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
86 | file | ---------> | packets | -----+
87 |_______| |______________| |
94 ________ ______________ |
96 | output | <-------- | encoded data | <----+
97 | file | muxer | packets | encoder
98 |________| |______________|
103 @command{ffmpeg} calls the libavformat library (containing demuxers) to read
104 input files and get packets containing encoded data from them. When there are
105 multiple input files, @command{ffmpeg} tries to keep them synchronized by
106 tracking lowest timestamp on any active input stream.
108 Encoded packets are then passed to the decoder (unless streamcopy is selected
109 for the stream, see further for a description). The decoder produces
110 uncompressed frames (raw video/PCM audio/...) which can be processed further by
111 filtering (see next section). After filtering, the frames are passed to the
112 encoder, which encodes them and outputs encoded packets. Finally those are
113 passed to the muxer, which writes the encoded packets to the output file.
116 Before encoding, @command{ffmpeg} can process raw audio and video frames using
117 filters from the libavfilter library. Several chained filters form a filter
118 graph. @command{ffmpeg} distinguishes between two types of filtergraphs:
121 @subsection Simple filtergraphs
122 Simple filtergraphs are those that have exactly one input and output, both of
123 the same type. In the above diagram they can be represented by simply inserting
124 an additional step between decoding and encoding:
127 _________ ______________
129 | decoded | | encoded data |
130 | frames |\ _ | packets |
131 |_________| \ /||______________|
133 simple _\|| | / encoder
134 filtergraph | filtered |/
140 Simple filtergraphs are configured with the per-stream @option{-filter} option
141 (with @option{-vf} and @option{-af} aliases for video and audio respectively).
142 A simple filtergraph for video can look for example like this:
145 _______ _____________ _______ ________
147 | input | ---> | deinterlace | ---> | scale | ---> | output |
148 |_______| |_____________| |_______| |________|
152 Note that some filters change frame properties but not frame contents. E.g. the
153 @code{fps} filter in the example above changes number of frames, but does not
154 touch the frame contents. Another example is the @code{setpts} filter, which
155 only sets timestamps and otherwise passes the frames unchanged.
157 @subsection Complex filtergraphs
158 Complex filtergraphs are those which cannot be described as simply a linear
159 processing chain applied to one stream. This is the case, for example, when the graph has
160 more than one input and/or output, or when output stream type is different from
161 input. They can be represented with the following diagram:
166 | input 0 |\ __________
168 \ _________ /| output 0 |
170 _________ \| complex | /
172 | input 1 |---->| filter |\
173 |_________| | | \ __________
176 _________ / |_________| |__________|
183 Complex filtergraphs are configured with the @option{-filter_complex} option.
184 Note that this option is global, since a complex filtergraph, by its nature,
185 cannot be unambiguously associated with a single stream or file.
187 The @option{-lavfi} option is equivalent to @option{-filter_complex}.
189 A trivial example of a complex filtergraph is the @code{overlay} filter, which
190 has two video inputs and one video output, containing one video overlaid on top
191 of the other. Its audio counterpart is the @code{amix} filter.
194 Stream copy is a mode selected by supplying the @code{copy} parameter to the
195 @option{-codec} option. It makes @command{ffmpeg} omit the decoding and encoding
196 step for the specified stream, so it does only demuxing and muxing. It is useful
197 for changing the container format or modifying container-level metadata. The
198 diagram above will, in this case, simplify to this:
201 _______ ______________ ________
203 | input | demuxer | encoded data | muxer | output |
204 | file | ---------> | packets | -------> | file |
205 |_______| |______________| |________|
209 Since there is no decoding or encoding, it is very fast and there is no quality
210 loss. However, it might not work in some cases because of many factors. Applying
211 filters is obviously also impossible, since filters work on uncompressed data.
213 @c man end DETAILED DESCRIPTION
215 @chapter Stream selection
216 @c man begin STREAM SELECTION
218 By default, @command{ffmpeg} includes only one stream of each type (video, audio, subtitle)
219 present in the input files and adds them to each output file. It picks the
220 "best" of each based upon the following criteria: for video, it is the stream
221 with the highest resolution, for audio, it is the stream with the most channels, for
222 subtitles, it is the first subtitle stream. In the case where several streams of
223 the same type rate equally, the stream with the lowest index is chosen.
225 You can disable some of those defaults by using the @code{-vn/-an/-sn} options. For
226 full manual control, use the @code{-map} option, which disables the defaults just
229 @c man end STREAM SELECTION
234 @include fftools-common-opts.texi
236 @section Main options
240 @item -f @var{fmt} (@emph{input/output})
241 Force input or output file format. The format is normally auto detected for input
242 files and guessed from the file extension for output files, so this option is not
243 needed in most cases.
245 @item -i @var{filename} (@emph{input})
248 @item -y (@emph{global})
249 Overwrite output files without asking.
251 @item -n (@emph{global})
252 Do not overwrite output files, and exit immediately if a specified
253 output file already exists.
255 @item -c[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{codec} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
256 @itemx -codec[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{codec} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
257 Select an encoder (when used before an output file) or a decoder (when used
258 before an input file) for one or more streams. @var{codec} is the name of a
259 decoder/encoder or a special value @code{copy} (output only) to indicate that
260 the stream is not to be re-encoded.
264 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map 0 -c:v libx264 -c:a copy OUTPUT
266 encodes all video streams with libx264 and copies all audio streams.
268 For each stream, the last matching @code{c} option is applied, so
270 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map 0 -c copy -c:v:1 libx264 -c:a:137 libvorbis OUTPUT
272 will copy all the streams except the second video, which will be encoded with
273 libx264, and the 138th audio, which will be encoded with libvorbis.
275 @item -t @var{duration} (@emph{output})
276 Stop writing the output after its duration reaches @var{duration}.
277 @var{duration} may be a number in seconds, or in @code{hh:mm:ss[.xxx]} form.
279 -to and -t are mutually exclusive and -t has priority.
281 @item -to @var{position} (@emph{output})
282 Stop writing the output at @var{position}.
283 @var{position} may be a number in seconds, or in @code{hh:mm:ss[.xxx]} form.
285 -to and -t are mutually exclusive and -t has priority.
287 @item -fs @var{limit_size} (@emph{output})
288 Set the file size limit, expressed in bytes.
290 @item -ss @var{position} (@emph{input/output})
291 When used as an input option (before @code{-i}), seeks in this input file to
292 @var{position}. Note the in most formats it is not possible to seek exactly, so
293 @command{ffmpeg} will seek to the closest seek point before @var{position}.
294 When transcoding and @option{-accurate_seek} is enabled (the default), this
295 extra segment between the seek point and @var{position} will be decoded and
296 discarded. When doing stream copy or when @option{-noaccurate_seek} is used, it
299 When used as an output option (before an output filename), decodes but discards
300 input until the timestamps reach @var{position}.
302 @var{position} may be either in seconds or in @code{hh:mm:ss[.xxx]} form.
304 @item -itsoffset @var{offset} (@emph{input})
305 Set the input time offset.
307 @var{offset} must be a time duration specification,
308 see @ref{time duration syntax,,the Time duration section in the ffmpeg-utils(1) manual,ffmpeg-utils}.
310 The offset is added to the timestamps of the input files. Specifying
311 a positive offset means that the corresponding streams are delayed by
312 the time duration specified in @var{offset}.
314 @item -timestamp @var{date} (@emph{output})
315 Set the recording timestamp in the container.
317 @var{date} must be a time duration specification,
318 see @ref{date syntax,,the Date section in the ffmpeg-utils(1) manual,ffmpeg-utils}.
320 @item -metadata[:metadata_specifier] @var{key}=@var{value} (@emph{output,per-metadata})
321 Set a metadata key/value pair.
323 An optional @var{metadata_specifier} may be given to set metadata
324 on streams or chapters. See @code{-map_metadata} documentation for
327 This option overrides metadata set with @code{-map_metadata}. It is
328 also possible to delete metadata by using an empty value.
330 For example, for setting the title in the output file:
332 ffmpeg -i in.avi -metadata title="my title" out.flv
335 To set the language of the first audio stream:
337 ffmpeg -i INPUT -metadata:s:a:1 language=eng OUTPUT
340 @item -target @var{type} (@emph{output})
341 Specify target file type (@code{vcd}, @code{svcd}, @code{dvd}, @code{dv},
342 @code{dv50}). @var{type} may be prefixed with @code{pal-}, @code{ntsc-} or
343 @code{film-} to use the corresponding standard. All the format options
344 (bitrate, codecs, buffer sizes) are then set automatically. You can just type:
347 ffmpeg -i myfile.avi -target vcd /tmp/vcd.mpg
350 Nevertheless you can specify additional options as long as you know
351 they do not conflict with the standard, as in:
354 ffmpeg -i myfile.avi -target vcd -bf 2 /tmp/vcd.mpg
357 @item -dframes @var{number} (@emph{output})
358 Set the number of data frames to record. This is an alias for @code{-frames:d}.
360 @item -frames[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{framecount} (@emph{output,per-stream})
361 Stop writing to the stream after @var{framecount} frames.
363 @item -q[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{q} (@emph{output,per-stream})
364 @itemx -qscale[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{q} (@emph{output,per-stream})
365 Use fixed quality scale (VBR). The meaning of @var{q}/@var{qscale} is
367 If @var{qscale} is used without a @var{stream_specifier} then it applies only
368 to the video stream, this is to maintain compatibility with previous behavior
369 and as specifying the same codec specific value to 2 different codecs that is
370 audio and video generally is not what is intended when no stream_specifier is
373 @anchor{filter_option}
374 @item -filter[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{filtergraph} (@emph{output,per-stream})
375 Create the filtergraph specified by @var{filtergraph} and use it to
378 @var{filtergraph} is a description of the filtergraph to apply to
379 the stream, and must have a single input and a single output of the
380 same type of the stream. In the filtergraph, the input is associated
381 to the label @code{in}, and the output to the label @code{out}. See
382 the ffmpeg-filters manual for more information about the filtergraph
385 See the @ref{filter_complex_option,,-filter_complex option} if you
386 want to create filtergraphs with multiple inputs and/or outputs.
388 @item -filter_script[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{filename} (@emph{output,per-stream})
389 This option is similar to @option{-filter}, the only difference is that its
390 argument is the name of the file from which a filtergraph description is to be
393 @item -pre[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{preset_name} (@emph{output,per-stream})
394 Specify the preset for matching stream(s).
396 @item -stats (@emph{global})
397 Print encoding progress/statistics. It is on by default, to explicitly
398 disable it you need to specify @code{-nostats}.
400 @item -progress @var{url} (@emph{global})
401 Send program-friendly progress information to @var{url}.
403 Progress information is written approximately every second and at the end of
404 the encoding process. It is made of "@var{key}=@var{value}" lines. @var{key}
405 consists of only alphanumeric characters. The last key of a sequence of
406 progress information is always "progress".
409 Enable interaction on standard input. On by default unless standard input is
410 used as an input. To explicitly disable interaction you need to specify
413 Disabling interaction on standard input is useful, for example, if
414 ffmpeg is in the background process group. Roughly the same result can
415 be achieved with @code{ffmpeg ... < /dev/null} but it requires a
418 @item -debug_ts (@emph{global})
419 Print timestamp information. It is off by default. This option is
420 mostly useful for testing and debugging purposes, and the output
421 format may change from one version to another, so it should not be
422 employed by portable scripts.
424 See also the option @code{-fdebug ts}.
426 @item -attach @var{filename} (@emph{output})
427 Add an attachment to the output file. This is supported by a few formats
428 like Matroska for e.g. fonts used in rendering subtitles. Attachments
429 are implemented as a specific type of stream, so this option will add
430 a new stream to the file. It is then possible to use per-stream options
431 on this stream in the usual way. Attachment streams created with this
432 option will be created after all the other streams (i.e. those created
433 with @code{-map} or automatic mappings).
435 Note that for Matroska you also have to set the mimetype metadata tag:
437 ffmpeg -i INPUT -attach DejaVuSans.ttf -metadata:s:2 mimetype=application/x-truetype-font out.mkv
439 (assuming that the attachment stream will be third in the output file).
441 @item -dump_attachment[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{filename} (@emph{input,per-stream})
442 Extract the matching attachment stream into a file named @var{filename}. If
443 @var{filename} is empty, then the value of the @code{filename} metadata tag
446 E.g. to extract the first attachment to a file named 'out.ttf':
448 ffmpeg -dump_attachment:t:0 out.ttf -i INPUT
450 To extract all attachments to files determined by the @code{filename} tag:
452 ffmpeg -dump_attachment:t "" -i INPUT
455 Technical note -- attachments are implemented as codec extradata, so this
456 option can actually be used to extract extradata from any stream, not just
461 @section Video Options
464 @item -vframes @var{number} (@emph{output})
465 Set the number of video frames to record. This is an alias for @code{-frames:v}.
466 @item -r[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{fps} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
467 Set frame rate (Hz value, fraction or abbreviation).
469 As an input option, ignore any timestamps stored in the file and instead
470 generate timestamps assuming constant frame rate @var{fps}.
472 As an output option, duplicate or drop input frames to achieve constant output
473 frame rate @var{fps}.
475 @item -s[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{size} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
478 As an input option, this is a shortcut for the @option{video_size} private
479 option, recognized by some demuxers for which the frame size is either not
480 stored in the file or is configurable -- e.g. raw video or video grabbers.
482 As an output option, this inserts the @code{scale} video filter to the
483 @emph{end} of the corresponding filtergraph. Please use the @code{scale} filter
484 directly to insert it at the beginning or some other place.
486 The format is @samp{wxh} (default - same as source).
488 @item -aspect[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{aspect} (@emph{output,per-stream})
489 Set the video display aspect ratio specified by @var{aspect}.
491 @var{aspect} can be a floating point number string, or a string of the
492 form @var{num}:@var{den}, where @var{num} and @var{den} are the
493 numerator and denominator of the aspect ratio. For example "4:3",
494 "16:9", "1.3333", and "1.7777" are valid argument values.
496 If used together with @option{-vcodec copy}, it will affect the aspect ratio
497 stored at container level, but not the aspect ratio stored in encoded
498 frames, if it exists.
500 @item -vn (@emph{output})
501 Disable video recording.
503 @item -vcodec @var{codec} (@emph{output})
504 Set the video codec. This is an alias for @code{-codec:v}.
506 @item -pass[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{n} (@emph{output,per-stream})
507 Select the pass number (1 or 2). It is used to do two-pass
508 video encoding. The statistics of the video are recorded in the first
509 pass into a log file (see also the option -passlogfile),
510 and in the second pass that log file is used to generate the video
511 at the exact requested bitrate.
512 On pass 1, you may just deactivate audio and set output to null,
513 examples for Windows and Unix:
515 ffmpeg -i foo.mov -c:v libxvid -pass 1 -an -f rawvideo -y NUL
516 ffmpeg -i foo.mov -c:v libxvid -pass 1 -an -f rawvideo -y /dev/null
519 @item -passlogfile[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{prefix} (@emph{output,per-stream})
520 Set two-pass log file name prefix to @var{prefix}, the default file name
521 prefix is ``ffmpeg2pass''. The complete file name will be
522 @file{PREFIX-N.log}, where N is a number specific to the output
525 @item -vf @var{filtergraph} (@emph{output})
526 Create the filtergraph specified by @var{filtergraph} and use it to
529 This is an alias for @code{-filter:v}, see the @ref{filter_option,,-filter option}.
532 @section Advanced Video Options
535 @item -pix_fmt[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{format} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
536 Set pixel format. Use @code{-pix_fmts} to show all the supported
538 If the selected pixel format can not be selected, ffmpeg will print a
539 warning and select the best pixel format supported by the encoder.
540 If @var{pix_fmt} is prefixed by a @code{+}, ffmpeg will exit with an error
541 if the requested pixel format can not be selected, and automatic conversions
542 inside filtergraphs are disabled.
543 If @var{pix_fmt} is a single @code{+}, ffmpeg selects the same pixel format
544 as the input (or graph output) and automatic conversions are disabled.
546 @item -sws_flags @var{flags} (@emph{input/output})
551 @item -rc_override[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{override} (@emph{output,per-stream})
552 Rate control override for specific intervals, formatted as "int,int,int"
553 list separated with slashes. Two first values are the beginning and
554 end frame numbers, last one is quantizer to use if positive, or quality
558 Force interlacing support in encoder (MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 only).
559 Use this option if your input file is interlaced and you want
560 to keep the interlaced format for minimum losses.
561 The alternative is to deinterlace the input stream with
562 @option{-deinterlace}, but deinterlacing introduces losses.
564 Calculate PSNR of compressed frames.
566 Dump video coding statistics to @file{vstats_HHMMSS.log}.
567 @item -vstats_file @var{file}
568 Dump video coding statistics to @var{file}.
569 @item -top[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{n} (@emph{output,per-stream})
570 top=1/bottom=0/auto=-1 field first
571 @item -dc @var{precision}
573 @item -vtag @var{fourcc/tag} (@emph{output})
574 Force video tag/fourcc. This is an alias for @code{-tag:v}.
575 @item -qphist (@emph{global})
577 @item -vbsf @var{bitstream_filter}
580 @item -force_key_frames[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{time}[,@var{time}...] (@emph{output,per-stream})
581 @item -force_key_frames[:@var{stream_specifier}] expr:@var{expr} (@emph{output,per-stream})
582 Force key frames at the specified timestamps, more precisely at the first
583 frames after each specified time.
585 If the argument is prefixed with @code{expr:}, the string @var{expr}
586 is interpreted like an expression and is evaluated for each frame. A
587 key frame is forced in case the evaluation is non-zero.
589 If one of the times is "@code{chapters}[@var{delta}]", it is expanded into
590 the time of the beginning of all chapters in the file, shifted by
591 @var{delta}, expressed as a time in seconds.
592 This option can be useful to ensure that a seek point is present at a
593 chapter mark or any other designated place in the output file.
595 For example, to insert a key frame at 5 minutes, plus key frames 0.1 second
596 before the beginning of every chapter:
598 -force_key_frames 0:05:00,chapters-0.1
601 The expression in @var{expr} can contain the following constants:
604 the number of current processed frame, starting from 0
606 the number of forced frames
608 the number of the previous forced frame, it is @code{NAN} when no
609 keyframe was forced yet
611 the time of the previous forced frame, it is @code{NAN} when no
612 keyframe was forced yet
614 the time of the current processed frame
617 For example to force a key frame every 5 seconds, you can specify:
619 -force_key_frames expr:gte(t,n_forced*5)
622 To force a key frame 5 seconds after the time of the last forced one,
623 starting from second 13:
625 -force_key_frames expr:if(isnan(prev_forced_t),gte(t,13),gte(t,prev_forced_t+5))
628 Note that forcing too many keyframes is very harmful for the lookahead
629 algorithms of certain encoders: using fixed-GOP options or similar
630 would be more efficient.
632 @item -copyinkf[:@var{stream_specifier}] (@emph{output,per-stream})
633 When doing stream copy, copy also non-key frames found at the
636 @item -hwaccel[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{hwaccel} (@emph{input,per-stream})
637 Use hardware acceleration to decode the matching stream(s). The allowed values
638 of @var{hwaccel} are:
641 Do not use any hardware acceleration (the default).
644 Automatically select the hardware acceleration method.
647 Use Apple VDA hardware acceleration.
650 Use VDPAU (Video Decode and Presentation API for Unix) hardware acceleration.
653 Use DXVA2 (DirectX Video Acceleration) hardware acceleration.
656 This option has no effect if the selected hwaccel is not available or not
657 supported by the chosen decoder.
659 Note that most acceleration methods are intended for playback and will not be
660 faster than software decoding on modern CPUs. Additionally, @command{ffmpeg}
661 will usually need to copy the decoded frames from the GPU memory into the system
662 memory, resulting in further performance loss. This option is thus mainly
665 @item -hwaccel_device[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{hwaccel_device} (@emph{input,per-stream})
666 Select a device to use for hardware acceleration.
668 This option only makes sense when the @option{-hwaccel} option is also
669 specified. Its exact meaning depends on the specific hardware acceleration
674 For VDPAU, this option specifies the X11 display/screen to use. If this option
675 is not specified, the value of the @var{DISPLAY} environment variable is used
678 For DXVA2, this option should contain the number of the display adapter to use.
679 If this option is not specified, the default adapter is used.
683 @section Audio Options
686 @item -aframes @var{number} (@emph{output})
687 Set the number of audio frames to record. This is an alias for @code{-frames:a}.
688 @item -ar[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{freq} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
689 Set the audio sampling frequency. For output streams it is set by
690 default to the frequency of the corresponding input stream. For input
691 streams this option only makes sense for audio grabbing devices and raw
692 demuxers and is mapped to the corresponding demuxer options.
693 @item -aq @var{q} (@emph{output})
694 Set the audio quality (codec-specific, VBR). This is an alias for -q:a.
695 @item -ac[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{channels} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
696 Set the number of audio channels. For output streams it is set by
697 default to the number of input audio channels. For input streams
698 this option only makes sense for audio grabbing devices and raw demuxers
699 and is mapped to the corresponding demuxer options.
700 @item -an (@emph{output})
701 Disable audio recording.
702 @item -acodec @var{codec} (@emph{input/output})
703 Set the audio codec. This is an alias for @code{-codec:a}.
704 @item -sample_fmt[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{sample_fmt} (@emph{output,per-stream})
705 Set the audio sample format. Use @code{-sample_fmts} to get a list
706 of supported sample formats.
708 @item -af @var{filtergraph} (@emph{output})
709 Create the filtergraph specified by @var{filtergraph} and use it to
712 This is an alias for @code{-filter:a}, see the @ref{filter_option,,-filter option}.
715 @section Advanced Audio options:
718 @item -atag @var{fourcc/tag} (@emph{output})
719 Force audio tag/fourcc. This is an alias for @code{-tag:a}.
720 @item -absf @var{bitstream_filter}
722 @item -guess_layout_max @var{channels} (@emph{input,per-stream})
723 If some input channel layout is not known, try to guess only if it
724 corresponds to at most the specified number of channels. For example, 2
725 tells to @command{ffmpeg} to recognize 1 channel as mono and 2 channels as
726 stereo but not 6 channels as 5.1. The default is to always try to guess. Use
727 0 to disable all guessing.
730 @section Subtitle options:
733 @item -scodec @var{codec} (@emph{input/output})
734 Set the subtitle codec. This is an alias for @code{-codec:s}.
735 @item -sn (@emph{output})
736 Disable subtitle recording.
737 @item -sbsf @var{bitstream_filter}
741 @section Advanced Subtitle options:
745 @item -fix_sub_duration
746 Fix subtitles durations. For each subtitle, wait for the next packet in the
747 same stream and adjust the duration of the first to avoid overlap. This is
748 necessary with some subtitles codecs, especially DVB subtitles, because the
749 duration in the original packet is only a rough estimate and the end is
750 actually marked by an empty subtitle frame. Failing to use this option when
751 necessary can result in exaggerated durations or muxing failures due to
752 non-monotonic timestamps.
754 Note that this option will delay the output of all data until the next
755 subtitle packet is decoded: it may increase memory consumption and latency a
758 @item -canvas_size @var{size}
759 Set the size of the canvas used to render subtitles.
763 @section Advanced options
766 @item -map [-]@var{input_file_id}[:@var{stream_specifier}][,@var{sync_file_id}[:@var{stream_specifier}]] | @var{[linklabel]} (@emph{output})
768 Designate one or more input streams as a source for the output file. Each input
769 stream is identified by the input file index @var{input_file_id} and
770 the input stream index @var{input_stream_id} within the input
771 file. Both indices start at 0. If specified,
772 @var{sync_file_id}:@var{stream_specifier} sets which input stream
773 is used as a presentation sync reference.
775 The first @code{-map} option on the command line specifies the
776 source for output stream 0, the second @code{-map} option specifies
777 the source for output stream 1, etc.
779 A @code{-} character before the stream identifier creates a "negative" mapping.
780 It disables matching streams from already created mappings.
782 An alternative @var{[linklabel]} form will map outputs from complex filter
783 graphs (see the @option{-filter_complex} option) to the output file.
784 @var{linklabel} must correspond to a defined output link label in the graph.
786 For example, to map ALL streams from the first input file to output
788 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map 0 output
791 For example, if you have two audio streams in the first input file,
792 these streams are identified by "0:0" and "0:1". You can use
793 @code{-map} to select which streams to place in an output file. For
796 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map 0:1 out.wav
798 will map the input stream in @file{INPUT} identified by "0:1" to
799 the (single) output stream in @file{out.wav}.
801 For example, to select the stream with index 2 from input file
802 @file{a.mov} (specified by the identifier "0:2"), and stream with
803 index 6 from input @file{b.mov} (specified by the identifier "1:6"),
804 and copy them to the output file @file{out.mov}:
806 ffmpeg -i a.mov -i b.mov -c copy -map 0:2 -map 1:6 out.mov
809 To select all video and the third audio stream from an input file:
811 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map 0:v -map 0:a:2 OUTPUT
814 To map all the streams except the second audio, use negative mappings
816 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map 0 -map -0:a:1 OUTPUT
819 Note that using this option disables the default mappings for this output file.
821 @item -map_channel [@var{input_file_id}.@var{stream_specifier}.@var{channel_id}|-1][:@var{output_file_id}.@var{stream_specifier}]
822 Map an audio channel from a given input to an output. If
823 @var{output_file_id}.@var{stream_specifier} is not set, the audio channel will
824 be mapped on all the audio streams.
826 Using "-1" instead of
827 @var{input_file_id}.@var{stream_specifier}.@var{channel_id} will map a muted
830 For example, assuming @var{INPUT} is a stereo audio file, you can switch the
831 two audio channels with the following command:
833 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map_channel 0.0.1 -map_channel 0.0.0 OUTPUT
836 If you want to mute the first channel and keep the second:
838 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map_channel -1 -map_channel 0.0.1 OUTPUT
841 The order of the "-map_channel" option specifies the order of the channels in
842 the output stream. The output channel layout is guessed from the number of
843 channels mapped (mono if one "-map_channel", stereo if two, etc.). Using "-ac"
844 in combination of "-map_channel" makes the channel gain levels to be updated if
845 input and output channel layouts don't match (for instance two "-map_channel"
846 options and "-ac 6").
848 You can also extract each channel of an input to specific outputs; the following
849 command extracts two channels of the @var{INPUT} audio stream (file 0, stream 0)
850 to the respective @var{OUTPUT_CH0} and @var{OUTPUT_CH1} outputs:
852 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map_channel 0.0.0 OUTPUT_CH0 -map_channel 0.0.1 OUTPUT_CH1
855 The following example splits the channels of a stereo input into two separate
856 streams, which are put into the same output file:
858 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
861 Note that currently each output stream can only contain channels from a single
862 input stream; you can't for example use "-map_channel" to pick multiple input
863 audio channels contained in different streams (from the same or different files)
864 and merge them into a single output stream. It is therefore not currently
865 possible, for example, to turn two separate mono streams into a single stereo
866 stream. However splitting a stereo stream into two single channel mono streams
869 If you need this feature, a possible workaround is to use the @emph{amerge}
870 filter. For example, if you need to merge a media (here @file{input.mkv}) with 2
871 mono audio streams into one single stereo channel audio stream (and keep the
872 video stream), you can use the following command:
874 ffmpeg -i input.mkv -filter_complex "[0:1] [0:2] amerge" -c:a pcm_s16le -c:v copy output.mkv
877 @item -map_metadata[:@var{metadata_spec_out}] @var{infile}[:@var{metadata_spec_in}] (@emph{output,per-metadata})
878 Set metadata information of the next output file from @var{infile}. Note that
879 those are file indices (zero-based), not filenames.
880 Optional @var{metadata_spec_in/out} parameters specify, which metadata to copy.
881 A metadata specifier can have the following forms:
884 global metadata, i.e. metadata that applies to the whole file
886 @item @var{s}[:@var{stream_spec}]
887 per-stream metadata. @var{stream_spec} is a stream specifier as described
888 in the @ref{Stream specifiers} chapter. In an input metadata specifier, the first
889 matching stream is copied from. In an output metadata specifier, all matching
890 streams are copied to.
892 @item @var{c}:@var{chapter_index}
893 per-chapter metadata. @var{chapter_index} is the zero-based chapter index.
895 @item @var{p}:@var{program_index}
896 per-program metadata. @var{program_index} is the zero-based program index.
898 If metadata specifier is omitted, it defaults to global.
900 By default, global metadata is copied from the first input file,
901 per-stream and per-chapter metadata is copied along with streams/chapters. These
902 default mappings are disabled by creating any mapping of the relevant type. A negative
903 file index can be used to create a dummy mapping that just disables automatic copying.
905 For example to copy metadata from the first stream of the input file to global metadata
908 ffmpeg -i in.ogg -map_metadata 0:s:0 out.mp3
911 To do the reverse, i.e. copy global metadata to all audio streams:
913 ffmpeg -i in.mkv -map_metadata:s:a 0:g out.mkv
915 Note that simple @code{0} would work as well in this example, since global
916 metadata is assumed by default.
918 @item -map_chapters @var{input_file_index} (@emph{output})
919 Copy chapters from input file with index @var{input_file_index} to the next
920 output file. If no chapter mapping is specified, then chapters are copied from
921 the first input file with at least one chapter. Use a negative file index to
922 disable any chapter copying.
924 @item -benchmark (@emph{global})
925 Show benchmarking information at the end of an encode.
926 Shows CPU time used and maximum memory consumption.
927 Maximum memory consumption is not supported on all systems,
928 it will usually display as 0 if not supported.
929 @item -benchmark_all (@emph{global})
930 Show benchmarking information during the encode.
931 Shows CPU time used in various steps (audio/video encode/decode).
932 @item -timelimit @var{duration} (@emph{global})
933 Exit after ffmpeg has been running for @var{duration} seconds.
934 @item -dump (@emph{global})
935 Dump each input packet to stderr.
936 @item -hex (@emph{global})
937 When dumping packets, also dump the payload.
938 @item -re (@emph{input})
939 Read input at native frame rate. Mainly used to simulate a grab device.
940 or live input stream (e.g. when reading from a file). Should not be used
941 with actual grab devices or live input streams (where it can cause packet
943 By default @command{ffmpeg} attempts to read the input(s) as fast as possible.
944 This option will slow down the reading of the input(s) to the native frame rate
945 of the input(s). It is useful for real-time output (e.g. live streaming).
947 Loop over the input stream. Currently it works only for image
948 streams. This option is used for automatic FFserver testing.
949 This option is deprecated, use -loop 1.
950 @item -loop_output @var{number_of_times}
951 Repeatedly loop output for formats that support looping such as animated GIF
952 (0 will loop the output infinitely).
953 This option is deprecated, use -loop.
954 @item -vsync @var{parameter}
956 For compatibility reasons old values can be specified as numbers.
957 Newly added values will have to be specified as strings always.
961 Each frame is passed with its timestamp from the demuxer to the muxer.
963 Frames will be duplicated and dropped to achieve exactly the requested
966 Frames are passed through with their timestamp or dropped so as to
967 prevent 2 frames from having the same timestamp.
969 As passthrough but destroys all timestamps, making the muxer generate
970 fresh timestamps based on frame-rate.
972 Chooses between 1 and 2 depending on muxer capabilities. This is the
976 Note that the timestamps may be further modified by the muxer, after this.
977 For example, in the case that the format option @option{avoid_negative_ts}
980 With -map you can select from which stream the timestamps should be
981 taken. You can leave either video or audio unchanged and sync the
982 remaining stream(s) to the unchanged one.
984 @item -async @var{samples_per_second}
985 Audio sync method. "Stretches/squeezes" the audio stream to match the timestamps,
986 the parameter is the maximum samples per second by which the audio is changed.
987 -async 1 is a special case where only the start of the audio stream is corrected
988 without any later correction.
990 Note that the timestamps may be further modified by the muxer, after this.
991 For example, in the case that the format option @option{avoid_negative_ts}
994 This option has been deprecated. Use the @code{aresample} audio filter instead.
997 Do not process input timestamps, but keep their values without trying
998 to sanitize them. In particular, do not remove the initial start time
1001 Note that, depending on the @option{vsync} option or on specific muxer
1002 processing (e.g. in case the format option @option{avoid_negative_ts}
1003 is enabled) the output timestamps may mismatch with the input
1004 timestamps even when this option is selected.
1006 @item -copytb @var{mode}
1007 Specify how to set the encoder timebase when stream copying. @var{mode} is an
1008 integer numeric value, and can assume one of the following values:
1012 Use the demuxer timebase.
1014 The time base is copied to the output encoder from the corresponding input
1015 demuxer. This is sometimes required to avoid non monotonically increasing
1016 timestamps when copying video streams with variable frame rate.
1019 Use the decoder timebase.
1021 The time base is copied to the output encoder from the corresponding input
1025 Try to make the choice automatically, in order to generate a sane output.
1028 Default value is -1.
1030 @item -shortest (@emph{output})
1031 Finish encoding when the shortest input stream ends.
1032 @item -dts_delta_threshold
1033 Timestamp discontinuity delta threshold.
1034 @item -muxdelay @var{seconds} (@emph{input})
1035 Set the maximum demux-decode delay.
1036 @item -muxpreload @var{seconds} (@emph{input})
1037 Set the initial demux-decode delay.
1038 @item -streamid @var{output-stream-index}:@var{new-value} (@emph{output})
1039 Assign a new stream-id value to an output stream. This option should be
1040 specified prior to the output filename to which it applies.
1041 For the situation where multiple output files exist, a streamid
1042 may be reassigned to a different value.
1044 For example, to set the stream 0 PID to 33 and the stream 1 PID to 36 for
1045 an output mpegts file:
1047 ffmpeg -i infile -streamid 0:33 -streamid 1:36 out.ts
1050 @item -bsf[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{bitstream_filters} (@emph{output,per-stream})
1051 Set bitstream filters for matching streams. @var{bitstream_filters} is
1052 a comma-separated list of bitstream filters. Use the @code{-bsfs} option
1053 to get the list of bitstream filters.
1055 ffmpeg -i h264.mp4 -c:v copy -bsf:v h264_mp4toannexb -an out.h264
1058 ffmpeg -i file.mov -an -vn -bsf:s mov2textsub -c:s copy -f rawvideo sub.txt
1061 @item -tag[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{codec_tag} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
1062 Force a tag/fourcc for matching streams.
1064 @item -timecode @var{hh}:@var{mm}:@var{ss}SEP@var{ff}
1065 Specify Timecode for writing. @var{SEP} is ':' for non drop timecode and ';'
1068 ffmpeg -i input.mpg -timecode 01:02:03.04 -r 30000/1001 -s ntsc output.mpg
1071 @anchor{filter_complex_option}
1072 @item -filter_complex @var{filtergraph} (@emph{global})
1073 Define a complex filtergraph, i.e. one with arbitrary number of inputs and/or
1074 outputs. For simple graphs -- those with one input and one output of the same
1075 type -- see the @option{-filter} options. @var{filtergraph} is a description of
1076 the filtergraph, as described in the ``Filtergraph syntax'' section of the
1077 ffmpeg-filters manual.
1079 Input link labels must refer to input streams using the
1080 @code{[file_index:stream_specifier]} syntax (i.e. the same as @option{-map}
1081 uses). If @var{stream_specifier} matches multiple streams, the first one will be
1082 used. An unlabeled input will be connected to the first unused input stream of
1085 Output link labels are referred to with @option{-map}. Unlabeled outputs are
1086 added to the first output file.
1088 Note that with this option it is possible to use only lavfi sources without
1091 For example, to overlay an image over video
1093 ffmpeg -i video.mkv -i image.png -filter_complex '[0:v][1:v]overlay[out]' -map
1096 Here @code{[0:v]} refers to the first video stream in the first input file,
1097 which is linked to the first (main) input of the overlay filter. Similarly the
1098 first video stream in the second input is linked to the second (overlay) input
1101 Assuming there is only one video stream in each input file, we can omit input
1102 labels, so the above is equivalent to
1104 ffmpeg -i video.mkv -i image.png -filter_complex 'overlay[out]' -map
1108 Furthermore we can omit the output label and the single output from the filter
1109 graph will be added to the output file automatically, so we can simply write
1111 ffmpeg -i video.mkv -i image.png -filter_complex 'overlay' out.mkv
1114 To generate 5 seconds of pure red video using lavfi @code{color} source:
1116 ffmpeg -filter_complex 'color=c=red' -t 5 out.mkv
1119 @item -lavfi @var{filtergraph} (@emph{global})
1120 Define a complex filtergraph, i.e. one with arbitrary number of inputs and/or
1121 outputs. Equivalent to @option{-filter_complex}.
1123 @item -filter_complex_script @var{filename} (@emph{global})
1124 This option is similar to @option{-filter_complex}, the only difference is that
1125 its argument is the name of the file from which a complex filtergraph
1126 description is to be read.
1128 @item -accurate_seek (@emph{input})
1129 This option enables or disables accurate seeking in input files with the
1130 @option{-ss} option. It is enabled by default, so seeking is accurate when
1131 transcoding. Use @option{-noaccurate_seek} to disable it, which may be useful
1132 e.g. when copying some streams and transcoding the others.
1134 @item -override_ffserver (@emph{global})
1135 Overrides the input specifications from @command{ffserver}. Using this
1136 option you can map any input stream to @command{ffserver} and control
1137 many aspects of the encoding from @command{ffmpeg}. Without this
1138 option @command{ffmpeg} will transmit to @command{ffserver} what is
1139 requested by @command{ffserver}.
1141 The option is intended for cases where features are needed that cannot be
1142 specified to @command{ffserver} but can be to @command{ffmpeg}.
1146 As a special exception, you can use a bitmap subtitle stream as input: it
1147 will be converted into a video with the same size as the largest video in
1148 the file, or 720x576 if no video is present. Note that this is an
1149 experimental and temporary solution. It will be removed once libavfilter has
1150 proper support for subtitles.
1152 For example, to hardcode subtitles on top of a DVB-T recording stored in
1153 MPEG-TS format, delaying the subtitles by 1 second:
1155 ffmpeg -i input.ts -filter_complex \
1156 '[#0x2ef] setpts=PTS+1/TB [sub] ; [#0x2d0] [sub] overlay' \
1157 -sn -map '#0x2dc' output.mkv
1159 (0x2d0, 0x2dc and 0x2ef are the MPEG-TS PIDs of respectively the video,
1160 audio and subtitles streams; 0:0, 0:3 and 0:7 would have worked too)
1162 @section Preset files
1163 A preset file contains a sequence of @var{option}=@var{value} pairs,
1164 one for each line, specifying a sequence of options which would be
1165 awkward to specify on the command line. Lines starting with the hash
1166 ('#') character are ignored and are used to provide comments. Check
1167 the @file{presets} directory in the FFmpeg source tree for examples.
1169 Preset files are specified with the @code{vpre}, @code{apre},
1170 @code{spre}, and @code{fpre} options. The @code{fpre} option takes the
1171 filename of the preset instead of a preset name as input and can be
1172 used for any kind of codec. For the @code{vpre}, @code{apre}, and
1173 @code{spre} options, the options specified in a preset file are
1174 applied to the currently selected codec of the same type as the preset
1177 The argument passed to the @code{vpre}, @code{apre}, and @code{spre}
1178 preset options identifies the preset file to use according to the
1181 First ffmpeg searches for a file named @var{arg}.ffpreset in the
1182 directories @file{$FFMPEG_DATADIR} (if set), and @file{$HOME/.ffmpeg}, and in
1183 the datadir defined at configuration time (usually @file{PREFIX/share/ffmpeg})
1184 or in a @file{ffpresets} folder along the executable on win32,
1185 in that order. For example, if the argument is @code{libvpx-1080p}, it will
1186 search for the file @file{libvpx-1080p.ffpreset}.
1188 If no such file is found, then ffmpeg will search for a file named
1189 @var{codec_name}-@var{arg}.ffpreset in the above-mentioned
1190 directories, where @var{codec_name} is the name of the codec to which
1191 the preset file options will be applied. For example, if you select
1192 the video codec with @code{-vcodec libvpx} and use @code{-vpre 1080p},
1193 then it will search for the file @file{libvpx-1080p.ffpreset}.
1201 For streaming at very low bitrates, use a low frame rate
1202 and a small GOP size. This is especially true for RealVideo where
1203 the Linux player does not seem to be very fast, so it can miss
1204 frames. An example is:
1207 ffmpeg -g 3 -r 3 -t 10 -b:v 50k -s qcif -f rv10 /tmp/b.rm
1211 The parameter 'q' which is displayed while encoding is the current
1212 quantizer. The value 1 indicates that a very good quality could
1213 be achieved. The value 31 indicates the worst quality. If q=31 appears
1214 too often, it means that the encoder cannot compress enough to meet
1215 your bitrate. You must either increase the bitrate, decrease the
1216 frame rate or decrease the frame size.
1219 If your computer is not fast enough, you can speed up the
1220 compression at the expense of the compression ratio. You can use
1221 '-me zero' to speed up motion estimation, and '-g 0' to disable
1222 motion estimation completely (you have only I-frames, which means it
1223 is about as good as JPEG compression).
1226 To have very low audio bitrates, reduce the sampling frequency
1227 (down to 22050 Hz for MPEG audio, 22050 or 11025 for AC-3).
1230 To have a constant quality (but a variable bitrate), use the option
1231 '-qscale n' when 'n' is between 1 (excellent quality) and 31 (worst
1238 @c man begin EXAMPLES
1240 @section Preset files
1242 A preset file contains a sequence of @var{option=value} pairs, one for
1243 each line, specifying a sequence of options which can be specified also on
1244 the command line. Lines starting with the hash ('#') character are ignored and
1245 are used to provide comments. Empty lines are also ignored. Check the
1246 @file{presets} directory in the FFmpeg source tree for examples.
1248 Preset files are specified with the @code{pre} option, this option takes a
1249 preset name as input. FFmpeg searches for a file named @var{preset_name}.avpreset in
1250 the directories @file{$AVCONV_DATADIR} (if set), and @file{$HOME/.ffmpeg}, and in
1251 the data directory defined at configuration time (usually @file{$PREFIX/share/ffmpeg})
1252 in that order. For example, if the argument is @code{libx264-max}, it will
1253 search for the file @file{libx264-max.avpreset}.
1255 @section Video and Audio grabbing
1257 If you specify the input format and device then ffmpeg can grab video
1261 ffmpeg -f oss -i /dev/dsp -f video4linux2 -i /dev/video0 /tmp/out.mpg
1264 Or with an ALSA audio source (mono input, card id 1) instead of OSS:
1266 ffmpeg -f alsa -ac 1 -i hw:1 -f video4linux2 -i /dev/video0 /tmp/out.mpg
1269 Note that you must activate the right video source and channel before
1270 launching ffmpeg with any TV viewer such as
1271 @uref{http://linux.bytesex.org/xawtv/, xawtv} by Gerd Knorr. You also
1272 have to set the audio recording levels correctly with a
1275 @section X11 grabbing
1277 Grab the X11 display with ffmpeg via
1280 ffmpeg -f x11grab -video_size cif -framerate 25 -i :0.0 /tmp/out.mpg
1283 0.0 is display.screen number of your X11 server, same as
1284 the DISPLAY environment variable.
1287 ffmpeg -f x11grab -video_size cif -framerate 25 -i :0.0+10,20 /tmp/out.mpg
1290 0.0 is display.screen number of your X11 server, same as the DISPLAY environment
1291 variable. 10 is the x-offset and 20 the y-offset for the grabbing.
1293 @section Video and Audio file format conversion
1295 Any supported file format and protocol can serve as input to ffmpeg:
1300 You can use YUV files as input:
1303 ffmpeg -i /tmp/test%d.Y /tmp/out.mpg
1306 It will use the files:
1308 /tmp/test0.Y, /tmp/test0.U, /tmp/test0.V,
1309 /tmp/test1.Y, /tmp/test1.U, /tmp/test1.V, etc...
1312 The Y files use twice the resolution of the U and V files. They are
1313 raw files, without header. They can be generated by all decent video
1314 decoders. You must specify the size of the image with the @option{-s} option
1315 if ffmpeg cannot guess it.
1318 You can input from a raw YUV420P file:
1321 ffmpeg -i /tmp/test.yuv /tmp/out.avi
1324 test.yuv is a file containing raw YUV planar data. Each frame is composed
1325 of the Y plane followed by the U and V planes at half vertical and
1326 horizontal resolution.
1329 You can output to a raw YUV420P file:
1332 ffmpeg -i mydivx.avi hugefile.yuv
1336 You can set several input files and output files:
1339 ffmpeg -i /tmp/a.wav -s 640x480 -i /tmp/a.yuv /tmp/a.mpg
1342 Converts the audio file a.wav and the raw YUV video file a.yuv
1346 You can also do audio and video conversions at the same time:
1349 ffmpeg -i /tmp/a.wav -ar 22050 /tmp/a.mp2
1352 Converts a.wav to MPEG audio at 22050 Hz sample rate.
1355 You can encode to several formats at the same time and define a
1356 mapping from input stream to output streams:
1359 ffmpeg -i /tmp/a.wav -map 0:a -b:a 64k /tmp/a.mp2 -map 0:a -b:a 128k /tmp/b.mp2
1362 Converts a.wav to a.mp2 at 64 kbits and to b.mp2 at 128 kbits. '-map
1363 file:index' specifies which input stream is used for each output
1364 stream, in the order of the definition of output streams.
1367 You can transcode decrypted VOBs:
1370 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
1373 This is a typical DVD ripping example; the input is a VOB file, the
1374 output an AVI file with MPEG-4 video and MP3 audio. Note that in this
1375 command we use B-frames so the MPEG-4 stream is DivX5 compatible, and
1376 GOP size is 300 which means one intra frame every 10 seconds for 29.97fps
1377 input video. Furthermore, the audio stream is MP3-encoded so you need
1378 to enable LAME support by passing @code{--enable-libmp3lame} to configure.
1379 The mapping is particularly useful for DVD transcoding
1380 to get the desired audio language.
1382 NOTE: To see the supported input formats, use @code{ffmpeg -formats}.
1385 You can extract images from a video, or create a video from many images:
1387 For extracting images from a video:
1389 ffmpeg -i foo.avi -r 1 -s WxH -f image2 foo-%03d.jpeg
1392 This will extract one video frame per second from the video and will
1393 output them in files named @file{foo-001.jpeg}, @file{foo-002.jpeg},
1394 etc. Images will be rescaled to fit the new WxH values.
1396 If you want to extract just a limited number of frames, you can use the
1397 above command in combination with the -vframes or -t option, or in
1398 combination with -ss to start extracting from a certain point in time.
1400 For creating a video from many images:
1402 ffmpeg -f image2 -i foo-%03d.jpeg -r 12 -s WxH foo.avi
1405 The syntax @code{foo-%03d.jpeg} specifies to use a decimal number
1406 composed of three digits padded with zeroes to express the sequence
1407 number. It is the same syntax supported by the C printf function, but
1408 only formats accepting a normal integer are suitable.
1410 When importing an image sequence, -i also supports expanding
1411 shell-like wildcard patterns (globbing) internally, by selecting the
1412 image2-specific @code{-pattern_type glob} option.
1414 For example, for creating a video from filenames matching the glob pattern
1417 ffmpeg -f image2 -pattern_type glob -i 'foo-*.jpeg' -r 12 -s WxH foo.avi
1421 You can put many streams of the same type in the output:
1424 ffmpeg -i test1.avi -i test2.avi -map 0:3 -map 0:2 -map 0:1 -map 0:0 -c copy test12.nut
1427 The resulting output file @file{test12.avi} will contain first four streams from
1428 the input file in reverse order.
1431 To force CBR video output:
1433 ffmpeg -i myfile.avi -b 4000k -minrate 4000k -maxrate 4000k -bufsize 1835k out.m2v
1437 The four options lmin, lmax, mblmin and mblmax use 'lambda' units,
1438 but you may use the QP2LAMBDA constant to easily convert from 'q' units:
1440 ffmpeg -i src.ext -lmax 21*QP2LAMBDA dst.ext
1446 @include config.texi
1448 @ifset config-avutil
1451 @ifset config-avcodec
1452 @include codecs.texi
1453 @include bitstream_filters.texi
1455 @ifset config-avformat
1456 @include formats.texi
1457 @include protocols.texi
1459 @ifset config-avdevice
1460 @include devices.texi
1462 @ifset config-swresample
1463 @include resampler.texi
1465 @ifset config-swscale
1466 @include scaler.texi
1468 @ifset config-avfilter
1469 @include filters.texi
1477 @url{ffmpeg.html,ffmpeg}
1479 @ifset config-not-all
1480 @url{ffmpeg-all.html,ffmpeg-all},
1482 @url{ffplay.html,ffplay}, @url{ffprobe.html,ffprobe}, @url{ffserver.html,ffserver},
1483 @url{ffmpeg-utils.html,ffmpeg-utils},
1484 @url{ffmpeg-scaler.html,ffmpeg-scaler},
1485 @url{ffmpeg-resampler.html,ffmpeg-resampler},
1486 @url{ffmpeg-codecs.html,ffmpeg-codecs},
1487 @url{ffmpeg-bitstream-filters.html,ffmpeg-bitstream-filters},
1488 @url{ffmpeg-formats.html,ffmpeg-formats},
1489 @url{ffmpeg-devices.html,ffmpeg-devices},
1490 @url{ffmpeg-protocols.html,ffmpeg-protocols},
1491 @url{ffmpeg-filters.html,ffmpeg-filters}
1498 @ifset config-not-all
1501 ffplay(1), ffprobe(1), ffserver(1),
1502 ffmpeg-utils(1), ffmpeg-scaler(1), ffmpeg-resampler(1),
1503 ffmpeg-codecs(1), ffmpeg-bitstream-filters(1), ffmpeg-formats(1),
1504 ffmpeg-devices(1), ffmpeg-protocols(1), ffmpeg-filters(1)
1507 @include authors.texi
1512 @settitle ffmpeg video converter