing
1250 Grab the X11 display with ffmpeg via
1253 ffmpeg -f x11grab -video_size cif -framerate 25 -i :0.0 /tmp/out.mpg
1256 0.0 is display.screen number of your X11 server, same as
1257 the DISPLAY environment variable.
1260 ffmpeg -f x11grab -video_size cif -framerate 25 -i :0.0+10,20 /tmp/out.mpg
1263 0.0 is display.screen number of your X11 server, same as the DISPLAY environment
1264 variable. 10 is the x-offset and 20 the y-offset for the grabbing.
1266 @section Video and Audio file format conversion
1268 Any supported file format and protocol can serve as input to ffmpeg:
1273 You can use YUV files as input:
1276 ffmpeg -i /tmp/test%d.Y /tmp/out.mpg
1279 It will use the files:
1281 /tmp/test0.Y, /tmp/test0.U, /tmp/test0.V,
1282 /tmp/test1.Y, /tmp/test1.U, /tmp/test1.V, etc...
1285 The Y files use twice the resolution of the U and V files. They are
1286 raw files, without header. They can be generated by all decent video
1287 decoders. You must specify the size of the image with the @option{-s} option
1288 if ffmpeg cannot guess it.
1291 You can input from a raw YUV420P file:
1294 ffmpeg -i /tmp/test.yuv /tmp/out.avi
1297 test.yuv is a file containing raw YUV planar data. Each frame is composed
1298 of the Y plane followed by the U and V planes at half vertical and
1299 horizontal resolution.
1302 You can output to a raw YUV420P file:
1305 ffmpeg -i mydivx.avi hugefile.yuv
1309 You can set several input files and output files:
1312 ffmpeg -i /tmp/a.wav -s 640x480 -i /tmp/a.yuv /tmp/a.mpg
1315 Converts the audio file a.wav and the raw YUV video file a.yuv
1319 You can also do audio and video conversions at the same time:
1322 ffmpeg -i /tmp/a.wav -ar 22050 /tmp/a.mp2
1325 Converts a.wav to MPEG audio at 22050 Hz sample rate.
1328 You can encode to several formats at the same time and define a
1329 mapping from input stream to output streams:
1332 ffmpeg -i /tmp/a.wav -map 0:a -b:a 64k /tmp/a.mp2 -map 0:a -b:a 128k /tmp/b.mp2
1335 Converts a.wav to a.mp2 at 64 kbits and to b.mp2 at 128 kbits. '-map
1336 file:index' specifies which input stream is used for each output
1337 stream, in the order of the definition of output streams.
1340 You can transcode decrypted VOBs:
1343 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
1346 This is a typical DVD ripping example; the input is a VOB file, the
1347 output an AVI file with MPEG-4 video and MP3 audio. Note that in this
1348 command we use B-frames so the MPEG-4 stream is DivX5 compatible, and
1349 GOP size is 300 which means one intra frame every 10 seconds for 29.97fps
1350 input video. Furthermore, the audio stream is MP3-encoded so you need
1351 to enable LAME support by passing @code{--enable-libmp3lame} to configure.
1352 The mapping is particularly useful for DVD transcoding
1353 to get the desired audio language.
1355 NOTE: To see the supported input formats, use @code{ffmpeg -formats}.
1358 You can extract images from a video, or create a video from many images:
1360 For extracting images from a video:
1362 ffmpeg -i foo.avi -r 1 -s WxH -f image2 foo-%03d.jpeg
1365 This will extract one video frame per second from the video and will
1366 output them in files named @file{foo-001.jpeg}, @file{foo-002.jpeg},
1367 etc. Images will be rescaled to fit the new WxH values.
1369 If you want to extract just a limited number of frames, you can use the
1370 above command in combination with the -vframes or -t option, or in
1371 combination with -ss to start extracting from a certain point in time.
1373 For creating a video from many images:
1375 ffmpeg -f image2 -i foo-%03d.jpeg -r 12 -s WxH foo.avi
1378 The syntax @code{foo-%03d.jpeg} specifies to use a decimal number
1379 composed of three digits padded with zeroes to express the sequence
1380 number. It is the same syntax supported by the C printf function, but
1381 only formats accepting a normal integer are suitable.
1383 When importing an image sequence, -i also supports expanding
1384 shell-like wildcard patterns (globbing) internally, by selecting the
1385 image2-specific @code{-pattern_type glob} option.
1387 For example, for creating a video from filenames matching the glob pattern
1390 ffmpeg -f image2 -pattern_type glob -i 'foo-*.jpeg' -r 12 -s WxH foo.avi
1394 You can put many streams of the same type in the output:
1397 ffmpeg -i test1.avi -i test2.avi -map 0:3 -map 0:2 -map 0:1 -map 0:0 -c copy test12.nut
1400 The resulting output file @file{test12.avi} will contain first four streams from
1401 the input file in reverse order.
1404 To force CBR video output:
1406 ffmpeg -i myfile.avi -b 4000k -minrate 4000k -maxrate 4000k -bufsize 1835k out.m2v
1410 The four options lmin, lmax, mblmin and mblmax use 'lambda' units,
1411 but you may use the QP2LAMBDA constant to easily convert from 'q' units:
1413 ffmpeg -i src.ext -lmax 21*QP2LAMBDA dst.ext
1419 @include config.texi
1421 @ifset config-avutil
1424 @ifset config-avcodec
1425 @include codecs.texi
1426 @include bitstream_filters.texi
1428 @ifset config-avformat
1429 @include formats.texi
1430 @include protocols.texi
1432 @ifset config-avdevice
1433 @include devices.texi
1435 @ifset config-swresample
1436 @include resampler.texi
1438 @ifset config-swscale
1439 @include scaler.texi
1441 @ifset config-avfilter
1442 @include filters.texi
1450 @url{ffmpeg.html,ffmpeg}
1452 @ifset config-not-all
1453 @url{ffmpeg-all.html,ffmpeg-all},
1455 @url{ffplay.html,ffplay}, @url{ffprobe.html,ffprobe}, @url{ffserver.html,ffserver},
1456 @url{ffmpeg-utils.html,ffmpeg-utils},
1457 @url{ffmpeg-scaler.html,ffmpeg-scaler},
1458 @url{ffmpeg-resampler.html,ffmpeg-resampler},
1459 @url{ffmpeg-codecs.html,ffmpeg-codecs},
1460 @url{ffmpeg-bitstream-filters.html,ffmpeg-bitstream-filters},
1461 @url{ffmpeg-formats.html,ffmpeg-formats},
1462 @url{ffmpeg-devices.html,ffmpeg-devices},
1463 @url{ffmpeg-protocols.html,ffmpeg-protocols},
1464 @url{ffmpeg-filters.html,ffmpeg-filters}
1471 @ifset config-not-all
1474 ffplay(1), ffprobe(1), ffserver(1),
1475 ffmpeg-utils(1), ffmpeg-scaler(1), ffmpeg-resampler(1),
1476 ffmpeg-codecs(1), ffmpeg-bitstream-filters(1), ffmpeg-formats(1),
1477 ffmpeg-devices(1), ffmpeg-protocols(1), ffmpeg-filters(1)
1480 @include authors.texi
1485 @settitle ffmpeg video converter