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 in seconds.
289 @code{[-]hh:mm:ss[.xxx]} syntax is also supported.
290 The offset is added to the timestamps of the input files.
291 Specifying a positive offset means that the corresponding
292 streams are delayed by @var{offset} seconds.
294 @item -timestamp @var{time} (@emph{output})
295 Set the recording timestamp in the container.
296 The syntax for @var{time} is:
298 now|([(YYYY-MM-DD|YYYYMMDD)[T|t| ]]((HH:MM:SS[.m...])|(HHMMSS[.m...]))[Z|z])
300 If the value is "now" it takes the current time.
301 Time is local time unless 'Z' or 'z' is appended, in which case it is
303 If the year-month-day part is not specified it takes the current
306 @item -metadata[:metadata_specifier] @var{key}=@var{value} (@emph{output,per-metadata})
307 Set a metadata key/value pair.
309 An optional @var{metadata_specifier} may be given to set metadata
310 on streams or chapters. See @code{-map_metadata} documentation for
313 This option overrides metadata set with @code{-map_metadata}. It is
314 also possible to delete metadata by using an empty value.
316 For example, for setting the title in the output file:
318 ffmpeg -i in.avi -metadata title="my title" out.flv
321 To set the language of the first audio stream:
323 ffmpeg -i INPUT -metadata:s:a:1 language=eng OUTPUT
326 @item -target @var{type} (@emph{output})
327 Specify target file type (@code{vcd}, @code{svcd}, @code{dvd}, @code{dv},
328 @code{dv50}). @var{type} may be prefixed with @code{pal-}, @code{ntsc-} or
329 @code{film-} to use the corresponding standard. All the format options
330 (bitrate, codecs, buffer sizes) are then set automatically. You can just type:
333 ffmpeg -i myfile.avi -target vcd /tmp/vcd.mpg
336 Nevertheless you can specify additional options as long as you know
337 they do not conflict with the standard, as in:
340 ffmpeg -i myfile.avi -target vcd -bf 2 /tmp/vcd.mpg
343 @item -dframes @var{number} (@emph{output})
344 Set the number of data frames to record. This is an alias for @code{-frames:d}.
346 @item -frames[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{framecount} (@emph{output,per-stream})
347 Stop writing to the stream after @var{framecount} frames.
349 @item -q[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{q} (@emph{output,per-stream})
350 @itemx -qscale[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{q} (@emph{output,per-stream})
351 Use fixed quality scale (VBR). The meaning of @var{q}/@var{qscale} is
353 If @var{qscale} is used without a @var{stream_specifier} then it applies only
354 to the video stream, this is to maintain compatibility with previous behavior
355 and as specifying the same codec specific value to 2 different codecs that is
356 audio and video generally is not what is intended when no stream_specifier is
359 @anchor{filter_option}
360 @item -filter[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{filtergraph} (@emph{output,per-stream})
361 Create the filtergraph specified by @var{filtergraph} and use it to
364 @var{filtergraph} is a description of the filtergraph to apply to
365 the stream, and must have a single input and a single output of the
366 same type of the stream. In the filtergraph, the input is associated
367 to the label @code{in}, and the output to the label @code{out}. See
368 the ffmpeg-filters manual for more information about the filtergraph
371 See the @ref{filter_complex_option,,-filter_complex option} if you
372 want to create filtergraphs with multiple inputs and/or outputs.
374 @item -filter_script[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{filename} (@emph{output,per-stream})
375 This option is similar to @option{-filter}, the only difference is that its
376 argument is the name of the file from which a filtergraph description is to be
379 @item -pre[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{preset_name} (@emph{output,per-stream})
380 Specify the preset for matching stream(s).
382 @item -stats (@emph{global})
383 Print encoding progress/statistics. It is on by default, to explicitly
384 disable it you need to specify @code{-nostats}.
386 @item -progress @var{url} (@emph{global})
387 Send program-friendly progress information to @var{url}.
389 Progress information is written approximately every second and at the end of
390 the encoding process. It is made of "@var{key}=@var{value}" lines. @var{key}
391 consists of only alphanumeric characters. The last key of a sequence of
392 progress information is always "progress".
395 Enable interaction on standard input. On by default unless standard input is
396 used as an input. To explicitly disable interaction you need to specify
399 Disabling interaction on standard input is useful, for example, if
400 ffmpeg is in the background process group. Roughly the same result can
401 be achieved with @code{ffmpeg ... < /dev/null} but it requires a
404 @item -debug_ts (@emph{global})
405 Print timestamp information. It is off by default. This option is
406 mostly useful for testing and debugging purposes, and the output
407 format may change from one version to another, so it should not be
408 employed by portable scripts.
410 See also the option @code{-fdebug ts}.
412 @item -attach @var{filename} (@emph{output})
413 Add an attachment to the output file. This is supported by a few formats
414 like Matroska for e.g. fonts used in rendering subtitles. Attachments
415 are implemented as a specific type of stream, so this option will add
416 a new stream to the file. It is then possible to use per-stream options
417 on this stream in the usual way. Attachment streams created with this
418 option will be created after all the other streams (i.e. those created
419 with @code{-map} or automatic mappings).
421 Note that for Matroska you also have to set the mimetype metadata tag:
423 ffmpeg -i INPUT -attach DejaVuSans.ttf -metadata:s:2 mimetype=application/x-truetype-font out.mkv
425 (assuming that the attachment stream will be third in the output file).
427 @item -dump_attachment[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{filename} (@emph{input,per-stream})
428 Extract the matching attachment stream into a file named @var{filename}. If
429 @var{filename} is empty, then the value of the @code{filename} metadata tag
432 E.g. to extract the first attachment to a file named 'out.ttf':
434 ffmpeg -dump_attachment:t:0 out.ttf -i INPUT
436 To extract all attachments to files determined by the @code{filename} tag:
438 ffmpeg -dump_attachment:t "" -i INPUT
441 Technical note -- attachments are implemented as codec extradata, so this
442 option can actually be used to extract extradata from any stream, not just
447 @section Video Options
450 @item -vframes @var{number} (@emph{output})
451 Set the number of video frames to record. This is an alias for @code{-frames:v}.
452 @item -r[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{fps} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
453 Set frame rate (Hz value, fraction or abbreviation).
455 As an input option, ignore any timestamps stored in the file and instead
456 generate timestamps assuming constant frame rate @var{fps}.
458 As an output option, duplicate or drop input frames to achieve constant output
459 frame rate @var{fps}.
461 @item -s[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{size} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
464 As an input option, this is a shortcut for the @option{video_size} private
465 option, recognized by some demuxers for which the frame size is either not
466 stored in the file or is configurable -- e.g. raw video or video grabbers.
468 As an output option, this inserts the @code{scale} video filter to the
469 @emph{end} of the corresponding filtergraph. Please use the @code{scale} filter
470 directly to insert it at the beginning or some other place.
472 The format is @samp{wxh} (default - same as source).
474 @item -aspect[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{aspect} (@emph{output,per-stream})
475 Set the video display aspect ratio specified by @var{aspect}.
477 @var{aspect} can be a floating point number string, or a string of the
478 form @var{num}:@var{den}, where @var{num} and @var{den} are the
479 numerator and denominator of the aspect ratio. For example "4:3",
480 "16:9", "1.3333", and "1.7777" are valid argument values.
482 If used together with @option{-vcodec copy}, it will affect the aspect ratio
483 stored at container level, but not the aspect ratio stored in encoded
484 frames, if it exists.
486 @item -vn (@emph{output})
487 Disable video recording.
489 @item -vcodec @var{codec} (@emph{output})
490 Set the video codec. This is an alias for @code{-codec:v}.
492 @item -pass[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{n} (@emph{output,per-stream})
493 Select the pass number (1 or 2). It is used to do two-pass
494 video encoding. The statistics of the video are recorded in the first
495 pass into a log file (see also the option -passlogfile),
496 and in the second pass that log file is used to generate the video
497 at the exact requested bitrate.
498 On pass 1, you may just deactivate audio and set output to null,
499 examples for Windows and Unix:
501 ffmpeg -i foo.mov -c:v libxvid -pass 1 -an -f rawvideo -y NUL
502 ffmpeg -i foo.mov -c:v libxvid -pass 1 -an -f rawvideo -y /dev/null
505 @item -passlogfile[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{prefix} (@emph{output,per-stream})
506 Set two-pass log file name prefix to @var{prefix}, the default file name
507 prefix is ``ffmpeg2pass''. The complete file name will be
508 @file{PREFIX-N.log}, where N is a number specific to the output
511 @item -vf @var{filtergraph} (@emph{output})
512 Create the filtergraph specified by @var{filtergraph} and use it to
515 This is an alias for @code{-filter:v}, see the @ref{filter_option,,-filter option}.
518 @section Advanced Video Options
521 @item -pix_fmt[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{format} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
522 Set pixel format. Use @code{-pix_fmts} to show all the supported
524 If the selected pixel format can not be selected, ffmpeg will print a
525 warning and select the best pixel format supported by the encoder.
526 If @var{pix_fmt} is prefixed by a @code{+}, ffmpeg will exit with an error
527 if the requested pixel format can not be selected, and automatic conversions
528 inside filtergraphs are disabled.
529 If @var{pix_fmt} is a single @code{+}, ffmpeg selects the same pixel format
530 as the input (or graph output) and automatic conversions are disabled.
532 @item -sws_flags @var{flags} (@emph{input/output})
537 @item -rc_override[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{override} (@emph{output,per-stream})
538 Rate control override for specific intervals, formatted as "int,int,int"
539 list separated with slashes. Two first values are the beginning and
540 end frame numbers, last one is quantizer to use if positive, or quality
544 Force interlacing support in encoder (MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 only).
545 Use this option if your input file is interlaced and you want
546 to keep the interlaced format for minimum losses.
547 The alternative is to deinterlace the input stream with
548 @option{-deinterlace}, but deinterlacing introduces losses.
550 Calculate PSNR of compressed frames.
552 Dump video coding statistics to @file{vstats_HHMMSS.log}.
553 @item -vstats_file @var{file}
554 Dump video coding statistics to @var{file}.
555 @item -top[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{n} (@emph{output,per-stream})
556 top=1/bottom=0/auto=-1 field first
557 @item -dc @var{precision}
559 @item -vtag @var{fourcc/tag} (@emph{output})
560 Force video tag/fourcc. This is an alias for @code{-tag:v}.
561 @item -qphist (@emph{global})
563 @item -vbsf @var{bitstream_filter}
566 @item -force_key_frames[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{time}[,@var{time}...] (@emph{output,per-stream})
567 @item -force_key_frames[:@var{stream_specifier}] expr:@var{expr} (@emph{output,per-stream})
568 Force key frames at the specified timestamps, more precisely at the first
569 frames after each specified time.
571 If the argument is prefixed with @code{expr:}, the string @var{expr}
572 is interpreted like an expression and is evaluated for each frame. A
573 key frame is forced in case the evaluation is non-zero.
575 If one of the times is "@code{chapters}[@var{delta}]", it is expanded into
576 the time of the beginning of all chapters in the file, shifted by
577 @var{delta}, expressed as a time in seconds.
578 This option can be useful to ensure that a seek point is present at a
579 chapter mark or any other designated place in the output file.
581 For example, to insert a key frame at 5 minutes, plus key frames 0.1 second
582 before the beginning of every chapter:
584 -force_key_frames 0:05:00,chapters-0.1
587 The expression in @var{expr} can contain the following constants:
590 the number of current processed frame, starting from 0
592 the number of forced frames
594 the number of the previous forced frame, it is @code{NAN} when no
595 keyframe was forced yet
597 the time of the previous forced frame, it is @code{NAN} when no
598 keyframe was forced yet
600 the time of the current processed frame
603 For example to force a key frame every 5 seconds, you can specify:
605 -force_key_frames expr:gte(t,n_forced*5)
608 To force a key frame 5 seconds after the time of the last forced one,
609 starting from second 13:
611 -force_key_frames expr:if(isnan(prev_forced_t),gte(t,13),gte(t,prev_forced_t+5))
614 Note that forcing too many keyframes is very harmful for the lookahead
615 algorithms of certain encoders: using fixed-GOP options or similar
616 would be more efficient.
618 @item -copyinkf[:@var{stream_specifier}] (@emph{output,per-stream})
619 When doing stream copy, copy also non-key frames found at the
622 @item -hwaccel[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{hwaccel} (@emph{input,per-stream})
623 Use hardware acceleration to decode the matching stream(s). The allowed values
624 of @var{hwaccel} are:
627 Do not use any hardware acceleration (the default).
630 Automatically select the hardware acceleration method.
633 Use VDPAU (Video Decode and Presentation API for Unix) hardware acceleration.
636 This option has no effect if the selected hwaccel is not available or not
637 supported by the chosen decoder.
639 Note that most acceleration methods are intended for playback and will not be
640 faster than software decoding on modern CPUs. Additionally, @command{ffmpeg}
641 will usually need to copy the decoded frames from the GPU memory into the system
642 memory, resulting in further performance loss. This option is thus mainly
645 @item -hwaccel_device[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{hwaccel_device} (@emph{input,per-stream})
646 Select a device to use for hardware acceleration.
648 This option only makes sense when the @option{-hwaccel} option is also
649 specified. Its exact meaning depends on the specific hardware acceleration
654 For VDPAU, this option specifies the X11 display/screen to use. If this option
655 is not specified, the value of the @var{DISPLAY} environment variable is used
659 @section Audio Options
662 @item -aframes @var{number} (@emph{output})
663 Set the number of audio frames to record. This is an alias for @code{-frames:a}.
664 @item -ar[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{freq} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
665 Set the audio sampling frequency. For output streams it is set by
666 default to the frequency of the corresponding input stream. For input
667 streams this option only makes sense for audio grabbing devices and raw
668 demuxers and is mapped to the corresponding demuxer options.
669 @item -aq @var{q} (@emph{output})
670 Set the audio quality (codec-specific, VBR). This is an alias for -q:a.
671 @item -ac[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{channels} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
672 Set the number of audio channels. For output streams it is set by
673 default to the number of input audio channels. For input streams
674 this option only makes sense for audio grabbing devices and raw demuxers
675 and is mapped to the corresponding demuxer options.
676 @item -an (@emph{output})
677 Disable audio recording.
678 @item -acodec @var{codec} (@emph{input/output})
679 Set the audio codec. This is an alias for @code{-codec:a}.
680 @item -sample_fmt[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{sample_fmt} (@emph{output,per-stream})
681 Set the audio sample format. Use @code{-sample_fmts} to get a list
682 of supported sample formats.
684 @item -af @var{filtergraph} (@emph{output})
685 Create the filtergraph specified by @var{filtergraph} and use it to
688 This is an alias for @code{-filter:a}, see the @ref{filter_option,,-filter option}.
691 @section Advanced Audio options:
694 @item -atag @var{fourcc/tag} (@emph{output})
695 Force audio tag/fourcc. This is an alias for @code{-tag:a}.
696 @item -absf @var{bitstream_filter}
698 @item -guess_layout_max @var{channels} (@emph{input,per-stream})
699 If some input channel layout is not known, try to guess only if it
700 corresponds to at most the specified number of channels. For example, 2
701 tells to @command{ffmpeg} to recognize 1 channel as mono and 2 channels as
702 stereo but not 6 channels as 5.1. The default is to always try to guess. Use
703 0 to disable all guessing.
706 @section Subtitle options:
709 @item -scodec @var{codec} (@emph{input/output})
710 Set the subtitle codec. This is an alias for @code{-codec:s}.
711 @item -sn (@emph{output})
712 Disable subtitle recording.
713 @item -sbsf @var{bitstream_filter}
717 @section Advanced Subtitle options:
721 @item -fix_sub_duration
722 Fix subtitles durations. For each subtitle, wait for the next packet in the
723 same stream and adjust the duration of the first to avoid overlap. This is
724 necessary with some subtitles codecs, especially DVB subtitles, because the
725 duration in the original packet is only a rough estimate and the end is
726 actually marked by an empty subtitle frame. Failing to use this option when
727 necessary can result in exaggerated durations or muxing failures due to
728 non-monotonic timestamps.
730 Note that this option will delay the output of all data until the next
731 subtitle packet is decoded: it may increase memory consumption and latency a
734 @item -canvas_size @var{size}
735 Set the size of the canvas used to render subtitles.
739 @section Advanced options
742 @item -map [-]@var{input_file_id}[:@var{stream_specifier}][,@var{sync_file_id}[:@var{stream_specifier}]] | @var{[linklabel]} (@emph{output})
744 Designate one or more input streams as a source for the output file. Each input
745 stream is identified by the input file index @var{input_file_id} and
746 the input stream index @var{input_stream_id} within the input
747 file. Both indices start at 0. If specified,
748 @var{sync_file_id}:@var{stream_specifier} sets which input stream
749 is used as a presentation sync reference.
751 The first @code{-map} option on the command line specifies the
752 source for output stream 0, the second @code{-map} option specifies
753 the source for output stream 1, etc.
755 A @code{-} character before the stream identifier creates a "negative" mapping.
756 It disables matching streams from already created mappings.
758 An alternative @var{[linklabel]} form will map outputs from complex filter
759 graphs (see the @option{-filter_complex} option) to the output file.
760 @var{linklabel} must correspond to a defined output link label in the graph.
762 For example, to map ALL streams from the first input file to output
764 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map 0 output
767 For example, if you have two audio streams in the first input file,
768 these streams are identified by "0:0" and "0:1". You can use
769 @code{-map} to select which streams to place in an output file. For
772 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map 0:1 out.wav
774 will map the input stream in @file{INPUT} identified by "0:1" to
775 the (single) output stream in @file{out.wav}.
777 For example, to select the stream with index 2 from input file
778 @file{a.mov} (specified by the identifier "0:2"), and stream with
779 index 6 from input @file{b.mov} (specified by the identifier "1:6"),
780 and copy them to the output file @file{out.mov}:
782 ffmpeg -i a.mov -i b.mov -c copy -map 0:2 -map 1:6 out.mov
785 To select all video and the third audio stream from an input file:
787 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map 0:v -map 0:a:2 OUTPUT
790 To map all the streams except the second audio, use negative mappings
792 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map 0 -map -0:a:1 OUTPUT
795 Note that using this option disables the default mappings for this output file.
797 @item -map_channel [@var{input_file_id}.@var{stream_specifier}.@var{channel_id}|-1][:@var{output_file_id}.@var{stream_specifier}]
798 Map an audio channel from a given input to an output. If
799 @var{output_file_id}.@var{stream_specifier} is not set, the audio channel will
800 be mapped on all the audio streams.
802 Using "-1" instead of
803 @var{input_file_id}.@var{stream_specifier}.@var{channel_id} will map a muted
806 For example, assuming @var{INPUT} is a stereo audio file, you can switch the
807 two audio channels with the following command:
809 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map_channel 0.0.1 -map_channel 0.0.0 OUTPUT
812 If you want to mute the first channel and keep the second:
814 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map_channel -1 -map_channel 0.0.1 OUTPUT
817 The order of the "-map_channel" option specifies the order of the channels in
818 the output stream. The output channel layout is guessed from the number of
819 channels mapped (mono if one "-map_channel", stereo if two, etc.). Using "-ac"
820 in combination of "-map_channel" makes the channel gain levels to be updated if
821 input and output channel layouts don't match (for instance two "-map_channel"
822 options and "-ac 6").
824 You can also extract each channel of an input to specific outputs; the following
825 command extracts two channels of the @var{INPUT} audio stream (file 0, stream 0)
826 to the respective @var{OUTPUT_CH0} and @var{OUTPUT_CH1} outputs:
828 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map_channel 0.0.0 OUTPUT_CH0 -map_channel 0.0.1 OUTPUT_CH1
831 The following example splits the channels of a stereo input into two separate
832 streams, which are put into the same output file:
834 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
837 Note that currently each output stream can only contain channels from a single
838 input stream; you can't for example use "-map_channel" to pick multiple input
839 audio channels contained in different streams (from the same or different files)
840 and merge them into a single output stream. It is therefore not currently
841 possible, for example, to turn two separate mono streams into a single stereo
842 stream. However splitting a stereo stream into two single channel mono streams
845 If you need this feature, a possible workaround is to use the @emph{amerge}
846 filter. For example, if you need to merge a media (here @file{input.mkv}) with 2
847 mono audio streams into one single stereo channel audio stream (and keep the
848 video stream), you can use the following command:
850 ffmpeg -i input.mkv -filter_complex "[0:1] [0:2] amerge" -c:a pcm_s16le -c:v copy output.mkv
853 @item -map_metadata[:@var{metadata_spec_out}] @var{infile}[:@var{metadata_spec_in}] (@emph{output,per-metadata})
854 Set metadata information of the next output file from @var{infile}. Note that
855 those are file indices (zero-based), not filenames.
856 Optional @var{metadata_spec_in/out} parameters specify, which metadata to copy.
857 A metadata specifier can have the following forms:
860 global metadata, i.e. metadata that applies to the whole file
862 @item @var{s}[:@var{stream_spec}]
863 per-stream metadata. @var{stream_spec} is a stream specifier as described
864 in the @ref{Stream specifiers} chapter. In an input metadata specifier, the first
865 matching stream is copied from. In an output metadata specifier, all matching
866 streams are copied to.
868 @item @var{c}:@var{chapter_index}
869 per-chapter metadata. @var{chapter_index} is the zero-based chapter index.
871 @item @var{p}:@var{program_index}
872 per-program metadata. @var{program_index} is the zero-based program index.
874 If metadata specifier is omitted, it defaults to global.
876 By default, global metadata is copied from the first input file,
877 per-stream and per-chapter metadata is copied along with streams/chapters. These
878 default mappings are disabled by creating any mapping of the relevant type. A negative
879 file index can be used to create a dummy mapping that just disables automatic copying.
881 For example to copy metadata from the first stream of the input file to global metadata
884 ffmpeg -i in.ogg -map_metadata 0:s:0 out.mp3
887 To do the reverse, i.e. copy global metadata to all audio streams:
889 ffmpeg -i in.mkv -map_metadata:s:a 0:g out.mkv
891 Note that simple @code{0} would work as well in this example, since global
892 metadata is assumed by default.
894 @item -map_chapters @var{input_file_index} (@emph{output})
895 Copy chapters from input file with index @var{input_file_index} to the next
896 output file. If no chapter mapping is specified, then chapters are copied from
897 the first input file with at least one chapter. Use a negative file index to
898 disable any chapter copying.
900 @item -benchmark (@emph{global})
901 Show benchmarking information at the end of an encode.
902 Shows CPU time used and maximum memory consumption.
903 Maximum memory consumption is not supported on all systems,
904 it will usually display as 0 if not supported.
905 @item -benchmark_all (@emph{global})
906 Show benchmarking information during the encode.
907 Shows CPU time used in various steps (audio/video encode/decode).
908 @item -timelimit @var{duration} (@emph{global})
909 Exit after ffmpeg has been running for @var{duration} seconds.
910 @item -dump (@emph{global})
911 Dump each input packet to stderr.
912 @item -hex (@emph{global})
913 When dumping packets, also dump the payload.
914 @item -re (@emph{input})
915 Read input at native frame rate. Mainly used to simulate a grab device.
916 or live input stream (e.g. when reading from a file). Should not be used
917 with actual grab devices or live input streams (where it can cause packet
919 By default @command{ffmpeg} attempts to read the input(s) as fast as possible.
920 This option will slow down the reading of the input(s) to the native frame rate
921 of the input(s). It is useful for real-time output (e.g. live streaming).
923 Loop over the input stream. Currently it works only for image
924 streams. This option is used for automatic FFserver testing.
925 This option is deprecated, use -loop 1.
926 @item -loop_output @var{number_of_times}
927 Repeatedly loop output for formats that support looping such as animated GIF
928 (0 will loop the output infinitely).
929 This option is deprecated, use -loop.
930 @item -vsync @var{parameter}
932 For compatibility reasons old values can be specified as numbers.
933 Newly added values will have to be specified as strings always.
937 Each frame is passed with its timestamp from the demuxer to the muxer.
939 Frames will be duplicated and dropped to achieve exactly the requested
942 Frames are passed through with their timestamp or dropped so as to
943 prevent 2 frames from having the same timestamp.
945 As passthrough but destroys all timestamps, making the muxer generate
946 fresh timestamps based on frame-rate.
948 Chooses between 1 and 2 depending on muxer capabilities. This is the
952 Note that the timestamps may be further modified by the muxer, after this.
953 For example, in the case that the format option @option{avoid_negative_ts}
956 With -map you can select from which stream the timestamps should be
957 taken. You can leave either video or audio unchanged and sync the
958 remaining stream(s) to the unchanged one.
960 @item -async @var{samples_per_second}
961 Audio sync method. "Stretches/squeezes" the audio stream to match the timestamps,
962 the parameter is the maximum samples per second by which the audio is changed.
963 -async 1 is a special case where only the start of the audio stream is corrected
964 without any later correction.
966 Note that the timestamps may be further modified by the muxer, after this.
967 For example, in the case that the format option @option{avoid_negative_ts}
970 This option has been deprecated. Use the @code{aresample} audio filter instead.
973 Do not process input timestamps, but keep their values without trying
974 to sanitize them. In particular, do not remove the initial start time
977 Note that, depending on the @option{vsync} option or on specific muxer
978 processing (e.g. in case the format option @option{avoid_negative_ts}
979 is enabled) the output timestamps may mismatch with the input
980 timestamps even when this option is selected.
982 @item -copytb @var{mode}
983 Specify how to set the encoder timebase when stream copying. @var{mode} is an
984 integer numeric value, and can assume one of the following values:
988 Use the demuxer timebase.
990 The time base is copied to the output encoder from the corresponding input
991 demuxer. This is sometimes required to avoid non monotonically increasing
992 timestamps when copying video streams with variable frame rate.
995 Use the decoder timebase.
997 The time base is copied to the output encoder from the corresponding input
1001 Try to make the choice automatically, in order to generate a sane output.
1004 Default value is -1.
1006 @item -shortest (@emph{output})
1007 Finish encoding when the shortest input stream ends.
1008 @item -dts_delta_threshold
1009 Timestamp discontinuity delta threshold.
1010 @item -muxdelay @var{seconds} (@emph{input})
1011 Set the maximum demux-decode delay.
1012 @item -muxpreload @var{seconds} (@emph{input})
1013 Set the initial demux-decode delay.
1014 @item -streamid @var{output-stream-index}:@var{new-value} (@emph{output})
1015 Assign a new stream-id value to an output stream. This option should be
1016 specified prior to the output filename to which it applies.
1017 For the situation where multiple output files exist, a streamid
1018 may be reassigned to a different value.
1020 For example, to set the stream 0 PID to 33 and the stream 1 PID to 36 for
1021 an output mpegts file:
1023 ffmpeg -i infile -streamid 0:33 -streamid 1:36 out.ts
1026 @item -bsf[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{bitstream_filters} (@emph{output,per-stream})
1027 Set bitstream filters for matching streams. @var{bitstream_filters} is
1028 a comma-separated list of bitstream filters. Use the @code{-bsfs} option
1029 to get the list of bitstream filters.
1031 ffmpeg -i h264.mp4 -c:v copy -bsf:v h264_mp4toannexb -an out.h264
1034 ffmpeg -i file.mov -an -vn -bsf:s mov2textsub -c:s copy -f rawvideo sub.txt
1037 @item -tag[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{codec_tag} (@emph{per-stream})
1038 Force a tag/fourcc for matching streams.
1040 @item -timecode @var{hh}:@var{mm}:@var{ss}SEP@var{ff}
1041 Specify Timecode for writing. @var{SEP} is ':' for non drop timecode and ';'
1044 ffmpeg -i input.mpg -timecode 01:02:03.04 -r 30000/1001 -s ntsc output.mpg
1047 @anchor{filter_complex_option}
1048 @item -filter_complex @var{filtergraph} (@emph{global})
1049 Define a complex filtergraph, i.e. one with arbitrary number of inputs and/or
1050 outputs. For simple graphs -- those with one input and one output of the same
1051 type -- see the @option{-filter} options. @var{filtergraph} is a description of
1052 the filtergraph, as described in the ``Filtergraph syntax'' section of the
1053 ffmpeg-filters manual.
1055 Input link labels must refer to input streams using the
1056 @code{[file_index:stream_specifier]} syntax (i.e. the same as @option{-map}
1057 uses). If @var{stream_specifier} matches multiple streams, the first one will be
1058 used. An unlabeled input will be connected to the first unused input stream of
1061 Output link labels are referred to with @option{-map}. Unlabeled outputs are
1062 added to the first output file.
1064 Note that with this option it is possible to use only lavfi sources without
1067 For example, to overlay an image over video
1069 ffmpeg -i video.mkv -i image.png -filter_complex '[0:v][1:v]overlay[out]' -map
1072 Here @code{[0:v]} refers to the first video stream in the first input file,
1073 which is linked to the first (main) input of the overlay filter. Similarly the
1074 first video stream in the second input is linked to the second (overlay) input
1077 Assuming there is only one video stream in each input file, we can omit input
1078 labels, so the above is equivalent to
1080 ffmpeg -i video.mkv -i image.png -filter_complex 'overlay[out]' -map
1084 Furthermore we can omit the output label and the single output from the filter
1085 graph will be added to the output file automatically, so we can simply write
1087 ffmpeg -i video.mkv -i image.png -filter_complex 'overlay' out.mkv
1090 To generate 5 seconds of pure red video using lavfi @code{color} source:
1092 ffmpeg -filter_complex 'color=c=red' -t 5 out.mkv
1095 @item -lavfi @var{filtergraph} (@emph{global})
1096 Define a complex filtergraph, i.e. one with arbitrary number of inputs and/or
1097 outputs. Equivalent to @option{-filter_complex}.
1099 @item -filter_complex_script @var{filename} (@emph{global})
1100 This option is similar to @option{-filter_complex}, the only difference is that
1101 its argument is the name of the file from which a complex filtergraph
1102 description is to be read.
1104 @item -accurate_seek (@emph{input})
1105 This option enables or disables accurate seeking in input files with the
1106 @option{-ss} option. It is enabled by default, so seeking is accurate when
1107 transcoding. Use @option{-noaccurate_seek} to disable it, which may be useful
1108 e.g. when copying some streams and transcoding the others.
1110 @item -override_ffserver (@emph{global})
1111 Overrides the input specifications from @command{ffserver}. Using this
1112 option you can map any input stream to @command{ffserver} and control
1113 many aspects of the encoding from @command{ffmpeg}. Without this
1114 option @command{ffmpeg} will transmit to @command{ffserver} what is
1115 requested by @command{ffserver}.
1117 The option is intended for cases where features are needed that cannot be
1118 specified to @command{ffserver} but can be to @command{ffmpeg}.
1122 As a special exception, you can use a bitmap subtitle stream as input: it
1123 will be converted into a video with the same size as the largest video in
1124 the file, or 720x576 if no video is present. Note that this is an
1125 experimental and temporary solution. It will be removed once libavfilter has
1126 proper support for subtitles.
1128 For example, to hardcode subtitles on top of a DVB-T recording stored in
1129 MPEG-TS format, delaying the subtitles by 1 second:
1131 ffmpeg -i input.ts -filter_complex \
1132 '[#0x2ef] setpts=PTS+1/TB [sub] ; [#0x2d0] [sub] overlay' \
1133 -sn -map '#0x2dc' output.mkv
1135 (0x2d0, 0x2dc and 0x2ef are the MPEG-TS PIDs of respectively the video,
1136 audio and subtitles streams; 0:0, 0:3 and 0:7 would have worked too)
1138 @section Preset files
1139 A preset file contains a sequence of @var{option}=@var{value} pairs,
1140 one for each line, specifying a sequence of options which would be
1141 awkward to specify on the command line. Lines starting with the hash
1142 ('#') character are ignored and are used to provide comments. Check
1143 the @file{presets} directory in the FFmpeg source tree for examples.
1145 Preset files are specified with the @code{vpre}, @code{apre},
1146 @code{spre}, and @code{fpre} options. The @code{fpre} option takes the
1147 filename of the preset instead of a preset name as input and can be
1148 used for any kind of codec. For the @code{vpre}, @code{apre}, and
1149 @code{spre} options, the options specified in a preset file are
1150 applied to the currently selected codec of the same type as the preset
1153 The argument passed to the @code{vpre}, @code{apre}, and @code{spre}
1154 preset options identifies the preset file to use according to the
1157 First ffmpeg searches for a file named @var{arg}.ffpreset in the
1158 directories @file{$FFMPEG_DATADIR} (if set), and @file{$HOME/.ffmpeg}, and in
1159 the datadir defined at configuration time (usually @file{PREFIX/share/ffmpeg})
1160 or in a @file{ffpresets} folder along the executable on win32,
1161 in that order. For example, if the argument is @code{libvpx-1080p}, it will
1162 search for the file @file{libvpx-1080p.ffpreset}.
1164 If no such file is found, then ffmpeg will search for a file named
1165 @var{codec_name}-@var{arg}.ffpreset in the above-mentioned
1166 directories, where @var{codec_name} is the name of the codec to which
1167 the preset file options will be applied. For example, if you select
1168 the video codec with @code{-vcodec libvpx} and use @code{-vpre 1080p},
1169 then it will search for the file @file{libvpx-1080p.ffpreset}.
1177 For streaming at very low bitrates, use a low frame rate
1178 and a small GOP size. This is especially true for RealVideo where
1179 the Linux player does not seem to be very fast, so it can miss
1180 frames. An example is:
1183 ffmpeg -g 3 -r 3 -t 10 -b:v 50k -s qcif -f rv10 /tmp/b.rm
1187 The parameter 'q' which is displayed while encoding is the current
1188 quantizer. The value 1 indicates that a very good quality could
1189 be achieved. The value 31 indicates the worst quality. If q=31 appears
1190 too often, it means that the encoder cannot compress enough to meet
1191 your bitrate. You must either increase the bitrate, decrease the
1192 frame rate or decrease the frame size.
1195 If your computer is not fast enough, you can speed up the
1196 compression at the expense of the compression ratio. You can use
1197 '-me zero' to speed up motion estimation, and '-g 0' to disable
1198 motion estimation completely (you have only I-frames, which means it
1199 is about as good as JPEG compression).
1202 To have very low audio bitrates, reduce the sampling frequency
1203 (down to 22050 Hz for MPEG audio, 22050 or 11025 for AC-3).
1206 To have a constant quality (but a variable bitrate), use the option
1207 '-qscale n' when 'n' is between 1 (excellent quality) and 31 (worst
1214 @c man begin EXAMPLES
1216 @section Preset files
1218 A preset file contains a sequence of @var{option=value} pairs, one for
1219 each line, specifying a sequence of options which can be specified also on
1220 the command line. Lines starting with the hash ('#') character are ignored and
1221 are used to provide comments. Empty lines are also ignored. Check the
1222 @file{presets} directory in the FFmpeg source tree for examples.
1224 Preset files are specified with the @code{pre} option, this option takes a
1225 preset name as input. FFmpeg searches for a file named @var{preset_name}.avpreset in
1226 the directories @file{$AVCONV_DATADIR} (if set), and @file{$HOME/.ffmpeg}, and in
1227 the data directory defined at configuration time (usually @file{$PREFIX/share/ffmpeg})
1228 in that order. For example, if the argument is @code{libx264-max}, it will
1229 search for the file @file{libx264-max.avpreset}.
1231 @section Video and Audio grabbing
1233 If you specify the input format and device then ffmpeg can grab video
1237 ffmpeg -f oss -i /dev/dsp -f video4linux2 -i /dev/video0 /tmp/out.mpg
1240 Or with an ALSA audio source (mono input, card id 1) instead of OSS:
1242 ffmpeg -f alsa -ac 1 -i hw:1 -f video4linux2 -i /dev/video0 /tmp/out.mpg
1245 Note that you must activate the right video source and channel before
1246 launching ffmpeg with any TV viewer such as
1247 @uref{http://linux.bytesex.org/xawtv/, xawtv} by Gerd Knorr. You also
1248 have to set the audio recording levels correctly with a
1251 @section X11 grabbing
1253 Grab the X11 display with ffmpeg via
1256 ffmpeg -f x11grab -video_size cif -framerate 25 -i :0.0 /tmp/out.mpg
1259 0.0 is display.screen number of your X11 server, same as
1260 the DISPLAY environment variable.
1263 ffmpeg -f x11grab -video_size cif -framerate 25 -i :0.0+10,20 /tmp/out.mpg
1266 0.0 is display.screen number of your X11 server, same as the DISPLAY environment
1267 variable. 10 is the x-offset and 20 the y-offset for the grabbing.
1269 @section Video and Audio file format conversion
1271 Any supported file format and protocol can serve as input to ffmpeg:
1276 You can use YUV files as input:
1279 ffmpeg -i /tmp/test%d.Y /tmp/out.mpg
1282 It will use the files:
1284 /tmp/test0.Y, /tmp/test0.U, /tmp/test0.V,
1285 /tmp/test1.Y, /tmp/test1.U, /tmp/test1.V, etc...
1288 The Y files use twice the resolution of the U and V files. They are
1289 raw files, without header. They can be generated by all decent video
1290 decoders. You must specify the size of the image with the @option{-s} option
1291 if ffmpeg cannot guess it.
1294 You can input from a raw YUV420P file:
1297 ffmpeg -i /tmp/test.yuv /tmp/out.avi
1300 test.yuv is a file containing raw YUV planar data. Each frame is composed
1301 of the Y plane followed by the U and V planes at half vertical and
1302 horizontal resolution.
1305 You can output to a raw YUV420P file:
1308 ffmpeg -i mydivx.avi hugefile.yuv
1312 You can set several input files and output files:
1315 ffmpeg -i /tmp/a.wav -s 640x480 -i /tmp/a.yuv /tmp/a.mpg
1318 Converts the audio file a.wav and the raw YUV video file a.yuv
1322 You can also do audio and video conversions at the same time:
1325 ffmpeg -i /tmp/a.wav -ar 22050 /tmp/a.mp2
1328 Converts a.wav to MPEG audio at 22050 Hz sample rate.
1331 You can encode to several formats at the same time and define a
1332 mapping from input stream to output streams:
1335 ffmpeg -i /tmp/a.wav -map 0:a -b:a 64k /tmp/a.mp2 -map 0:a -b:a 128k /tmp/b.mp2
1338 Converts a.wav to a.mp2 at 64 kbits and to b.mp2 at 128 kbits. '-map
1339 file:index' specifies which input stream is used for each output
1340 stream, in the order of the definition of output streams.
1343 You can transcode decrypted VOBs:
1346 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
1349 This is a typical DVD ripping example; the input is a VOB file, the
1350 output an AVI file with MPEG-4 video and MP3 audio. Note that in this
1351 command we use B-frames so the MPEG-4 stream is DivX5 compatible, and
1352 GOP size is 300 which means one intra frame every 10 seconds for 29.97fps
1353 input video. Furthermore, the audio stream is MP3-encoded so you need
1354 to enable LAME support by passing @code{--enable-libmp3lame} to configure.
1355 The mapping is particularly useful for DVD transcoding
1356 to get the desired audio language.
1358 NOTE: To see the supported input formats, use @code{ffmpeg -formats}.
1361 You can extract images from a video, or create a video from many images:
1363 For extracting images from a video:
1365 ffmpeg -i foo.avi -r 1 -s WxH -f image2 foo-%03d.jpeg
1368 This will extract one video frame per second from the video and will
1369 output them in files named @file{foo-001.jpeg}, @file{foo-002.jpeg},
1370 etc. Images will be rescaled to fit the new WxH values.
1372 If you want to extract just a limited number of frames, you can use the
1373 above command in combination with the -vframes or -t option, or in
1374 combination with -ss to start extracting from a certain point in time.
1376 For creating a video from many images:
1378 ffmpeg -f image2 -i foo-%03d.jpeg -r 12 -s WxH foo.avi
1381 The syntax @code{foo-%03d.jpeg} specifies to use a decimal number
1382 composed of three digits padded with zeroes to express the sequence
1383 number. It is the same syntax supported by the C printf function, but
1384 only formats accepting a normal integer are suitable.
1386 When importing an image sequence, -i also supports expanding
1387 shell-like wildcard patterns (globbing) internally, by selecting the
1388 image2-specific @code{-pattern_type glob} option.
1390 For example, for creating a video from filenames matching the glob pattern
1393 ffmpeg -f image2 -pattern_type glob -i 'foo-*.jpeg' -r 12 -s WxH foo.avi
1397 You can put many streams of the same type in the output:
1400 ffmpeg -i test1.avi -i test2.avi -map 0:3 -map 0:2 -map 0:1 -map 0:0 -c copy test12.nut
1403 The resulting output file @file{test12.avi} will contain first four streams from
1404 the input file in reverse order.
1407 To force CBR video output:
1409 ffmpeg -i myfile.avi -b 4000k -minrate 4000k -maxrate 4000k -bufsize 1835k out.m2v
1413 The four options lmin, lmax, mblmin and mblmax use 'lambda' units,
1414 but you may use the QP2LAMBDA constant to easily convert from 'q' units:
1416 ffmpeg -i src.ext -lmax 21*QP2LAMBDA dst.ext
1422 @include config.texi
1424 @ifset config-avutil
1427 @ifset config-avcodec
1428 @include codecs.texi
1429 @include bitstream_filters.texi
1431 @ifset config-avformat
1432 @include formats.texi
1433 @include protocols.texi
1435 @ifset config-avdevice
1436 @include devices.texi
1438 @ifset config-swresample
1439 @include resampler.texi
1441 @ifset config-swscale
1442 @include scaler.texi
1444 @ifset config-avfilter
1445 @include filters.texi
1453 @url{ffmpeg.html,ffmpeg}
1455 @ifset config-not-all
1456 @url{ffmpeg-all.html,ffmpeg-all},
1458 @url{ffplay.html,ffplay}, @url{ffprobe.html,ffprobe}, @url{ffserver.html,ffserver},
1459 @url{ffmpeg-utils.html,ffmpeg-utils},
1460 @url{ffmpeg-scaler.html,ffmpeg-scaler},
1461 @url{ffmpeg-resampler.html,ffmpeg-resampler},
1462 @url{ffmpeg-codecs.html,ffmpeg-codecs},
1463 @url{ffmpeg-bitstream-filters.html,ffmpeg-bitstream-filters},
1464 @url{ffmpeg-formats.html,ffmpeg-formats},
1465 @url{ffmpeg-devices.html,ffmpeg-devices},
1466 @url{ffmpeg-protocols.html,ffmpeg-protocols},
1467 @url{ffmpeg-filters.html,ffmpeg-filters}
1474 @ifset config-not-all
1477 ffplay(1), ffprobe(1), ffserver(1),
1478 ffmpeg-utils(1), ffmpeg-scaler(1), ffmpeg-resampler(1),
1479 ffmpeg-codecs(1), ffmpeg-bitstream-filters(1), ffmpeg-formats(1),
1480 ffmpeg-devices(1), ffmpeg-protocols(1), ffmpeg-filters(1)
1483 @include authors.texi
1488 @settitle ffmpeg video converter