1 \input texinfo @c -*- texinfo -*-
3 @settitle ffmpeg Documentation
5 @center @titlefont{ffmpeg Documentation}
14 The generic syntax is:
18 ffmpeg [global options] [[infile options][@option{-i} @var{infile}]]... @{[outfile options] @var{outfile}@}...
23 @c man begin DESCRIPTION
25 ffmpeg is a very fast video and audio converter that can also grab from
26 a live audio/video source. It can also convert between arbitrary sample
27 rates and resize video on the fly with a high quality polyphase filter.
29 ffmpeg reads from an arbitrary number of input "files" (which can be regular
30 files, pipes, network streams, grabbing devices, etc.), specified by the
31 @code{-i} option, and writes to an arbitrary number of output "files", which are
32 specified by a plain output filename. Anything found on the command line which
33 cannot be interpreted as an option is considered to be an output filename.
35 Each input or output file can in principle contain any number of streams of
36 different types (video/audio/subtitle/attachment/data). Allowed number and/or
37 types of streams can be limited by the container format. Selecting, which
38 streams from which inputs go into output, is done either automatically or with
39 the @code{-map} option (see the Stream selection chapter).
41 To refer to input files in options, you must use their indices (0-based). E.g.
42 the first input file is @code{0}, the second is @code{1} etc. Similarly, streams
43 within a file are referred to by their indices. E.g. @code{2:3} refers to the
44 fourth stream in the third input file. See also the Stream specifiers chapter.
46 As a general rule, options are applied to the next specified
47 file. Therefore, order is important, and you can have the same
48 option on the command line multiple times. Each occurrence is
49 then applied to the next input or output file.
50 Exceptions from this rule are the global options (e.g. verbosity level),
51 which should be specified first.
53 Do not mix input and output files -- first specify all input files, then all
54 output files. Also do not mix options which belong to different files. All
55 options apply ONLY to the next input or output file and are reset between files.
59 To set the video bitrate of the output file to 64kbit/s:
61 ffmpeg -i input.avi -b:v 64k output.avi
65 To force the frame rate of the output file to 24 fps:
67 ffmpeg -i input.avi -r 24 output.avi
71 To force the frame rate of the input file (valid for raw formats only)
72 to 1 fps and the frame rate of the output file to 24 fps:
74 ffmpeg -r 1 -i input.m2v -r 24 output.avi
78 The format option may be needed for raw input files.
80 @c man end DESCRIPTION
82 @chapter Stream selection
83 @c man begin STREAM SELECTION
85 By default ffmpeg includes only one stream of each type (video, audio, subtitle)
86 present in the input files and adds them to each output file. It picks the
87 "best" of each based upon the following criteria; for video it is the stream
88 with the highest resolution, for audio the stream with the most channels, for
89 subtitle it's the first subtitle stream. In the case where several streams of
90 the same type rate equally, the lowest numbered stream is chosen.
92 You can disable some of those defaults by using @code{-vn/-an/-sn} options. For
93 full manual control, use the @code{-map} option, which disables the defaults just
96 @c man end STREAM SELECTION
101 @include avtools-common-opts.texi
103 @section Main options
107 @item -f @var{fmt} (@emph{input/output})
108 Force input or output file format. The format is normally auto detected for input
109 files and guessed from file extension for output files, so this option is not
110 needed in most cases.
112 @item -i @var{filename} (@emph{input})
115 @item -y (@emph{global})
116 Overwrite output files without asking.
118 @item -n (@emph{global})
119 Do not overwrite output files but exit if file exists.
121 @item -c[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{codec} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
122 @itemx -codec[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{codec} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
123 Select an encoder (when used before an output file) or a decoder (when used
124 before an input file) for one or more streams. @var{codec} is the name of a
125 decoder/encoder or a special value @code{copy} (output only) to indicate that
126 the stream is not to be re-encoded.
130 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map 0 -c:v libx264 -c:a copy OUTPUT
132 encodes all video streams with libx264 and copies all audio streams.
134 For each stream, the last matching @code{c} option is applied, so
136 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map 0 -c copy -c:v:1 libx264 -c:a:137 libvorbis OUTPUT
138 will copy all the streams except the second video, which will be encoded with
139 libx264, and the 138th audio, which will be encoded with libvorbis.
141 @item -t @var{duration} (@emph{output})
142 Stop writing the output after its duration reaches @var{duration}.
143 @var{duration} may be a number in seconds, or in @code{hh:mm:ss[.xxx]} form.
145 @item -fs @var{limit_size} (@emph{output})
146 Set the file size limit, expressed in bytes.
148 @item -ss @var{position} (@emph{input/output})
149 When used as an input option (before @code{-i}), seeks in this input file to
150 @var{position}. When used as an output option (before an output filename),
151 decodes but discards input until the timestamps reach @var{position}. This is
152 slower, but more accurate.
154 @var{position} may be either in seconds or in @code{hh:mm:ss[.xxx]} form.
156 @item -itsoffset @var{offset} (@emph{input})
157 Set the input time offset in seconds.
158 @code{[-]hh:mm:ss[.xxx]} syntax is also supported.
159 The offset is added to the timestamps of the input files.
160 Specifying a positive offset means that the corresponding
161 streams are delayed by @var{offset} seconds.
163 @item -timestamp @var{time} (@emph{output})
164 Set the recording timestamp in the container.
165 The syntax for @var{time} is:
167 now|([(YYYY-MM-DD|YYYYMMDD)[T|t| ]]((HH:MM:SS[.m...])|(HHMMSS[.m...]))[Z|z])
169 If the value is "now" it takes the current time.
170 Time is local time unless 'Z' or 'z' is appended, in which case it is
172 If the year-month-day part is not specified it takes the current
175 @item -metadata[:metadata_specifier] @var{key}=@var{value} (@emph{output,per-metadata})
176 Set a metadata key/value pair.
178 An optional @var{metadata_specifier} may be given to set metadata
179 on streams or chapters. See @code{-map_metadata} documentation for
182 This option overrides metadata set with @code{-map_metadata}. It is
183 also possible to delete metadata by using an empty value.
185 For example, for setting the title in the output file:
187 ffmpeg -i in.avi -metadata title="my title" out.flv
190 To set the language of the first audio stream:
192 ffmpeg -i INPUT -metadata:s:a:1 language=eng OUTPUT
195 @item -target @var{type} (@emph{output})
196 Specify target file type (@code{vcd}, @code{svcd}, @code{dvd}, @code{dv},
197 @code{dv50}). @var{type} may be prefixed with @code{pal-}, @code{ntsc-} or
198 @code{film-} to use the corresponding standard. All the format options
199 (bitrate, codecs, buffer sizes) are then set automatically. You can just type:
202 ffmpeg -i myfile.avi -target vcd /tmp/vcd.mpg
205 Nevertheless you can specify additional options as long as you know
206 they do not conflict with the standard, as in:
209 ffmpeg -i myfile.avi -target vcd -bf 2 /tmp/vcd.mpg
212 @item -dframes @var{number} (@emph{output})
213 Set the number of data frames to record. This is an alias for @code{-frames:d}.
215 @item -frames[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{framecount} (@emph{output,per-stream})
216 Stop writing to the stream after @var{framecount} frames.
218 @item -q[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{q} (@emph{output,per-stream})
219 @itemx -qscale[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{q} (@emph{output,per-stream})
220 Use fixed quality scale (VBR). The meaning of @var{q} is
223 @item -filter[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{filter_graph} (@emph{output,per-stream})
224 @var{filter_graph} is a description of the filter graph to apply to
225 the stream. Use @code{-filters} to show all the available filters
226 (including also sources and sinks).
228 See also the @option{-filter_complex} option if you want to create filter graphs
229 with multiple inputs and/or outputs.
230 @item -pre[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{preset_name} (@emph{output,per-stream})
231 Specify the preset for matching stream(s).
233 @item -stats (@emph{global})
234 Print encoding progress/statistics. On by default.
236 @item -debug_ts (@emph{global})
237 Print timestamp information. It is off by default. This option is
238 mostly useful for testing and debugging purposes, and the output
239 format may change from one version to another, so it should not be
240 employed by portable scripts.
242 See also the option @code{-fdebug ts}.
244 @item -attach @var{filename} (@emph{output})
245 Add an attachment to the output file. This is supported by a few formats
246 like Matroska for e.g. fonts used in rendering subtitles. Attachments
247 are implemented as a specific type of stream, so this option will add
248 a new stream to the file. It is then possible to use per-stream options
249 on this stream in the usual way. Attachment streams created with this
250 option will be created after all the other streams (i.e. those created
251 with @code{-map} or automatic mappings).
253 Note that for Matroska you also have to set the mimetype metadata tag:
255 ffmpeg -i INPUT -attach DejaVuSans.ttf -metadata:s:2 mimetype=application/x-truetype-font out.mkv
257 (assuming that the attachment stream will be third in the output file).
259 @item -dump_attachment[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{filename} (@emph{input,per-stream})
260 Extract the matching attachment stream into a file named @var{filename}. If
261 @var{filename} is empty, then the value of the @code{filename} metadata tag
264 E.g. to extract the first attachment to a file named 'out.ttf':
266 ffmpeg -dump_attachment:t:0 out.ttf INPUT
268 To extract all attachments to files determined by the @code{filename} tag:
270 ffmpeg -dump_attachment:t "" INPUT
273 Technical note -- attachments are implemented as codec extradata, so this
274 option can actually be used to extract extradata from any stream, not just
279 @section Video Options
282 @item -vframes @var{number} (@emph{output})
283 Set the number of video frames to record. This is an alias for @code{-frames:v}.
284 @item -r[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{fps} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
285 Set frame rate (Hz value, fraction or abbreviation), (default = 25). For output
286 streams implies @code{-vsync cfr}.
287 @item -s[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{size} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
288 Set frame size. The format is @samp{wxh} (default - same as source).
289 The following abbreviations are recognized:
351 @item -aspect[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{aspect} (@emph{output,per-stream})
352 Set the video display aspect ratio specified by @var{aspect}.
354 @var{aspect} can be a floating point number string, or a string of the
355 form @var{num}:@var{den}, where @var{num} and @var{den} are the
356 numerator and denominator of the aspect ratio. For example "4:3",
357 "16:9", "1.3333", and "1.7777" are valid argument values.
359 @item -croptop @var{size}
360 @item -cropbottom @var{size}
361 @item -cropleft @var{size}
362 @item -cropright @var{size}
363 All the crop options have been removed. Use -vf
364 crop=width:height:x:y instead.
366 @item -padtop @var{size}
367 @item -padbottom @var{size}
368 @item -padleft @var{size}
369 @item -padright @var{size}
370 @item -padcolor @var{hex_color}
371 All the pad options have been removed. Use -vf
372 pad=width:height:x:y:color instead.
374 @item -vn (@emph{output})
375 Disable video recording.
377 @item -vcodec @var{codec} (@emph{output})
378 Set the video codec. This is an alias for @code{-codec:v}.
380 Use same quantizer as source (implies VBR).
382 Note that this is NOT SAME QUALITY. Do not use this option unless you know you
386 Select the pass number (1 or 2). It is used to do two-pass
387 video encoding. The statistics of the video are recorded in the first
388 pass into a log file (see also the option -passlogfile),
389 and in the second pass that log file is used to generate the video
390 at the exact requested bitrate.
391 On pass 1, you may just deactivate audio and set output to null,
392 examples for Windows and Unix:
394 ffmpeg -i foo.mov -c:v libxvid -pass 1 -an -f rawvideo -y NUL
395 ffmpeg -i foo.mov -c:v libxvid -pass 1 -an -f rawvideo -y /dev/null
398 @item -passlogfile @var{prefix} (@emph{global})
399 Set two-pass log file name prefix to @var{prefix}, the default file name
400 prefix is ``ffmpeg2pass''. The complete file name will be
401 @file{PREFIX-N.log}, where N is a number specific to the output
404 @item -vlang @var{code}
405 Set the ISO 639 language code (3 letters) of the current video stream.
407 @item -vf @var{filter_graph} (@emph{output})
408 @var{filter_graph} is a description of the filter graph to apply to
410 Use the option "-filters" to show all the available filters (including
411 also sources and sinks). This is an alias for @code{-filter:v}.
415 @section Advanced Video Options
418 @item -pix_fmt[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{format} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
419 Set pixel format. Use @code{-pix_fmts} to show all the supported
421 If the selected pixel format can not be selected, ffmpeg will print a
422 warning and select the best pixel format supported by the encoder.
423 If @var{pix_fmt} is prefixed by a @code{+}, ffmpeg will exit with an error
424 if the requested pixel format can not be selected, and automatic conversions
425 inside filter graphs are disabled.
426 If @var{pix_fmt} is a single @code{+}, ffmpeg selects the same pixel format
427 as the input (or graph output) and automatic conversions are disabled.
429 @item -sws_flags @var{flags} (@emph{input/output})
434 @item -rc_override[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{override} (@emph{output,per-stream})
435 Rate control override for specific intervals, formatted as "int,int,int"
436 list separated with slashes. Two first values are the beginning and
437 end frame numbers, last one is quantizer to use if positive, or quality
441 Deinterlace pictures.
442 This option is deprecated since the deinterlacing is very low quality.
443 Use the yadif filter with @code{-filter:v yadif}.
445 Force interlacing support in encoder (MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 only).
446 Use this option if your input file is interlaced and you want
447 to keep the interlaced format for minimum losses.
448 The alternative is to deinterlace the input stream with
449 @option{-deinterlace}, but deinterlacing introduces losses.
451 Calculate PSNR of compressed frames.
453 Dump video coding statistics to @file{vstats_HHMMSS.log}.
454 @item -vstats_file @var{file}
455 Dump video coding statistics to @var{file}.
456 @item -top[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{n} (@emph{output,per-stream})
457 top=1/bottom=0/auto=-1 field first
458 @item -dc @var{precision}
460 @item -vtag @var{fourcc/tag} (@emph{output})
461 Force video tag/fourcc. This is an alias for @code{-tag:v}.
462 @item -qphist (@emph{global})
464 @item -vbsf @var{bitstream_filter}
466 @item -force_key_frames[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{time}[,@var{time}...] (@emph{output,per-stream})
467 Force key frames at the specified timestamps, more precisely at the first
468 frames after each specified time.
469 This option can be useful to ensure that a seek point is present at a
470 chapter mark or any other designated place in the output file.
471 The timestamps must be specified in ascending order.
473 @item -copyinkf[:@var{stream_specifier}] (@emph{output,per-stream})
474 When doing stream copy, copy also non-key frames found at the
478 @section Audio Options
481 @item -aframes @var{number} (@emph{output})
482 Set the number of audio frames to record. This is an alias for @code{-frames:a}.
483 @item -ar[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{freq} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
484 Set the audio sampling frequency. For output streams it is set by
485 default to the frequency of the corresponding input stream. For input
486 streams this option only makes sense for audio grabbing devices and raw
487 demuxers and is mapped to the corresponding demuxer options.
488 @item -aq @var{q} (@emph{output})
489 Set the audio quality (codec-specific, VBR). This is an alias for -q:a.
490 @item -ac[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{channels} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
491 Set the number of audio channels. For output streams it is set by
492 default to the number of input audio channels. For input streams
493 this option only makes sense for audio grabbing devices and raw demuxers
494 and is mapped to the corresponding demuxer options.
495 @item -an (@emph{output})
496 Disable audio recording.
497 @item -acodec @var{codec} (@emph{input/output})
498 Set the audio codec. This is an alias for @code{-codec:a}.
499 @item -sample_fmt[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{sample_fmt} (@emph{output,per-stream})
500 Set the audio sample format. Use @code{-sample_fmts} to get a list
501 of supported sample formats.
502 @item -af @var{filter_graph} (@emph{output})
503 @var{filter_graph} is a description of the filter graph to apply to
505 Use the option "-filters" to show all the available filters (including
506 also sources and sinks). This is an alias for @code{-filter:a}.
509 @section Advanced Audio options:
512 @item -atag @var{fourcc/tag} (@emph{output})
513 Force audio tag/fourcc. This is an alias for @code{-tag:a}.
514 @item -absf @var{bitstream_filter}
518 @section Subtitle options:
521 @item -slang @var{code}
522 Set the ISO 639 language code (3 letters) of the current subtitle stream.
523 @item -scodec @var{codec} (@emph{input/output})
524 Set the subtitle codec. This is an alias for @code{-codec:s}.
525 @item -sn (@emph{output})
526 Disable subtitle recording.
527 @item -sbsf @var{bitstream_filter}
531 @section Audio/Video grab options
534 @item -isync (@emph{global})
535 Synchronize read on input.
538 @section Advanced options
541 @item -map [-]@var{input_file_id}[:@var{stream_specifier}][,@var{sync_file_id}[:@var{stream_specifier}]] | @var{[linklabel]} (@emph{output})
543 Designate one or more input streams as a source for the output file. Each input
544 stream is identified by the input file index @var{input_file_id} and
545 the input stream index @var{input_stream_id} within the input
546 file. Both indices start at 0. If specified,
547 @var{sync_file_id}:@var{stream_specifier} sets which input stream
548 is used as a presentation sync reference.
550 The first @code{-map} option on the command line specifies the
551 source for output stream 0, the second @code{-map} option specifies
552 the source for output stream 1, etc.
554 A @code{-} character before the stream identifier creates a "negative" mapping.
555 It disables matching streams from already created mappings.
557 An alternative @var{[linklabel]} form will map outputs from complex filter
558 graphs (see the @option{-filter_complex} option) to the output file.
559 @var{linklabel} must correspond to a defined output link label in the graph.
561 For example, to map ALL streams from the first input file to output
563 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map 0 output
566 For example, if you have two audio streams in the first input file,
567 these streams are identified by "0:0" and "0:1". You can use
568 @code{-map} to select which streams to place in an output file. For
571 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map 0:1 out.wav
573 will map the input stream in @file{INPUT} identified by "0:1" to
574 the (single) output stream in @file{out.wav}.
576 For example, to select the stream with index 2 from input file
577 @file{a.mov} (specified by the identifier "0:2"), and stream with
578 index 6 from input @file{b.mov} (specified by the identifier "1:6"),
579 and copy them to the output file @file{out.mov}:
581 ffmpeg -i a.mov -i b.mov -c copy -map 0:2 -map 1:6 out.mov
584 To select all video and the third audio stream from an input file:
586 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map 0:v -map 0:a:2 OUTPUT
589 To map all the streams except the second audio, use negative mappings
591 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map 0 -map -0:a:1 OUTPUT
594 Note that using this option disables the default mappings for this output file.
596 @item -map_channel [@var{input_file_id}.@var{stream_specifier}.@var{channel_id}|-1][:@var{output_file_id}.@var{stream_specifier}]
597 Map an audio channel from a given input to an output. If
598 @var{output_file_id}.@var{stream_specifier} is not set, the audio channel will
599 be mapped on all the audio streams.
601 Using "-1" instead of
602 @var{input_file_id}.@var{stream_specifier}.@var{channel_id} will map a muted
605 For example, assuming @var{INPUT} is a stereo audio file, you can switch the
606 two audio channels with the following command:
608 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map_channel 0.0.1 -map_channel 0.0.0 OUTPUT
611 If you want to mute the first channel and keep the second:
613 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map_channel -1 -map_channel 0.0.1 OUTPUT
616 The order of the "-map_channel" option specifies the order of the channels in
617 the output stream. The output channel layout is guessed from the number of
618 channels mapped (mono if one "-map_channel", stereo if two, etc.). Using "-ac"
619 in combination of "-map_channel" makes the channel gain levels to be updated if
620 input and output channel layouts don't match (for instance two "-map_channel"
621 options and "-ac 6").
623 You can also extract each channel of an input to specific outputs; the following
624 command extracts two channels of the @var{INPUT} audio stream (file 0, stream 0)
625 to the respective @var{OUTPUT_CH0} and @var{OUTPUT_CH1} outputs:
627 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map_channel 0.0.0 OUTPUT_CH0 -map_channel 0.0.1 OUTPUT_CH1
630 The following example splits the channels of a stereo input into two separate
631 streams, which are put into the same output file:
633 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
636 Note that currently each output stream can only contain channels from a single
637 input stream; you can't for example use "-map_channel" to pick multiple input
638 audio channels contained in different streams (from the same or different files)
639 and merge them into a single output stream. It is therefore not currently
640 possible, for example, to turn two separate mono streams into a single stereo
641 stream. However splitting a stereo stream into two single channel mono streams
644 If you need this feature, a possible workaround is to use the @emph{amerge}
645 filter. For example, if you need to merge a media (here @file{input.mkv}) with 2
646 mono audio streams into one single stereo channel audio stream (and keep the
647 video stream), you can use the following command:
649 ffmpeg -i input.mkv -f lavfi -i "
650 amovie=input.mkv:si=1 [a1];
651 amovie=input.mkv:si=2 [a2];
652 [a1][a2] amerge" -c:a pcm_s16le -c:v copy output.mkv
655 @item -map_metadata[:@var{metadata_spec_out}] @var{infile}[:@var{metadata_spec_in}] (@emph{output,per-metadata})
656 Set metadata information of the next output file from @var{infile}. Note that
657 those are file indices (zero-based), not filenames.
658 Optional @var{metadata_spec_in/out} parameters specify, which metadata to copy.
659 A metadata specifier can have the following forms:
662 global metadata, i.e. metadata that applies to the whole file
664 @item @var{s}[:@var{stream_spec}]
665 per-stream metadata. @var{stream_spec} is a stream specifier as described
666 in the @ref{Stream specifiers} chapter. In an input metadata specifier, the first
667 matching stream is copied from. In an output metadata specifier, all matching
668 streams are copied to.
670 @item @var{c}:@var{chapter_index}
671 per-chapter metadata. @var{chapter_index} is the zero-based chapter index.
673 @item @var{p}:@var{program_index}
674 per-program metadata. @var{program_index} is the zero-based program index.
676 If metadata specifier is omitted, it defaults to global.
678 By default, global metadata is copied from the first input file,
679 per-stream and per-chapter metadata is copied along with streams/chapters. These
680 default mappings are disabled by creating any mapping of the relevant type. A negative
681 file index can be used to create a dummy mapping that just disables automatic copying.
683 For example to copy metadata from the first stream of the input file to global metadata
686 ffmpeg -i in.ogg -map_metadata 0:s:0 out.mp3
689 To do the reverse, i.e. copy global metadata to all audio streams:
691 ffmpeg -i in.mkv -map_metadata:s:a 0:g out.mkv
693 Note that simple @code{0} would work as well in this example, since global
694 metadata is assumed by default.
696 @item -map_chapters @var{input_file_index} (@emph{output})
697 Copy chapters from input file with index @var{input_file_index} to the next
698 output file. If no chapter mapping is specified, then chapters are copied from
699 the first input file with at least one chapter. Use a negative file index to
700 disable any chapter copying.
701 @item -debug @var{category}
702 Print specific debug info.
703 @var{category} is a number or a string containing one of the following values:
707 picture buffer allocations
715 memory management control operations (H.264)
722 per-block quantization parameter (QP)
730 visualize block types
732 visualize quantization parameter (QP), lower QP are tinted greener
734 @item -benchmark (@emph{global})
735 Show benchmarking information at the end of an encode.
736 Shows CPU time used and maximum memory consumption.
737 Maximum memory consumption is not supported on all systems,
738 it will usually display as 0 if not supported.
739 @item -benchmark_all (@emph{global})
740 Show benchmarking information during the encode.
741 Shows CPU time used in various steps (audio/video encode/decode).
742 @item -timelimit @var{duration} (@emph{global})
743 Exit after ffmpeg has been running for @var{duration} seconds.
744 @item -dump (@emph{global})
745 Dump each input packet to stderr.
746 @item -hex (@emph{global})
747 When dumping packets, also dump the payload.
748 @item -re (@emph{input})
749 Read input at native frame rate. Mainly used to simulate a grab device.
751 Loop over the input stream. Currently it works only for image
752 streams. This option is used for automatic FFserver testing.
753 This option is deprecated, use -loop 1.
754 @item -loop_output @var{number_of_times}
755 Repeatedly loop output for formats that support looping such as animated GIF
756 (0 will loop the output infinitely).
757 This option is deprecated, use -loop.
758 @item -vsync @var{parameter}
760 For compatibility reasons old values can be specified as numbers.
761 Newly added values will have to be specified as strings always.
765 Each frame is passed with its timestamp from the demuxer to the muxer.
767 Frames will be duplicated and dropped to achieve exactly the requested
770 Frames are passed through with their timestamp or dropped so as to
771 prevent 2 frames from having the same timestamp.
773 As passthrough but destroys all timestamps, making the muxer generate
774 fresh timestamps based on frame-rate.
776 Chooses between 1 and 2 depending on muxer capabilities. This is the
780 With -map you can select from which stream the timestamps should be
781 taken. You can leave either video or audio unchanged and sync the
782 remaining stream(s) to the unchanged one.
784 @item -async @var{samples_per_second}
785 Audio sync method. "Stretches/squeezes" the audio stream to match the timestamps,
786 the parameter is the maximum samples per second by which the audio is changed.
787 -async 1 is a special case where only the start of the audio stream is corrected
788 without any later correction.
789 This option has been deprecated. Use the @code{asyncts} audio filter instead.
791 Copy timestamps from input to output.
792 @item -copytb @var{mode}
793 Specify how to set the encoder timebase when stream copying. @var{mode} is an
794 integer numeric value, and can assume one of the following values:
798 Use the demuxer timebase.
800 The time base is copied to the output encoder from the corresponding input
801 demuxer. This is sometimes required to avoid non monotonically increasing
802 timestamps when copying video streams with variable frame rate.
805 Use the decoder timebase.
807 The time base is copied to the output encoder from the corresponding input
811 Try to make the choice automatically, in order to generate a sane output.
817 Finish encoding when the shortest input stream ends.
818 @item -dts_delta_threshold
819 Timestamp discontinuity delta threshold.
820 @item -muxdelay @var{seconds} (@emph{input})
821 Set the maximum demux-decode delay.
822 @item -muxpreload @var{seconds} (@emph{input})
823 Set the initial demux-decode delay.
824 @item -streamid @var{output-stream-index}:@var{new-value} (@emph{output})
825 Assign a new stream-id value to an output stream. This option should be
826 specified prior to the output filename to which it applies.
827 For the situation where multiple output files exist, a streamid
828 may be reassigned to a different value.
830 For example, to set the stream 0 PID to 33 and the stream 1 PID to 36 for
831 an output mpegts file:
833 ffmpeg -i infile -streamid 0:33 -streamid 1:36 out.ts
836 @item -bsf[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{bitstream_filters} (@emph{output,per-stream})
837 Set bitstream filters for matching streams. @var{bistream_filters} is
838 a comma-separated list of bitstream filters. Use the @code{-bsfs} option
839 to get the list of bitstream filters.
841 ffmpeg -i h264.mp4 -c:v copy -bsf:v h264_mp4toannexb -an out.h264
844 ffmpeg -i file.mov -an -vn -bsf:s mov2textsub -c:s copy -f rawvideo sub.txt
847 @item -tag[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{codec_tag} (@emph{per-stream})
848 Force a tag/fourcc for matching streams.
850 @item -timecode @var{hh}:@var{mm}:@var{ss}SEP@var{ff}
851 Specify Timecode for writing. @var{SEP} is ':' for non drop timecode and ';'
854 ffmpeg -i input.mpg -timecode 01:02:03.04 -r 30000/1001 -s ntsc output.mpg
857 @item -filter_complex @var{filtergraph} (@emph{global})
858 Define a complex filter graph, i.e. one with arbitrary number of inputs and/or
859 outputs. For simple graphs -- those with one input and one output of the same
860 type -- see the @option{-filter} options. @var{filtergraph} is a description of
861 the filter graph, as described in @ref{Filtergraph syntax}.
863 Input link labels must refer to input streams using the
864 @code{[file_index:stream_specifier]} syntax (i.e. the same as @option{-map}
865 uses). If @var{stream_specifier} matches multiple streams, the first one will be
866 used. An unlabeled input will be connected to the first unused input stream of
869 Output link labels are referred to with @option{-map}. Unlabeled outputs are
870 added to the first output file.
872 For example, to overlay an image over video
874 ffmpeg -i video.mkv -i image.png -filter_complex '[0:v][1:v]overlay[out]' -map
877 Here @code{[0:v]} refers to the first video stream in the first input file,
878 which is linked to the first (main) input of the overlay filter. Similarly the
879 first video stream in the second input is linked to the second (overlay) input
882 Assuming there is only one video stream in each input file, we can omit input
883 labels, so the above is equivalent to
885 ffmpeg -i video.mkv -i image.png -filter_complex 'overlay[out]' -map
889 Furthermore we can omit the output label and the single output from the filter
890 graph will be added to the output file automatically, so we can simply write
892 ffmpeg -i video.mkv -i image.png -filter_complex 'overlay' out.mkv
896 @section Preset files
897 A preset file contains a sequence of @var{option}=@var{value} pairs,
898 one for each line, specifying a sequence of options which would be
899 awkward to specify on the command line. Lines starting with the hash
900 ('#') character are ignored and are used to provide comments. Check
901 the @file{presets} directory in the FFmpeg source tree for examples.
903 Preset files are specified with the @code{vpre}, @code{apre},
904 @code{spre}, and @code{fpre} options. The @code{fpre} option takes the
905 filename of the preset instead of a preset name as input and can be
906 used for any kind of codec. For the @code{vpre}, @code{apre}, and
907 @code{spre} options, the options specified in a preset file are
908 applied to the currently selected codec of the same type as the preset
911 The argument passed to the @code{vpre}, @code{apre}, and @code{spre}
912 preset options identifies the preset file to use according to the
915 First ffmpeg searches for a file named @var{arg}.ffpreset in the
916 directories @file{$FFMPEG_DATADIR} (if set), and @file{$HOME/.ffmpeg}, and in
917 the datadir defined at configuration time (usually @file{PREFIX/share/ffmpeg})
918 or in a @file{ffpresets} folder along the executable on win32,
919 in that order. For example, if the argument is @code{libx264-max}, it will
920 search for the file @file{libx264-max.ffpreset}.
922 If no such file is found, then ffmpeg will search for a file named
923 @var{codec_name}-@var{arg}.ffpreset in the above-mentioned
924 directories, where @var{codec_name} is the name of the codec to which
925 the preset file options will be applied. For example, if you select
926 the video codec with @code{-vcodec libx264} and use @code{-vpre max},
927 then it will search for the file @file{libx264-max.ffpreset}.
935 For streaming at very low bitrate application, use a low frame rate
936 and a small GOP size. This is especially true for RealVideo where
937 the Linux player does not seem to be very fast, so it can miss
938 frames. An example is:
941 ffmpeg -g 3 -r 3 -t 10 -b:v 50k -s qcif -f rv10 /tmp/b.rm
945 The parameter 'q' which is displayed while encoding is the current
946 quantizer. The value 1 indicates that a very good quality could
947 be achieved. The value 31 indicates the worst quality. If q=31 appears
948 too often, it means that the encoder cannot compress enough to meet
949 your bitrate. You must either increase the bitrate, decrease the
950 frame rate or decrease the frame size.
953 If your computer is not fast enough, you can speed up the
954 compression at the expense of the compression ratio. You can use
955 '-me zero' to speed up motion estimation, and '-g 0' to disable
956 motion estimation completely (you have only I-frames, which means it
957 is about as good as JPEG compression).
960 To have very low audio bitrates, reduce the sampling frequency
961 (down to 22050 Hz for MPEG audio, 22050 or 11025 for AC-3).
964 To have a constant quality (but a variable bitrate), use the option
965 '-qscale n' when 'n' is between 1 (excellent quality) and 31 (worst
972 @c man begin EXAMPLES
974 @section Preset files
976 A preset file contains a sequence of @var{option=value} pairs, one for
977 each line, specifying a sequence of options which can be specified also on
978 the command line. Lines starting with the hash ('#') character are ignored and
979 are used to provide comments. Empty lines are also ignored. Check the
980 @file{presets} directory in the FFmpeg source tree for examples.
982 Preset files are specified with the @code{pre} option, this option takes a
983 preset name as input. FFmpeg searches for a file named @var{preset_name}.avpreset in
984 the directories @file{$AVCONV_DATADIR} (if set), and @file{$HOME/.ffmpeg}, and in
985 the data directory defined at configuration time (usually @file{$PREFIX/share/ffmpeg})
986 in that order. For example, if the argument is @code{libx264-max}, it will
987 search for the file @file{libx264-max.avpreset}.
989 @section Video and Audio grabbing
991 If you specify the input format and device then ffmpeg can grab video
995 ffmpeg -f oss -i /dev/dsp -f video4linux2 -i /dev/video0 /tmp/out.mpg
998 Or with an ALSA audio source (mono input, card id 1) instead of OSS:
1000 ffmpeg -f alsa -ac 1 -i hw:1 -f video4linux2 -i /dev/video0 /tmp/out.mpg
1003 Note that you must activate the right video source and channel before
1004 launching ffmpeg with any TV viewer such as
1005 @uref{http://linux.bytesex.org/xawtv/, xawtv} by Gerd Knorr. You also
1006 have to set the audio recording levels correctly with a
1009 @section X11 grabbing
1011 Grab the X11 display with ffmpeg via
1014 ffmpeg -f x11grab -s cif -r 25 -i :0.0 /tmp/out.mpg
1017 0.0 is display.screen number of your X11 server, same as
1018 the DISPLAY environment variable.
1021 ffmpeg -f x11grab -s cif -r 25 -i :0.0+10,20 /tmp/out.mpg
1024 0.0 is display.screen number of your X11 server, same as the DISPLAY environment
1025 variable. 10 is the x-offset and 20 the y-offset for the grabbing.
1027 @section Video and Audio file format conversion
1029 Any supported file format and protocol can serve as input to ffmpeg:
1034 You can use YUV files as input:
1037 ffmpeg -i /tmp/test%d.Y /tmp/out.mpg
1040 It will use the files:
1042 /tmp/test0.Y, /tmp/test0.U, /tmp/test0.V,
1043 /tmp/test1.Y, /tmp/test1.U, /tmp/test1.V, etc...
1046 The Y files use twice the resolution of the U and V files. They are
1047 raw files, without header. They can be generated by all decent video
1048 decoders. You must specify the size of the image with the @option{-s} option
1049 if ffmpeg cannot guess it.
1052 You can input from a raw YUV420P file:
1055 ffmpeg -i /tmp/test.yuv /tmp/out.avi
1058 test.yuv is a file containing raw YUV planar data. Each frame is composed
1059 of the Y plane followed by the U and V planes at half vertical and
1060 horizontal resolution.
1063 You can output to a raw YUV420P file:
1066 ffmpeg -i mydivx.avi hugefile.yuv
1070 You can set several input files and output files:
1073 ffmpeg -i /tmp/a.wav -s 640x480 -i /tmp/a.yuv /tmp/a.mpg
1076 Converts the audio file a.wav and the raw YUV video file a.yuv
1080 You can also do audio and video conversions at the same time:
1083 ffmpeg -i /tmp/a.wav -ar 22050 /tmp/a.mp2
1086 Converts a.wav to MPEG audio at 22050 Hz sample rate.
1089 You can encode to several formats at the same time and define a
1090 mapping from input stream to output streams:
1093 ffmpeg -i /tmp/a.wav -map 0:a -b:a 64k /tmp/a.mp2 -map 0:a -b:a 128k /tmp/b.mp2
1096 Converts a.wav to a.mp2 at 64 kbits and to b.mp2 at 128 kbits. '-map
1097 file:index' specifies which input stream is used for each output
1098 stream, in the order of the definition of output streams.
1101 You can transcode decrypted VOBs:
1104 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
1107 This is a typical DVD ripping example; the input is a VOB file, the
1108 output an AVI file with MPEG-4 video and MP3 audio. Note that in this
1109 command we use B-frames so the MPEG-4 stream is DivX5 compatible, and
1110 GOP size is 300 which means one intra frame every 10 seconds for 29.97fps
1111 input video. Furthermore, the audio stream is MP3-encoded so you need
1112 to enable LAME support by passing @code{--enable-libmp3lame} to configure.
1113 The mapping is particularly useful for DVD transcoding
1114 to get the desired audio language.
1116 NOTE: To see the supported input formats, use @code{ffmpeg -formats}.
1119 You can extract images from a video, or create a video from many images:
1121 For extracting images from a video:
1123 ffmpeg -i foo.avi -r 1 -s WxH -f image2 foo-%03d.jpeg
1126 This will extract one video frame per second from the video and will
1127 output them in files named @file{foo-001.jpeg}, @file{foo-002.jpeg},
1128 etc. Images will be rescaled to fit the new WxH values.
1130 If you want to extract just a limited number of frames, you can use the
1131 above command in combination with the -vframes or -t option, or in
1132 combination with -ss to start extracting from a certain point in time.
1134 For creating a video from many images:
1136 ffmpeg -f image2 -i foo-%03d.jpeg -r 12 -s WxH foo.avi
1139 The syntax @code{foo-%03d.jpeg} specifies to use a decimal number
1140 composed of three digits padded with zeroes to express the sequence
1141 number. It is the same syntax supported by the C printf function, but
1142 only formats accepting a normal integer are suitable.
1144 When importing an image sequence, -i also supports expanding shell-like
1145 wildcard patterns (globbing) internally. To lower the chance of interfering
1146 with your actual file names and the shell's glob expansion, you are required
1147 to activate glob meta characters by prefixing them with a single @code{%}
1148 character, like in @code{foo-%*.jpeg}, @code{foo-%?%?%?.jpeg} or
1149 @code{foo-00%[234%]%*.jpeg}.
1150 If your filename actually contains a character sequence of a @code{%} character
1151 followed by a glob character, you must double the @code{%} character to escape
1152 it. Imagine your files begin with @code{%?-foo-}, then you could use a glob
1153 pattern like @code{%%?-foo-%*.jpeg}. For input patterns that could be both a
1154 printf or a glob pattern, ffmpeg will assume it is a glob pattern.
1157 You can put many streams of the same type in the output:
1160 ffmpeg -i test1.avi -i test2.avi -map 0.3 -map 0.2 -map 0.1 -map 0.0 -c copy test12.nut
1163 The resulting output file @file{test12.avi} will contain first four streams from
1164 the input file in reverse order.
1167 To force CBR video output:
1169 ffmpeg -i myfile.avi -b 4000k -minrate 4000k -maxrate 4000k -bufsize 1835k out.m2v
1173 The four options lmin, lmax, mblmin and mblmax use 'lambda' units,
1174 but you may use the QP2LAMBDA constant to easily convert from 'q' units:
1176 ffmpeg -i src.ext -lmax 21*QP2LAMBDA dst.ext
1183 @include decoders.texi
1184 @include encoders.texi
1185 @include demuxers.texi
1186 @include muxers.texi
1187 @include indevs.texi
1188 @include outdevs.texi
1189 @include protocols.texi
1190 @include bitstream_filters.texi
1191 @include filters.texi
1192 @include metadata.texi
1197 @settitle ffmpeg video converter
1199 @c man begin SEEALSO
1200 ffplay(1), ffprobe(1), ffserver(1) and the FFmpeg HTML documentation
1203 @c man begin AUTHORS