1 \input texinfo @c -*- texinfo -*-
2 @documentencoding UTF-8
4 @settitle ffmpeg Documentation
6 @center @titlefont{ffmpeg Documentation}
15 ffmpeg [@var{global_options}] @{[@var{input_file_options}] -i @file{input_file}@} ... @{[@var{output_file_options}] @file{output_file}@} ...
18 @c man begin DESCRIPTION
20 @command{ffmpeg} is a very fast video and audio converter that can also grab from
21 a live audio/video source. It can also convert between arbitrary sample
22 rates and resize video on the fly with a high quality polyphase filter.
24 @command{ffmpeg} reads from an arbitrary number of input "files" (which can be regular
25 files, pipes, network streams, grabbing devices, etc.), specified by the
26 @code{-i} option, and writes to an arbitrary number of output "files", which are
27 specified by a plain output filename. Anything found on the command line which
28 cannot be interpreted as an option is considered to be an output filename.
30 Each input or output file can, in principle, contain any number of streams of
31 different types (video/audio/subtitle/attachment/data). The allowed number and/or
32 types of streams may be limited by the container format. Selecting which
33 streams from which inputs will go into which output is either done automatically
34 or with the @code{-map} option (see the Stream selection chapter).
36 To refer to input files in options, you must use their indices (0-based). E.g.
37 the first input file is @code{0}, the second is @code{1}, etc. Similarly, streams
38 within a file are referred to by their indices. E.g. @code{2:3} refers to the
39 fourth stream in the third input file. Also see the Stream specifiers chapter.
41 As a general rule, options are applied to the next specified
42 file. Therefore, order is important, and you can have the same
43 option on the command line multiple times. Each occurrence is
44 then applied to the next input or output file.
45 Exceptions from this rule are the global options (e.g. verbosity level),
46 which should be specified first.
48 Do not mix input and output files -- first specify all input files, then all
49 output files. Also do not mix options which belong to different files. All
50 options apply ONLY to the next input or output file and are reset between files.
54 To set the video bitrate of the output file to 64 kbit/s:
56 ffmpeg -i input.avi -b:v 64k -bufsize 64k output.avi
60 To force the frame rate of the output file to 24 fps:
62 ffmpeg -i input.avi -r 24 output.avi
66 To force the frame rate of the input file (valid for raw formats only)
67 to 1 fps and the frame rate of the output file to 24 fps:
69 ffmpeg -r 1 -i input.m2v -r 24 output.avi
73 The format option may be needed for raw input files.
75 @c man end DESCRIPTION
77 @chapter Detailed description
78 @c man begin DETAILED DESCRIPTION
80 The transcoding process in @command{ffmpeg} for each output can be described by
81 the following diagram:
84 _______ ______________
86 | input | demuxer | encoded data | decoder
87 | file | ---------> | packets | -----+
88 |_______| |______________| |
95 ________ ______________ |
97 | output | <-------- | encoded data | <----+
98 | file | muxer | packets | encoder
99 |________| |______________|
104 @command{ffmpeg} calls the libavformat library (containing demuxers) to read
105 input files and get packets containing encoded data from them. When there are
106 multiple input files, @command{ffmpeg} tries to keep them synchronized by
107 tracking lowest timestamp on any active input stream.
109 Encoded packets are then passed to the decoder (unless streamcopy is selected
110 for the stream, see further for a description). The decoder produces
111 uncompressed frames (raw video/PCM audio/...) which can be processed further by
112 filtering (see next section). After filtering, the frames are passed to the
113 encoder, which encodes them and outputs encoded packets. Finally those are
114 passed to the muxer, which writes the encoded packets to the output file.
117 Before encoding, @command{ffmpeg} can process raw audio and video frames using
118 filters from the libavfilter library. Several chained filters form a filter
119 graph. @command{ffmpeg} distinguishes between two types of filtergraphs:
122 @subsection Simple filtergraphs
123 Simple filtergraphs are those that have exactly one input and output, both of
124 the same type. In the above diagram they can be represented by simply inserting
125 an additional step between decoding and encoding:
128 _________ ______________
130 | decoded | | encoded data |
131 | frames |\ _ | packets |
132 |_________| \ /||______________|
134 simple _\|| | / encoder
135 filtergraph | filtered |/
141 Simple filtergraphs are configured with the per-stream @option{-filter} option
142 (with @option{-vf} and @option{-af} aliases for video and audio respectively).
143 A simple filtergraph for video can look for example like this:
146 _______ _____________ _______ ________
148 | input | ---> | deinterlace | ---> | scale | ---> | output |
149 |_______| |_____________| |_______| |________|
153 Note that some filters change frame properties but not frame contents. E.g. the
154 @code{fps} filter in the example above changes number of frames, but does not
155 touch the frame contents. Another example is the @code{setpts} filter, which
156 only sets timestamps and otherwise passes the frames unchanged.
158 @subsection Complex filtergraphs
159 Complex filtergraphs are those which cannot be described as simply a linear
160 processing chain applied to one stream. This is the case, for example, when the graph has
161 more than one input and/or output, or when output stream type is different from
162 input. They can be represented with the following diagram:
167 | input 0 |\ __________
169 \ _________ /| output 0 |
171 _________ \| complex | /
173 | input 1 |---->| filter |\
174 |_________| | | \ __________
177 _________ / |_________| |__________|
184 Complex filtergraphs are configured with the @option{-filter_complex} option.
185 Note that this option is global, since a complex filtergraph, by its nature,
186 cannot be unambiguously associated with a single stream or file.
188 The @option{-lavfi} option is equivalent to @option{-filter_complex}.
190 A trivial example of a complex filtergraph is the @code{overlay} filter, which
191 has two video inputs and one video output, containing one video overlaid on top
192 of the other. Its audio counterpart is the @code{amix} filter.
195 Stream copy is a mode selected by supplying the @code{copy} parameter to the
196 @option{-codec} option. It makes @command{ffmpeg} omit the decoding and encoding
197 step for the specified stream, so it does only demuxing and muxing. It is useful
198 for changing the container format or modifying container-level metadata. The
199 diagram above will, in this case, simplify to this:
202 _______ ______________ ________
204 | input | demuxer | encoded data | muxer | output |
205 | file | ---------> | packets | -------> | file |
206 |_______| |______________| |________|
210 Since there is no decoding or encoding, it is very fast and there is no quality
211 loss. However, it might not work in some cases because of many factors. Applying
212 filters is obviously also impossible, since filters work on uncompressed data.
214 @c man end DETAILED DESCRIPTION
216 @chapter Stream selection
217 @c man begin STREAM SELECTION
219 By default, @command{ffmpeg} includes only one stream of each type (video, audio, subtitle)
220 present in the input files and adds them to each output file. It picks the
221 "best" of each based upon the following criteria: for video, it is the stream
222 with the highest resolution, for audio, it is the stream with the most channels, for
223 subtitles, it is the first subtitle stream. In the case where several streams of
224 the same type rate equally, the stream with the lowest index is chosen.
226 You can disable some of those defaults by using the @code{-vn/-an/-sn} options. For
227 full manual control, use the @code{-map} option, which disables the defaults just
230 @c man end STREAM SELECTION
235 @include fftools-common-opts.texi
237 @section Main options
241 @item -f @var{fmt} (@emph{input/output})
242 Force input or output file format. The format is normally auto detected for input
243 files and guessed from the file extension for output files, so this option is not
244 needed in most cases.
246 @item -i @var{filename} (@emph{input})
249 @item -y (@emph{global})
250 Overwrite output files without asking.
252 @item -n (@emph{global})
253 Do not overwrite output files, and exit immediately if a specified
254 output file already exists.
256 @item -stream_loop @var{number} (@emph{input})
257 Set number of times input stream shall be looped. Loop 0 means no loop,
258 loop -1 means infinite loop.
260 @item -c[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{codec} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
261 @itemx -codec[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{codec} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
262 Select an encoder (when used before an output file) or a decoder (when used
263 before an input file) for one or more streams. @var{codec} is the name of a
264 decoder/encoder or a special value @code{copy} (output only) to indicate that
265 the stream is not to be re-encoded.
269 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map 0 -c:v libx264 -c:a copy OUTPUT
271 encodes all video streams with libx264 and copies all audio streams.
273 For each stream, the last matching @code{c} option is applied, so
275 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map 0 -c copy -c:v:1 libx264 -c:a:137 libvorbis OUTPUT
277 will copy all the streams except the second video, which will be encoded with
278 libx264, and the 138th audio, which will be encoded with libvorbis.
280 @item -t @var{duration} (@emph{input/output})
281 When used as an input option (before @code{-i}), limit the @var{duration} of
282 data read from the input file.
284 When used as an output option (before an output filename), stop writing the
285 output after its duration reaches @var{duration}.
287 @var{duration} must be a time duration specification,
288 see @ref{time duration syntax,,the Time duration section in the ffmpeg-utils(1) manual,ffmpeg-utils}.
290 -to and -t are mutually exclusive and -t has priority.
292 @item -to @var{position} (@emph{output})
293 Stop writing the output at @var{position}.
294 @var{position} must be a time duration specification,
295 see @ref{time duration syntax,,the Time duration section in the ffmpeg-utils(1) manual,ffmpeg-utils}.
297 -to and -t are mutually exclusive and -t has priority.
299 @item -fs @var{limit_size} (@emph{output})
300 Set the file size limit, expressed in bytes.
302 @item -ss @var{position} (@emph{input/output})
303 When used as an input option (before @code{-i}), seeks in this input file to
304 @var{position}. Note that in most formats it is not possible to seek exactly,
305 so @command{ffmpeg} will seek to the closest seek point before @var{position}.
306 When transcoding and @option{-accurate_seek} is enabled (the default), this
307 extra segment between the seek point and @var{position} will be decoded and
308 discarded. When doing stream copy or when @option{-noaccurate_seek} is used, it
311 When used as an output option (before an output filename), decodes but discards
312 input until the timestamps reach @var{position}.
314 @var{position} must be a time duration specification,
315 see @ref{time duration syntax,,the Time duration section in the ffmpeg-utils(1) manual,ffmpeg-utils}.
317 @item -sseof @var{position} (@emph{input/output})
319 Like the @code{-ss} option but relative to the "end of file". That is negative
320 values are earlier in the file, 0 is at EOF.
322 @item -itsoffset @var{offset} (@emph{input})
323 Set the input time offset.
325 @var{offset} must be a time duration specification,
326 see @ref{time duration syntax,,the Time duration section in the ffmpeg-utils(1) manual,ffmpeg-utils}.
328 The offset is added to the timestamps of the input files. Specifying
329 a positive offset means that the corresponding streams are delayed by
330 the time duration specified in @var{offset}.
332 @item -timestamp @var{date} (@emph{output})
333 Set the recording timestamp in the container.
335 @var{date} must be a date specification,
336 see @ref{date syntax,,the Date section in the ffmpeg-utils(1) manual,ffmpeg-utils}.
338 @item -metadata[:metadata_specifier] @var{key}=@var{value} (@emph{output,per-metadata})
339 Set a metadata key/value pair.
341 An optional @var{metadata_specifier} may be given to set metadata
342 on streams or chapters. See @code{-map_metadata} documentation for
345 This option overrides metadata set with @code{-map_metadata}. It is
346 also possible to delete metadata by using an empty value.
348 For example, for setting the title in the output file:
350 ffmpeg -i in.avi -metadata title="my title" out.flv
353 To set the language of the first audio stream:
355 ffmpeg -i INPUT -metadata:s:a:0 language=eng OUTPUT
358 @item -target @var{type} (@emph{output})
359 Specify target file type (@code{vcd}, @code{svcd}, @code{dvd}, @code{dv},
360 @code{dv50}). @var{type} may be prefixed with @code{pal-}, @code{ntsc-} or
361 @code{film-} to use the corresponding standard. All the format options
362 (bitrate, codecs, buffer sizes) are then set automatically. You can just type:
365 ffmpeg -i myfile.avi -target vcd /tmp/vcd.mpg
368 Nevertheless you can specify additional options as long as you know
369 they do not conflict with the standard, as in:
372 ffmpeg -i myfile.avi -target vcd -bf 2 /tmp/vcd.mpg
375 @item -dframes @var{number} (@emph{output})
376 Set the number of data frames to output. This is an alias for @code{-frames:d}.
378 @item -frames[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{framecount} (@emph{output,per-stream})
379 Stop writing to the stream after @var{framecount} frames.
381 @item -q[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{q} (@emph{output,per-stream})
382 @itemx -qscale[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{q} (@emph{output,per-stream})
383 Use fixed quality scale (VBR). The meaning of @var{q}/@var{qscale} is
385 If @var{qscale} is used without a @var{stream_specifier} then it applies only
386 to the video stream, this is to maintain compatibility with previous behavior
387 and as specifying the same codec specific value to 2 different codecs that is
388 audio and video generally is not what is intended when no stream_specifier is
391 @anchor{filter_option}
392 @item -filter[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{filtergraph} (@emph{output,per-stream})
393 Create the filtergraph specified by @var{filtergraph} and use it to
396 @var{filtergraph} is a description of the filtergraph to apply to
397 the stream, and must have a single input and a single output of the
398 same type of the stream. In the filtergraph, the input is associated
399 to the label @code{in}, and the output to the label @code{out}. See
400 the ffmpeg-filters manual for more information about the filtergraph
403 See the @ref{filter_complex_option,,-filter_complex option} if you
404 want to create filtergraphs with multiple inputs and/or outputs.
406 @item -filter_script[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{filename} (@emph{output,per-stream})
407 This option is similar to @option{-filter}, the only difference is that its
408 argument is the name of the file from which a filtergraph description is to be
411 @item -pre[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{preset_name} (@emph{output,per-stream})
412 Specify the preset for matching stream(s).
414 @item -stats (@emph{global})
415 Print encoding progress/statistics. It is on by default, to explicitly
416 disable it you need to specify @code{-nostats}.
418 @item -progress @var{url} (@emph{global})
419 Send program-friendly progress information to @var{url}.
421 Progress information is written approximately every second and at the end of
422 the encoding process. It is made of "@var{key}=@var{value}" lines. @var{key}
423 consists of only alphanumeric characters. The last key of a sequence of
424 progress information is always "progress".
427 Enable interaction on standard input. On by default unless standard input is
428 used as an input. To explicitly disable interaction you need to specify
431 Disabling interaction on standard input is useful, for example, if
432 ffmpeg is in the background process group. Roughly the same result can
433 be achieved with @code{ffmpeg ... < /dev/null} but it requires a
436 @item -debug_ts (@emph{global})
437 Print timestamp information. It is off by default. This option is
438 mostly useful for testing and debugging purposes, and the output
439 format may change from one version to another, so it should not be
440 employed by portable scripts.
442 See also the option @code{-fdebug ts}.
444 @item -attach @var{filename} (@emph{output})
445 Add an attachment to the output file. This is supported by a few formats
446 like Matroska for e.g. fonts used in rendering subtitles. Attachments
447 are implemented as a specific type of stream, so this option will add
448 a new stream to the file. It is then possible to use per-stream options
449 on this stream in the usual way. Attachment streams created with this
450 option will be created after all the other streams (i.e. those created
451 with @code{-map} or automatic mappings).
453 Note that for Matroska you also have to set the mimetype metadata tag:
455 ffmpeg -i INPUT -attach DejaVuSans.ttf -metadata:s:2 mimetype=application/x-truetype-font out.mkv
457 (assuming that the attachment stream will be third in the output file).
459 @item -dump_attachment[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{filename} (@emph{input,per-stream})
460 Extract the matching attachment stream into a file named @var{filename}. If
461 @var{filename} is empty, then the value of the @code{filename} metadata tag
464 E.g. to extract the first attachment to a file named 'out.ttf':
466 ffmpeg -dump_attachment:t:0 out.ttf -i INPUT
468 To extract all attachments to files determined by the @code{filename} tag:
470 ffmpeg -dump_attachment:t "" -i INPUT
473 Technical note -- attachments are implemented as codec extradata, so this
474 option can actually be used to extract extradata from any stream, not just
478 Disable automatically rotating video based on file metadata.
482 @section Video Options
485 @item -vframes @var{number} (@emph{output})
486 Set the number of video frames to output. This is an alias for @code{-frames:v}.
487 @item -r[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{fps} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
488 Set frame rate (Hz value, fraction or abbreviation).
490 As an input option, ignore any timestamps stored in the file and instead
491 generate timestamps assuming constant frame rate @var{fps}.
492 This is not the same as the @option{-framerate} option used for some input formats
493 like image2 or v4l2 (it used to be the same in older versions of FFmpeg).
494 If in doubt use @option{-framerate} instead of the input option @option{-r}.
496 As an output option, duplicate or drop input frames to achieve constant output
497 frame rate @var{fps}.
499 @item -s[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{size} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
502 As an input option, this is a shortcut for the @option{video_size} private
503 option, recognized by some demuxers for which the frame size is either not
504 stored in the file or is configurable -- e.g. raw video or video grabbers.
506 As an output option, this inserts the @code{scale} video filter to the
507 @emph{end} of the corresponding filtergraph. Please use the @code{scale} filter
508 directly to insert it at the beginning or some other place.
510 The format is @samp{wxh} (default - same as source).
512 @item -aspect[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{aspect} (@emph{output,per-stream})
513 Set the video display aspect ratio specified by @var{aspect}.
515 @var{aspect} can be a floating point number string, or a string of the
516 form @var{num}:@var{den}, where @var{num} and @var{den} are the
517 numerator and denominator of the aspect ratio. For example "4:3",
518 "16:9", "1.3333", and "1.7777" are valid argument values.
520 If used together with @option{-vcodec copy}, it will affect the aspect ratio
521 stored at container level, but not the aspect ratio stored in encoded
522 frames, if it exists.
524 @item -vn (@emph{output})
525 Disable video recording.
527 @item -vcodec @var{codec} (@emph{output})
528 Set the video codec. This is an alias for @code{-codec:v}.
530 @item -pass[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{n} (@emph{output,per-stream})
531 Select the pass number (1 or 2). It is used to do two-pass
532 video encoding. The statistics of the video are recorded in the first
533 pass into a log file (see also the option -passlogfile),
534 and in the second pass that log file is used to generate the video
535 at the exact requested bitrate.
536 On pass 1, you may just deactivate audio and set output to null,
537 examples for Windows and Unix:
539 ffmpeg -i foo.mov -c:v libxvid -pass 1 -an -f rawvideo -y NUL
540 ffmpeg -i foo.mov -c:v libxvid -pass 1 -an -f rawvideo -y /dev/null
543 @item -passlogfile[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{prefix} (@emph{output,per-stream})
544 Set two-pass log file name prefix to @var{prefix}, the default file name
545 prefix is ``ffmpeg2pass''. The complete file name will be
546 @file{PREFIX-N.log}, where N is a number specific to the output
549 @item -vf @var{filtergraph} (@emph{output})
550 Create the filtergraph specified by @var{filtergraph} and use it to
553 This is an alias for @code{-filter:v}, see the @ref{filter_option,,-filter option}.
556 @section Advanced Video options
559 @item -pix_fmt[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{format} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
560 Set pixel format. Use @code{-pix_fmts} to show all the supported
562 If the selected pixel format can not be selected, ffmpeg will print a
563 warning and select the best pixel format supported by the encoder.
564 If @var{pix_fmt} is prefixed by a @code{+}, ffmpeg will exit with an error
565 if the requested pixel format can not be selected, and automatic conversions
566 inside filtergraphs are disabled.
567 If @var{pix_fmt} is a single @code{+}, ffmpeg selects the same pixel format
568 as the input (or graph output) and automatic conversions are disabled.
570 @item -sws_flags @var{flags} (@emph{input/output})
575 @item -rc_override[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{override} (@emph{output,per-stream})
576 Rate control override for specific intervals, formatted as "int,int,int"
577 list separated with slashes. Two first values are the beginning and
578 end frame numbers, last one is quantizer to use if positive, or quality
582 Force interlacing support in encoder (MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 only).
583 Use this option if your input file is interlaced and you want
584 to keep the interlaced format for minimum losses.
585 The alternative is to deinterlace the input stream with
586 @option{-deinterlace}, but deinterlacing introduces losses.
588 Calculate PSNR of compressed frames.
590 Dump video coding statistics to @file{vstats_HHMMSS.log}.
591 @item -vstats_file @var{file}
592 Dump video coding statistics to @var{file}.
593 @item -top[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{n} (@emph{output,per-stream})
594 top=1/bottom=0/auto=-1 field first
595 @item -dc @var{precision}
597 @item -vtag @var{fourcc/tag} (@emph{output})
598 Force video tag/fourcc. This is an alias for @code{-tag:v}.
599 @item -qphist (@emph{global})
601 @item -vbsf @var{bitstream_filter}
604 @item -force_key_frames[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{time}[,@var{time}...] (@emph{output,per-stream})
605 @item -force_key_frames[:@var{stream_specifier}] expr:@var{expr} (@emph{output,per-stream})
606 Force key frames at the specified timestamps, more precisely at the first
607 frames after each specified time.
609 If the argument is prefixed with @code{expr:}, the string @var{expr}
610 is interpreted like an expression and is evaluated for each frame. A
611 key frame is forced in case the evaluation is non-zero.
613 If one of the times is "@code{chapters}[@var{delta}]", it is expanded into
614 the time of the beginning of all chapters in the file, shifted by
615 @var{delta}, expressed as a time in seconds.
616 This option can be useful to ensure that a seek point is present at a
617 chapter mark or any other designated place in the output file.
619 For example, to insert a key frame at 5 minutes, plus key frames 0.1 second
620 before the beginning of every chapter:
622 -force_key_frames 0:05:00,chapters-0.1
625 The expression in @var{expr} can contain the following constants:
628 the number of current processed frame, starting from 0
630 the number of forced frames
632 the number of the previous forced frame, it is @code{NAN} when no
633 keyframe was forced yet
635 the time of the previous forced frame, it is @code{NAN} when no
636 keyframe was forced yet
638 the time of the current processed frame
641 For example to force a key frame every 5 seconds, you can specify:
643 -force_key_frames expr:gte(t,n_forced*5)
646 To force a key frame 5 seconds after the time of the last forced one,
647 starting from second 13:
649 -force_key_frames expr:if(isnan(prev_forced_t),gte(t,13),gte(t,prev_forced_t+5))
652 Note that forcing too many keyframes is very harmful for the lookahead
653 algorithms of certain encoders: using fixed-GOP options or similar
654 would be more efficient.
656 @item -copyinkf[:@var{stream_specifier}] (@emph{output,per-stream})
657 When doing stream copy, copy also non-key frames found at the
660 @item -hwaccel[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{hwaccel} (@emph{input,per-stream})
661 Use hardware acceleration to decode the matching stream(s). The allowed values
662 of @var{hwaccel} are:
665 Do not use any hardware acceleration (the default).
668 Automatically select the hardware acceleration method.
671 Use Apple VDA hardware acceleration.
674 Use VDPAU (Video Decode and Presentation API for Unix) hardware acceleration.
677 Use DXVA2 (DirectX Video Acceleration) hardware acceleration.
680 Use the Intel QuickSync Video acceleration for video transcoding.
682 Unlike most other values, this option does not enable accelerated decoding (that
683 is used automatically whenever a qsv decoder is selected), but accelerated
684 transcoding, without copying the frames into the system memory.
686 For it to work, both the decoder and the encoder must support QSV acceleration
687 and no filters must be used.
690 This option has no effect if the selected hwaccel is not available or not
691 supported by the chosen decoder.
693 Note that most acceleration methods are intended for playback and will not be
694 faster than software decoding on modern CPUs. Additionally, @command{ffmpeg}
695 will usually need to copy the decoded frames from the GPU memory into the system
696 memory, resulting in further performance loss. This option is thus mainly
699 @item -hwaccel_device[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{hwaccel_device} (@emph{input,per-stream})
700 Select a device to use for hardware acceleration.
702 This option only makes sense when the @option{-hwaccel} option is also
703 specified. Its exact meaning depends on the specific hardware acceleration
708 For VDPAU, this option specifies the X11 display/screen to use. If this option
709 is not specified, the value of the @var{DISPLAY} environment variable is used
712 For DXVA2, this option should contain the number of the display adapter to use.
713 If this option is not specified, the default adapter is used.
716 For QSV, this option corresponds to the valus of MFX_IMPL_* . Allowed values
731 List all hardware acceleration methods supported in this build of ffmpeg.
735 @section Audio Options
738 @item -aframes @var{number} (@emph{output})
739 Set the number of audio frames to output. This is an alias for @code{-frames:a}.
740 @item -ar[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{freq} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
741 Set the audio sampling frequency. For output streams it is set by
742 default to the frequency of the corresponding input stream. For input
743 streams this option only makes sense for audio grabbing devices and raw
744 demuxers and is mapped to the corresponding demuxer options.
745 @item -aq @var{q} (@emph{output})
746 Set the audio quality (codec-specific, VBR). This is an alias for -q:a.
747 @item -ac[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{channels} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
748 Set the number of audio channels. For output streams it is set by
749 default to the number of input audio channels. For input streams
750 this option only makes sense for audio grabbing devices and raw demuxers
751 and is mapped to the corresponding demuxer options.
752 @item -an (@emph{output})
753 Disable audio recording.
754 @item -acodec @var{codec} (@emph{input/output})
755 Set the audio codec. This is an alias for @code{-codec:a}.
756 @item -sample_fmt[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{sample_fmt} (@emph{output,per-stream})
757 Set the audio sample format. Use @code{-sample_fmts} to get a list
758 of supported sample formats.
760 @item -af @var{filtergraph} (@emph{output})
761 Create the filtergraph specified by @var{filtergraph} and use it to
764 This is an alias for @code{-filter:a}, see the @ref{filter_option,,-filter option}.
767 @section Advanced Audio options
770 @item -atag @var{fourcc/tag} (@emph{output})
771 Force audio tag/fourcc. This is an alias for @code{-tag:a}.
772 @item -absf @var{bitstream_filter}
774 @item -guess_layout_max @var{channels} (@emph{input,per-stream})
775 If some input channel layout is not known, try to guess only if it
776 corresponds to at most the specified number of channels. For example, 2
777 tells to @command{ffmpeg} to recognize 1 channel as mono and 2 channels as
778 stereo but not 6 channels as 5.1. The default is to always try to guess. Use
779 0 to disable all guessing.
782 @section Subtitle options
785 @item -scodec @var{codec} (@emph{input/output})
786 Set the subtitle codec. This is an alias for @code{-codec:s}.
787 @item -sn (@emph{output})
788 Disable subtitle recording.
789 @item -sbsf @var{bitstream_filter}
793 @section Advanced Subtitle options
797 @item -fix_sub_duration
798 Fix subtitles durations. For each subtitle, wait for the next packet in the
799 same stream and adjust the duration of the first to avoid overlap. This is
800 necessary with some subtitles codecs, especially DVB subtitles, because the
801 duration in the original packet is only a rough estimate and the end is
802 actually marked by an empty subtitle frame. Failing to use this option when
803 necessary can result in exaggerated durations or muxing failures due to
804 non-monotonic timestamps.
806 Note that this option will delay the output of all data until the next
807 subtitle packet is decoded: it may increase memory consumption and latency a
810 @item -canvas_size @var{size}
811 Set the size of the canvas used to render subtitles.
815 @section Advanced options
818 @item -map [-]@var{input_file_id}[:@var{stream_specifier}][,@var{sync_file_id}[:@var{stream_specifier}]] | @var{[linklabel]} (@emph{output})
820 Designate one or more input streams as a source for the output file. Each input
821 stream is identified by the input file index @var{input_file_id} and
822 the input stream index @var{input_stream_id} within the input
823 file. Both indices start at 0. If specified,
824 @var{sync_file_id}:@var{stream_specifier} sets which input stream
825 is used as a presentation sync reference.
827 The first @code{-map} option on the command line specifies the
828 source for output stream 0, the second @code{-map} option specifies
829 the source for output stream 1, etc.
831 A @code{-} character before the stream identifier creates a "negative" mapping.
832 It disables matching streams from already created mappings.
834 An alternative @var{[linklabel]} form will map outputs from complex filter
835 graphs (see the @option{-filter_complex} option) to the output file.
836 @var{linklabel} must correspond to a defined output link label in the graph.
838 For example, to map ALL streams from the first input file to output
840 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map 0 output
843 For example, if you have two audio streams in the first input file,
844 these streams are identified by "0:0" and "0:1". You can use
845 @code{-map} to select which streams to place in an output file. For
848 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map 0:1 out.wav
850 will map the input stream in @file{INPUT} identified by "0:1" to
851 the (single) output stream in @file{out.wav}.
853 For example, to select the stream with index 2 from input file
854 @file{a.mov} (specified by the identifier "0:2"), and stream with
855 index 6 from input @file{b.mov} (specified by the identifier "1:6"),
856 and copy them to the output file @file{out.mov}:
858 ffmpeg -i a.mov -i b.mov -c copy -map 0:2 -map 1:6 out.mov
861 To select all video and the third audio stream from an input file:
863 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map 0:v -map 0:a:2 OUTPUT
866 To map all the streams except the second audio, use negative mappings
868 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map 0 -map -0:a:1 OUTPUT
871 To pick the English audio stream:
873 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map 0:m:language:eng OUTPUT
876 Note that using this option disables the default mappings for this output file.
878 @item -ignore_unknown
879 Ignore input streams with unknown type instead of failing if copying
880 such streams is attempted.
883 Allow input streams with unknown type to be copied instead of failing if copying
884 such streams is attempted.
886 @item -map_channel [@var{input_file_id}.@var{stream_specifier}.@var{channel_id}|-1][:@var{output_file_id}.@var{stream_specifier}]
887 Map an audio channel from a given input to an output. If
888 @var{output_file_id}.@var{stream_specifier} is not set, the audio channel will
889 be mapped on all the audio streams.
891 Using "-1" instead of
892 @var{input_file_id}.@var{stream_specifier}.@var{channel_id} will map a muted
895 For example, assuming @var{INPUT} is a stereo audio file, you can switch the
896 two audio channels with the following command:
898 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map_channel 0.0.1 -map_channel 0.0.0 OUTPUT
901 If you want to mute the first channel and keep the second:
903 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map_channel -1 -map_channel 0.0.1 OUTPUT
906 The order of the "-map_channel" option specifies the order of the channels in
907 the output stream. The output channel layout is guessed from the number of
908 channels mapped (mono if one "-map_channel", stereo if two, etc.). Using "-ac"
909 in combination of "-map_channel" makes the channel gain levels to be updated if
910 input and output channel layouts don't match (for instance two "-map_channel"
911 options and "-ac 6").
913 You can also extract each channel of an input to specific outputs; the following
914 command extracts two channels of the @var{INPUT} audio stream (file 0, stream 0)
915 to the respective @var{OUTPUT_CH0} and @var{OUTPUT_CH1} outputs:
917 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map_channel 0.0.0 OUTPUT_CH0 -map_channel 0.0.1 OUTPUT_CH1
920 The following example splits the channels of a stereo input into two separate
921 streams, which are put into the same output file:
923 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
926 Note that currently each output stream can only contain channels from a single
927 input stream; you can't for example use "-map_channel" to pick multiple input
928 audio channels contained in different streams (from the same or different files)
929 and merge them into a single output stream. It is therefore not currently
930 possible, for example, to turn two separate mono streams into a single stereo
931 stream. However splitting a stereo stream into two single channel mono streams
934 If you need this feature, a possible workaround is to use the @emph{amerge}
935 filter. For example, if you need to merge a media (here @file{input.mkv}) with 2
936 mono audio streams into one single stereo channel audio stream (and keep the
937 video stream), you can use the following command:
939 ffmpeg -i input.mkv -filter_complex "[0:1] [0:2] amerge" -c:a pcm_s16le -c:v copy output.mkv
942 @item -map_metadata[:@var{metadata_spec_out}] @var{infile}[:@var{metadata_spec_in}] (@emph{output,per-metadata})
943 Set metadata information of the next output file from @var{infile}. Note that
944 those are file indices (zero-based), not filenames.
945 Optional @var{metadata_spec_in/out} parameters specify, which metadata to copy.
946 A metadata specifier can have the following forms:
949 global metadata, i.e. metadata that applies to the whole file
951 @item @var{s}[:@var{stream_spec}]
952 per-stream metadata. @var{stream_spec} is a stream specifier as described
953 in the @ref{Stream specifiers} chapter. In an input metadata specifier, the first
954 matching stream is copied from. In an output metadata specifier, all matching
955 streams are copied to.
957 @item @var{c}:@var{chapter_index}
958 per-chapter metadata. @var{chapter_index} is the zero-based chapter index.
960 @item @var{p}:@var{program_index}
961 per-program metadata. @var{program_index} is the zero-based program index.
963 If metadata specifier is omitted, it defaults to global.
965 By default, global metadata is copied from the first input file,
966 per-stream and per-chapter metadata is copied along with streams/chapters. These
967 default mappings are disabled by creating any mapping of the relevant type. A negative
968 file index can be used to create a dummy mapping that just disables automatic copying.
970 For example to copy metadata from the first stream of the input file to global metadata
973 ffmpeg -i in.ogg -map_metadata 0:s:0 out.mp3
976 To do the reverse, i.e. copy global metadata to all audio streams:
978 ffmpeg -i in.mkv -map_metadata:s:a 0:g out.mkv
980 Note that simple @code{0} would work as well in this example, since global
981 metadata is assumed by default.
983 @item -map_chapters @var{input_file_index} (@emph{output})
984 Copy chapters from input file with index @var{input_file_index} to the next
985 output file. If no chapter mapping is specified, then chapters are copied from
986 the first input file with at least one chapter. Use a negative file index to
987 disable any chapter copying.
989 @item -benchmark (@emph{global})
990 Show benchmarking information at the end of an encode.
991 Shows CPU time used and maximum memory consumption.
992 Maximum memory consumption is not supported on all systems,
993 it will usually display as 0 if not supported.
994 @item -benchmark_all (@emph{global})
995 Show benchmarking information during the encode.
996 Shows CPU time used in various steps (audio/video encode/decode).
997 @item -timelimit @var{duration} (@emph{global})
998 Exit after ffmpeg has been running for @var{duration} seconds.
999 @item -dump (@emph{global})
1000 Dump each input packet to stderr.
1001 @item -hex (@emph{global})
1002 When dumping packets, also dump the payload.
1003 @item -re (@emph{input})
1004 Read input at native frame rate. Mainly used to simulate a grab device.
1005 or live input stream (e.g. when reading from a file). Should not be used
1006 with actual grab devices or live input streams (where it can cause packet
1008 By default @command{ffmpeg} attempts to read the input(s) as fast as possible.
1009 This option will slow down the reading of the input(s) to the native frame rate
1010 of the input(s). It is useful for real-time output (e.g. live streaming).
1012 Loop over the input stream. Currently it works only for image
1013 streams. This option is used for automatic FFserver testing.
1014 This option is deprecated, use -loop 1.
1015 @item -loop_output @var{number_of_times}
1016 Repeatedly loop output for formats that support looping such as animated GIF
1017 (0 will loop the output infinitely).
1018 This option is deprecated, use -loop.
1019 @item -vsync @var{parameter}
1021 For compatibility reasons old values can be specified as numbers.
1022 Newly added values will have to be specified as strings always.
1025 @item 0, passthrough
1026 Each frame is passed with its timestamp from the demuxer to the muxer.
1028 Frames will be duplicated and dropped to achieve exactly the requested
1029 constant frame rate.
1031 Frames are passed through with their timestamp or dropped so as to
1032 prevent 2 frames from having the same timestamp.
1034 As passthrough but destroys all timestamps, making the muxer generate
1035 fresh timestamps based on frame-rate.
1037 Chooses between 1 and 2 depending on muxer capabilities. This is the
1041 Note that the timestamps may be further modified by the muxer, after this.
1042 For example, in the case that the format option @option{avoid_negative_ts}
1045 With -map you can select from which stream the timestamps should be
1046 taken. You can leave either video or audio unchanged and sync the
1047 remaining stream(s) to the unchanged one.
1049 @item -frame_drop_threshold @var{parameter}
1050 Frame drop threshold, which specifies how much behind video frames can
1051 be before they are dropped. In frame rate units, so 1.0 is one frame.
1052 The default is -1.1. One possible usecase is to avoid framedrops in case
1053 of noisy timestamps or to increase frame drop precision in case of exact
1056 @item -async @var{samples_per_second}
1057 Audio sync method. "Stretches/squeezes" the audio stream to match the timestamps,
1058 the parameter is the maximum samples per second by which the audio is changed.
1059 -async 1 is a special case where only the start of the audio stream is corrected
1060 without any later correction.
1062 Note that the timestamps may be further modified by the muxer, after this.
1063 For example, in the case that the format option @option{avoid_negative_ts}
1066 This option has been deprecated. Use the @code{aresample} audio filter instead.
1069 Do not process input timestamps, but keep their values without trying
1070 to sanitize them. In particular, do not remove the initial start time
1073 Note that, depending on the @option{vsync} option or on specific muxer
1074 processing (e.g. in case the format option @option{avoid_negative_ts}
1075 is enabled) the output timestamps may mismatch with the input
1076 timestamps even when this option is selected.
1078 @item -start_at_zero
1079 When used with @option{copyts}, shift input timestamps so they start at zero.
1081 This means that using e.g. @code{-ss 50} will make output timestamps start at
1082 50 seconds, regardless of what timestamp the input file started at.
1084 @item -copytb @var{mode}
1085 Specify how to set the encoder timebase when stream copying. @var{mode} is an
1086 integer numeric value, and can assume one of the following values:
1090 Use the demuxer timebase.
1092 The time base is copied to the output encoder from the corresponding input
1093 demuxer. This is sometimes required to avoid non monotonically increasing
1094 timestamps when copying video streams with variable frame rate.
1097 Use the decoder timebase.
1099 The time base is copied to the output encoder from the corresponding input
1103 Try to make the choice automatically, in order to generate a sane output.
1106 Default value is -1.
1108 @item -shortest (@emph{output})
1109 Finish encoding when the shortest input stream ends.
1110 @item -dts_delta_threshold
1111 Timestamp discontinuity delta threshold.
1112 @item -muxdelay @var{seconds} (@emph{input})
1113 Set the maximum demux-decode delay.
1114 @item -muxpreload @var{seconds} (@emph{input})
1115 Set the initial demux-decode delay.
1116 @item -streamid @var{output-stream-index}:@var{new-value} (@emph{output})
1117 Assign a new stream-id value to an output stream. This option should be
1118 specified prior to the output filename to which it applies.
1119 For the situation where multiple output files exist, a streamid
1120 may be reassigned to a different value.
1122 For example, to set the stream 0 PID to 33 and the stream 1 PID to 36 for
1123 an output mpegts file:
1125 ffmpeg -i infile -streamid 0:33 -streamid 1:36 out.ts
1128 @item -bsf[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{bitstream_filters} (@emph{output,per-stream})
1129 Set bitstream filters for matching streams. @var{bitstream_filters} is
1130 a comma-separated list of bitstream filters. Use the @code{-bsfs} option
1131 to get the list of bitstream filters.
1133 ffmpeg -i h264.mp4 -c:v copy -bsf:v h264_mp4toannexb -an out.h264
1136 ffmpeg -i file.mov -an -vn -bsf:s mov2textsub -c:s copy -f rawvideo sub.txt
1139 @item -tag[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{codec_tag} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
1140 Force a tag/fourcc for matching streams.
1142 @item -timecode @var{hh}:@var{mm}:@var{ss}SEP@var{ff}
1143 Specify Timecode for writing. @var{SEP} is ':' for non drop timecode and ';'
1146 ffmpeg -i input.mpg -timecode 01:02:03.04 -r 30000/1001 -s ntsc output.mpg
1149 @anchor{filter_complex_option}
1150 @item -filter_complex @var{filtergraph} (@emph{global})
1151 Define a complex filtergraph, i.e. one with arbitrary number of inputs and/or
1152 outputs. For simple graphs -- those with one input and one output of the same
1153 type -- see the @option{-filter} options. @var{filtergraph} is a description of
1154 the filtergraph, as described in the ``Filtergraph syntax'' section of the
1155 ffmpeg-filters manual.
1157 Input link labels must refer to input streams using the
1158 @code{[file_index:stream_specifier]} syntax (i.e. the same as @option{-map}
1159 uses). If @var{stream_specifier} matches multiple streams, the first one will be
1160 used. An unlabeled input will be connected to the first unused input stream of
1163 Output link labels are referred to with @option{-map}. Unlabeled outputs are
1164 added to the first output file.
1166 Note that with this option it is possible to use only lavfi sources without
1169 For example, to overlay an image over video
1171 ffmpeg -i video.mkv -i image.png -filter_complex '[0:v][1:v]overlay[out]' -map
1174 Here @code{[0:v]} refers to the first video stream in the first input file,
1175 which is linked to the first (main) input of the overlay filter. Similarly the
1176 first video stream in the second input is linked to the second (overlay) input
1179 Assuming there is only one video stream in each input file, we can omit input
1180 labels, so the above is equivalent to
1182 ffmpeg -i video.mkv -i image.png -filter_complex 'overlay[out]' -map
1186 Furthermore we can omit the output label and the single output from the filter
1187 graph will be added to the output file automatically, so we can simply write
1189 ffmpeg -i video.mkv -i image.png -filter_complex 'overlay' out.mkv
1192 To generate 5 seconds of pure red video using lavfi @code{color} source:
1194 ffmpeg -filter_complex 'color=c=red' -t 5 out.mkv
1197 @item -lavfi @var{filtergraph} (@emph{global})
1198 Define a complex filtergraph, i.e. one with arbitrary number of inputs and/or
1199 outputs. Equivalent to @option{-filter_complex}.
1201 @item -filter_complex_script @var{filename} (@emph{global})
1202 This option is similar to @option{-filter_complex}, the only difference is that
1203 its argument is the name of the file from which a complex filtergraph
1204 description is to be read.
1206 @item -accurate_seek (@emph{input})
1207 This option enables or disables accurate seeking in input files with the
1208 @option{-ss} option. It is enabled by default, so seeking is accurate when
1209 transcoding. Use @option{-noaccurate_seek} to disable it, which may be useful
1210 e.g. when copying some streams and transcoding the others.
1212 @item -seek_timestamp (@emph{input})
1213 This option enables or disables seeking by timestamp in input files with the
1214 @option{-ss} option. It is disabled by default. If enabled, the argument
1215 to the @option{-ss} option is considered an actual timestamp, and is not
1216 offset by the start time of the file. This matters only for files which do
1217 not start from timestamp 0, such as transport streams.
1219 @item -thread_queue_size @var{size} (@emph{input})
1220 This option sets the maximum number of queued packets when reading from the
1221 file or device. With low latency / high rate live streams, packets may be
1222 discarded if they are not read in a timely manner; raising this value can
1225 @item -override_ffserver (@emph{global})
1226 Overrides the input specifications from @command{ffserver}. Using this
1227 option you can map any input stream to @command{ffserver} and control
1228 many aspects of the encoding from @command{ffmpeg}. Without this
1229 option @command{ffmpeg} will transmit to @command{ffserver} what is
1230 requested by @command{ffserver}.
1232 The option is intended for cases where features are needed that cannot be
1233 specified to @command{ffserver} but can be to @command{ffmpeg}.
1235 @item -sdp_file @var{file} (@emph{global})
1236 Print sdp information for an output stream to @var{file}.
1237 This allows dumping sdp information when at least one output isn't an
1238 rtp stream. (Requires at least one of the output formats to be rtp).
1240 @item -discard (@emph{input})
1241 Allows discarding specific streams or frames of streams at the demuxer.
1242 Not all demuxers support this.
1249 Default, which discards no frames.
1252 Discard all non-reference frames.
1255 Discard all bidirectional frames.
1258 Discard all frames excepts keyframes.
1264 @item -abort_on @var{flags} (@emph{global})
1265 Stop and abort on various conditions. The following flags are available:
1269 No packets were passed to the muxer, the output is empty.
1272 @item -xerror (@emph{global})
1273 Stop and exit on error
1277 As a special exception, you can use a bitmap subtitle stream as input: it
1278 will be converted into a video with the same size as the largest video in
1279 the file, or 720x576 if no video is present. Note that this is an
1280 experimental and temporary solution. It will be removed once libavfilter has
1281 proper support for subtitles.
1283 For example, to hardcode subtitles on top of a DVB-T recording stored in
1284 MPEG-TS format, delaying the subtitles by 1 second:
1286 ffmpeg -i input.ts -filter_complex \
1287 '[#0x2ef] setpts=PTS+1/TB [sub] ; [#0x2d0] [sub] overlay' \
1288 -sn -map '#0x2dc' output.mkv
1290 (0x2d0, 0x2dc and 0x2ef are the MPEG-TS PIDs of respectively the video,
1291 audio and subtitles streams; 0:0, 0:3 and 0:7 would have worked too)
1293 @section Preset files
1294 A preset file contains a sequence of @var{option}=@var{value} pairs,
1295 one for each line, specifying a sequence of options which would be
1296 awkward to specify on the command line. Lines starting with the hash
1297 ('#') character are ignored and are used to provide comments. Check
1298 the @file{presets} directory in the FFmpeg source tree for examples.
1300 There are two types of preset files: ffpreset and avpreset files.
1302 @subsection ffpreset files
1303 ffpreset files are specified with the @code{vpre}, @code{apre},
1304 @code{spre}, and @code{fpre} options. The @code{fpre} option takes the
1305 filename of the preset instead of a preset name as input and can be
1306 used for any kind of codec. For the @code{vpre}, @code{apre}, and
1307 @code{spre} options, the options specified in a preset file are
1308 applied to the currently selected codec of the same type as the preset
1311 The argument passed to the @code{vpre}, @code{apre}, and @code{spre}
1312 preset options identifies the preset file to use according to the
1315 First ffmpeg searches for a file named @var{arg}.ffpreset in the
1316 directories @file{$FFMPEG_DATADIR} (if set), and @file{$HOME/.ffmpeg}, and in
1317 the datadir defined at configuration time (usually @file{PREFIX/share/ffmpeg})
1318 or in a @file{ffpresets} folder along the executable on win32,
1319 in that order. For example, if the argument is @code{libvpx-1080p}, it will
1320 search for the file @file{libvpx-1080p.ffpreset}.
1322 If no such file is found, then ffmpeg will search for a file named
1323 @var{codec_name}-@var{arg}.ffpreset in the above-mentioned
1324 directories, where @var{codec_name} is the name of the codec to which
1325 the preset file options will be applied. For example, if you select
1326 the video codec with @code{-vcodec libvpx} and use @code{-vpre 1080p},
1327 then it will search for the file @file{libvpx-1080p.ffpreset}.
1329 @subsection avpreset files
1330 avpreset files are specified with the @code{pre} option. They work similar to
1331 ffpreset files, but they only allow encoder- specific options. Therefore, an
1332 @var{option}=@var{value} pair specifying an encoder cannot be used.
1334 When the @code{pre} option is specified, ffmpeg will look for files with the
1335 suffix .avpreset in the directories @file{$AVCONV_DATADIR} (if set), and
1336 @file{$HOME/.avconv}, and in the datadir defined at configuration time (usually
1337 @file{PREFIX/share/ffmpeg}), in that order.
1339 First ffmpeg searches for a file named @var{codec_name}-@var{arg}.avpreset in
1340 the above-mentioned directories, where @var{codec_name} is the name of the codec
1341 to which the preset file options will be applied. For example, if you select the
1342 video codec with @code{-vcodec libvpx} and use @code{-pre 1080p}, then it will
1343 search for the file @file{libvpx-1080p.avpreset}.
1345 If no such file is found, then ffmpeg will search for a file named
1346 @var{arg}.avpreset in the same directories.
1351 @c man begin EXAMPLES
1353 @section Video and Audio grabbing
1355 If you specify the input format and device then ffmpeg can grab video
1359 ffmpeg -f oss -i /dev/dsp -f video4linux2 -i /dev/video0 /tmp/out.mpg
1362 Or with an ALSA audio source (mono input, card id 1) instead of OSS:
1364 ffmpeg -f alsa -ac 1 -i hw:1 -f video4linux2 -i /dev/video0 /tmp/out.mpg
1367 Note that you must activate the right video source and channel before
1368 launching ffmpeg with any TV viewer such as
1369 @uref{http://linux.bytesex.org/xawtv/, xawtv} by Gerd Knorr. You also
1370 have to set the audio recording levels correctly with a
1373 @section X11 grabbing
1375 Grab the X11 display with ffmpeg via
1378 ffmpeg -f x11grab -video_size cif -framerate 25 -i :0.0 /tmp/out.mpg
1381 0.0 is display.screen number of your X11 server, same as
1382 the DISPLAY environment variable.
1385 ffmpeg -f x11grab -video_size cif -framerate 25 -i :0.0+10,20 /tmp/out.mpg
1388 0.0 is display.screen number of your X11 server, same as the DISPLAY environment
1389 variable. 10 is the x-offset and 20 the y-offset for the grabbing.
1391 @section Video and Audio file format conversion
1393 Any supported file format and protocol can serve as input to ffmpeg:
1398 You can use YUV files as input:
1401 ffmpeg -i /tmp/test%d.Y /tmp/out.mpg
1404 It will use the files:
1406 /tmp/test0.Y, /tmp/test0.U, /tmp/test0.V,
1407 /tmp/test1.Y, /tmp/test1.U, /tmp/test1.V, etc...
1410 The Y files use twice the resolution of the U and V files. They are
1411 raw files, without header. They can be generated by all decent video
1412 decoders. You must specify the size of the image with the @option{-s} option
1413 if ffmpeg cannot guess it.
1416 You can input from a raw YUV420P file:
1419 ffmpeg -i /tmp/test.yuv /tmp/out.avi
1422 test.yuv is a file containing raw YUV planar data. Each frame is composed
1423 of the Y plane followed by the U and V planes at half vertical and
1424 horizontal resolution.
1427 You can output to a raw YUV420P file:
1430 ffmpeg -i mydivx.avi hugefile.yuv
1434 You can set several input files and output files:
1437 ffmpeg -i /tmp/a.wav -s 640x480 -i /tmp/a.yuv /tmp/a.mpg
1440 Converts the audio file a.wav and the raw YUV video file a.yuv
1444 You can also do audio and video conversions at the same time:
1447 ffmpeg -i /tmp/a.wav -ar 22050 /tmp/a.mp2
1450 Converts a.wav to MPEG audio at 22050 Hz sample rate.
1453 You can encode to several formats at the same time and define a
1454 mapping from input stream to output streams:
1457 ffmpeg -i /tmp/a.wav -map 0:a -b:a 64k /tmp/a.mp2 -map 0:a -b:a 128k /tmp/b.mp2
1460 Converts a.wav to a.mp2 at 64 kbits and to b.mp2 at 128 kbits. '-map
1461 file:index' specifies which input stream is used for each output
1462 stream, in the order of the definition of output streams.
1465 You can transcode decrypted VOBs:
1468 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
1471 This is a typical DVD ripping example; the input is a VOB file, the
1472 output an AVI file with MPEG-4 video and MP3 audio. Note that in this
1473 command we use B-frames so the MPEG-4 stream is DivX5 compatible, and
1474 GOP size is 300 which means one intra frame every 10 seconds for 29.97fps
1475 input video. Furthermore, the audio stream is MP3-encoded so you need
1476 to enable LAME support by passing @code{--enable-libmp3lame} to configure.
1477 The mapping is particularly useful for DVD transcoding
1478 to get the desired audio language.
1480 NOTE: To see the supported input formats, use @code{ffmpeg -formats}.
1483 You can extract images from a video, or create a video from many images:
1485 For extracting images from a video:
1487 ffmpeg -i foo.avi -r 1 -s WxH -f image2 foo-%03d.jpeg
1490 This will extract one video frame per second from the video and will
1491 output them in files named @file{foo-001.jpeg}, @file{foo-002.jpeg},
1492 etc. Images will be rescaled to fit the new WxH values.
1494 If you want to extract just a limited number of frames, you can use the
1495 above command in combination with the -vframes or -t option, or in
1496 combination with -ss to start extracting from a certain point in time.
1498 For creating a video from many images:
1500 ffmpeg -f image2 -framerate 12 -i foo-%03d.jpeg -s WxH foo.avi
1503 The syntax @code{foo-%03d.jpeg} specifies to use a decimal number
1504 composed of three digits padded with zeroes to express the sequence
1505 number. It is the same syntax supported by the C printf function, but
1506 only formats accepting a normal integer are suitable.
1508 When importing an image sequence, -i also supports expanding
1509 shell-like wildcard patterns (globbing) internally, by selecting the
1510 image2-specific @code{-pattern_type glob} option.
1512 For example, for creating a video from filenames matching the glob pattern
1515 ffmpeg -f image2 -pattern_type glob -framerate 12 -i 'foo-*.jpeg' -s WxH foo.avi
1519 You can put many streams of the same type in the output:
1522 ffmpeg -i test1.avi -i test2.avi -map 1:1 -map 1:0 -map 0:1 -map 0:0 -c copy -y test12.nut
1525 The resulting output file @file{test12.nut} will contain the first four streams
1526 from the input files in reverse order.
1529 To force CBR video output:
1531 ffmpeg -i myfile.avi -b 4000k -minrate 4000k -maxrate 4000k -bufsize 1835k out.m2v
1535 The four options lmin, lmax, mblmin and mblmax use 'lambda' units,
1536 but you may use the QP2LAMBDA constant to easily convert from 'q' units:
1538 ffmpeg -i src.ext -lmax 21*QP2LAMBDA dst.ext
1544 @include config.texi
1546 @ifset config-avutil
1549 @ifset config-avcodec
1550 @include codecs.texi
1551 @include bitstream_filters.texi
1553 @ifset config-avformat
1554 @include formats.texi
1555 @include protocols.texi
1557 @ifset config-avdevice
1558 @include devices.texi
1560 @ifset config-swresample
1561 @include resampler.texi
1563 @ifset config-swscale
1564 @include scaler.texi
1566 @ifset config-avfilter
1567 @include filters.texi
1575 @url{ffmpeg.html,ffmpeg}
1577 @ifset config-not-all
1578 @url{ffmpeg-all.html,ffmpeg-all},
1580 @url{ffplay.html,ffplay}, @url{ffprobe.html,ffprobe}, @url{ffserver.html,ffserver},
1581 @url{ffmpeg-utils.html,ffmpeg-utils},
1582 @url{ffmpeg-scaler.html,ffmpeg-scaler},
1583 @url{ffmpeg-resampler.html,ffmpeg-resampler},
1584 @url{ffmpeg-codecs.html,ffmpeg-codecs},
1585 @url{ffmpeg-bitstream-filters.html,ffmpeg-bitstream-filters},
1586 @url{ffmpeg-formats.html,ffmpeg-formats},
1587 @url{ffmpeg-devices.html,ffmpeg-devices},
1588 @url{ffmpeg-protocols.html,ffmpeg-protocols},
1589 @url{ffmpeg-filters.html,ffmpeg-filters}
1596 @ifset config-not-all
1599 ffplay(1), ffprobe(1), ffserver(1),
1600 ffmpeg-utils(1), ffmpeg-scaler(1), ffmpeg-resampler(1),
1601 ffmpeg-codecs(1), ffmpeg-bitstream-filters(1), ffmpeg-formats(1),
1602 ffmpeg-devices(1), ffmpeg-protocols(1), ffmpeg-filters(1)
1605 @include authors.texi
1610 @settitle ffmpeg video converter