1 \input texinfo @c -*- texinfo -*-
2 @documentencoding UTF-8
4 @settitle ffmpeg Documentation
6 @center @titlefont{ffmpeg Documentation}
15 ffmpeg [@var{global_options}] @{[@var{input_file_options}] -i @file{input_file}@} ... @{[@var{output_file_options}] @file{output_file}@} ...
18 @c man begin DESCRIPTION
20 @command{ffmpeg} is a very fast video and audio converter that can also grab from
21 a live audio/video source. It can also convert between arbitrary sample
22 rates and resize video on the fly with a high quality polyphase filter.
24 @command{ffmpeg} reads from an arbitrary number of input "files" (which can be regular
25 files, pipes, network streams, grabbing devices, etc.), specified by the
26 @code{-i} option, and writes to an arbitrary number of output "files", which are
27 specified by a plain output filename. Anything found on the command line which
28 cannot be interpreted as an option is considered to be an output filename.
30 Each input or output file can, in principle, contain any number of streams of
31 different types (video/audio/subtitle/attachment/data). The allowed number and/or
32 types of streams may be limited by the container format. Selecting which
33 streams from which inputs will go into which output is either done automatically
34 or with the @code{-map} option (see the Stream selection chapter).
36 To refer to input files in options, you must use their indices (0-based). E.g.
37 the first input file is @code{0}, the second is @code{1}, etc. Similarly, streams
38 within a file are referred to by their indices. E.g. @code{2:3} refers to the
39 fourth stream in the third input file. Also see the Stream specifiers chapter.
41 As a general rule, options are applied to the next specified
42 file. Therefore, order is important, and you can have the same
43 option on the command line multiple times. Each occurrence is
44 then applied to the next input or output file.
45 Exceptions from this rule are the global options (e.g. verbosity level),
46 which should be specified first.
48 Do not mix input and output files -- first specify all input files, then all
49 output files. Also do not mix options which belong to different files. All
50 options apply ONLY to the next input or output file and are reset between files.
54 To set the video bitrate of the output file to 64 kbit/s:
56 ffmpeg -i input.avi -b:v 64k -bufsize 64k output.avi
60 To force the frame rate of the output file to 24 fps:
62 ffmpeg -i input.avi -r 24 output.avi
66 To force the frame rate of the input file (valid for raw formats only)
67 to 1 fps and the frame rate of the output file to 24 fps:
69 ffmpeg -r 1 -i input.m2v -r 24 output.avi
73 The format option may be needed for raw input files.
75 @c man end DESCRIPTION
77 @chapter Detailed description
78 @c man begin DETAILED DESCRIPTION
80 The transcoding process in @command{ffmpeg} for each output can be described by
81 the following diagram:
84 _______ ______________
86 | input | demuxer | encoded data | decoder
87 | file | ---------> | packets | -----+
88 |_______| |______________| |
95 ________ ______________ |
97 | output | <-------- | encoded data | <----+
98 | file | muxer | packets | encoder
99 |________| |______________|
104 @command{ffmpeg} calls the libavformat library (containing demuxers) to read
105 input files and get packets containing encoded data from them. When there are
106 multiple input files, @command{ffmpeg} tries to keep them synchronized by
107 tracking lowest timestamp on any active input stream.
109 Encoded packets are then passed to the decoder (unless streamcopy is selected
110 for the stream, see further for a description). The decoder produces
111 uncompressed frames (raw video/PCM audio/...) which can be processed further by
112 filtering (see next section). After filtering, the frames are passed to the
113 encoder, which encodes them and outputs encoded packets. Finally those are
114 passed to the muxer, which writes the encoded packets to the output file.
117 Before encoding, @command{ffmpeg} can process raw audio and video frames using
118 filters from the libavfilter library. Several chained filters form a filter
119 graph. @command{ffmpeg} distinguishes between two types of filtergraphs:
122 @subsection Simple filtergraphs
123 Simple filtergraphs are those that have exactly one input and output, both of
124 the same type. In the above diagram they can be represented by simply inserting
125 an additional step between decoding and encoding:
128 _________ ______________
130 | decoded | | encoded data |
131 | frames |\ _ | packets |
132 |_________| \ /||______________|
134 simple _\|| | / encoder
135 filtergraph | filtered |/
141 Simple filtergraphs are configured with the per-stream @option{-filter} option
142 (with @option{-vf} and @option{-af} aliases for video and audio respectively).
143 A simple filtergraph for video can look for example like this:
146 _______ _____________ _______ ________
148 | input | ---> | deinterlace | ---> | scale | ---> | output |
149 |_______| |_____________| |_______| |________|
153 Note that some filters change frame properties but not frame contents. E.g. the
154 @code{fps} filter in the example above changes number of frames, but does not
155 touch the frame contents. Another example is the @code{setpts} filter, which
156 only sets timestamps and otherwise passes the frames unchanged.
158 @subsection Complex filtergraphs
159 Complex filtergraphs are those which cannot be described as simply a linear
160 processing chain applied to one stream. This is the case, for example, when the graph has
161 more than one input and/or output, or when output stream type is different from
162 input. They can be represented with the following diagram:
167 | input 0 |\ __________
169 \ _________ /| output 0 |
171 _________ \| complex | /
173 | input 1 |---->| filter |\
174 |_________| | | \ __________
177 _________ / |_________| |__________|
184 Complex filtergraphs are configured with the @option{-filter_complex} option.
185 Note that this option is global, since a complex filtergraph, by its nature,
186 cannot be unambiguously associated with a single stream or file.
188 The @option{-lavfi} option is equivalent to @option{-filter_complex}.
190 A trivial example of a complex filtergraph is the @code{overlay} filter, which
191 has two video inputs and one video output, containing one video overlaid on top
192 of the other. Its audio counterpart is the @code{amix} filter.
195 Stream copy is a mode selected by supplying the @code{copy} parameter to the
196 @option{-codec} option. It makes @command{ffmpeg} omit the decoding and encoding
197 step for the specified stream, so it does only demuxing and muxing. It is useful
198 for changing the container format or modifying container-level metadata. The
199 diagram above will, in this case, simplify to this:
202 _______ ______________ ________
204 | input | demuxer | encoded data | muxer | output |
205 | file | ---------> | packets | -------> | file |
206 |_______| |______________| |________|
210 Since there is no decoding or encoding, it is very fast and there is no quality
211 loss. However, it might not work in some cases because of many factors. Applying
212 filters is obviously also impossible, since filters work on uncompressed data.
214 @c man end DETAILED DESCRIPTION
216 @chapter Stream selection
217 @c man begin STREAM SELECTION
219 By default, @command{ffmpeg} includes only one stream of each type (video, audio, subtitle)
220 present in the input files and adds them to each output file. It picks the
221 "best" of each based upon the following criteria: for video, it is the stream
222 with the highest resolution, for audio, it is the stream with the most channels, for
223 subtitles, it is the first subtitle stream. In the case where several streams of
224 the same type rate equally, the stream with the lowest index is chosen.
226 You can disable some of those defaults by using the @code{-vn/-an/-sn} options. For
227 full manual control, use the @code{-map} option, which disables the defaults just
230 @c man end STREAM SELECTION
235 @include fftools-common-opts.texi
237 @section Main options
241 @item -f @var{fmt} (@emph{input/output})
242 Force input or output file format. The format is normally auto detected for input
243 files and guessed from the file extension for output files, so this option is not
244 needed in most cases.
246 @item -i @var{filename} (@emph{input})
249 @item -y (@emph{global})
250 Overwrite output files without asking.
252 @item -n (@emph{global})
253 Do not overwrite output files, and exit immediately if a specified
254 output file already exists.
256 @item -c[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{codec} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
257 @itemx -codec[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{codec} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
258 Select an encoder (when used before an output file) or a decoder (when used
259 before an input file) for one or more streams. @var{codec} is the name of a
260 decoder/encoder or a special value @code{copy} (output only) to indicate that
261 the stream is not to be re-encoded.
265 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map 0 -c:v libx264 -c:a copy OUTPUT
267 encodes all video streams with libx264 and copies all audio streams.
269 For each stream, the last matching @code{c} option is applied, so
271 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map 0 -c copy -c:v:1 libx264 -c:a:137 libvorbis OUTPUT
273 will copy all the streams except the second video, which will be encoded with
274 libx264, and the 138th audio, which will be encoded with libvorbis.
276 @item -t @var{duration} (@emph{input/output})
277 When used as an input option (before @code{-i}), limit the @var{duration} of
278 data read from the input file.
280 When used as an output option (before an output filename), stop writing the
281 output after its duration reaches @var{duration}.
283 @var{duration} must be a time duration specification,
284 see @ref{time duration syntax,,the Time duration section in the ffmpeg-utils(1) manual,ffmpeg-utils}.
286 -to and -t are mutually exclusive and -t has priority.
288 @item -to @var{position} (@emph{output})
289 Stop writing the output at @var{position}.
290 @var{position} must be a time duration specification,
291 see @ref{time duration syntax,,the Time duration section in the ffmpeg-utils(1) manual,ffmpeg-utils}.
293 -to and -t are mutually exclusive and -t has priority.
295 @item -fs @var{limit_size} (@emph{output})
296 Set the file size limit, expressed in bytes.
298 @item -ss @var{position} (@emph{input/output})
299 When used as an input option (before @code{-i}), seeks in this input file to
300 @var{position}. Note that in most formats it is not possible to seek exactly,
301 so @command{ffmpeg} will seek to the closest seek point before @var{position}.
302 When transcoding and @option{-accurate_seek} is enabled (the default), this
303 extra segment between the seek point and @var{position} will be decoded and
304 discarded. When doing stream copy or when @option{-noaccurate_seek} is used, it
307 When used as an output option (before an output filename), decodes but discards
308 input until the timestamps reach @var{position}.
310 @var{position} must be a time duration specification,
311 see @ref{time duration syntax,,the Time duration section in the ffmpeg-utils(1) manual,ffmpeg-utils}.
313 @item -sseof @var{position} (@emph{input/output})
315 Like the @code{-ss} option but relative to the "end of file". That is negative
316 values are earlier in the file, 0 is at EOF.
318 @item -itsoffset @var{offset} (@emph{input})
319 Set the input time offset.
321 @var{offset} must be a time duration specification,
322 see @ref{time duration syntax,,the Time duration section in the ffmpeg-utils(1) manual,ffmpeg-utils}.
324 The offset is added to the timestamps of the input files. Specifying
325 a positive offset means that the corresponding streams are delayed by
326 the time duration specified in @var{offset}.
328 @item -timestamp @var{date} (@emph{output})
329 Set the recording timestamp in the container.
331 @var{date} must be a date specification,
332 see @ref{date syntax,,the Date section in the ffmpeg-utils(1) manual,ffmpeg-utils}.
334 @item -metadata[:metadata_specifier] @var{key}=@var{value} (@emph{output,per-metadata})
335 Set a metadata key/value pair.
337 An optional @var{metadata_specifier} may be given to set metadata
338 on streams or chapters. See @code{-map_metadata} documentation for
341 This option overrides metadata set with @code{-map_metadata}. It is
342 also possible to delete metadata by using an empty value.
344 For example, for setting the title in the output file:
346 ffmpeg -i in.avi -metadata title="my title" out.flv
349 To set the language of the first audio stream:
351 ffmpeg -i INPUT -metadata:s:a:0 language=eng OUTPUT
354 @item -target @var{type} (@emph{output})
355 Specify target file type (@code{vcd}, @code{svcd}, @code{dvd}, @code{dv},
356 @code{dv50}). @var{type} may be prefixed with @code{pal-}, @code{ntsc-} or
357 @code{film-} to use the corresponding standard. All the format options
358 (bitrate, codecs, buffer sizes) are then set automatically. You can just type:
361 ffmpeg -i myfile.avi -target vcd /tmp/vcd.mpg
364 Nevertheless you can specify additional options as long as you know
365 they do not conflict with the standard, as in:
368 ffmpeg -i myfile.avi -target vcd -bf 2 /tmp/vcd.mpg
371 @item -dframes @var{number} (@emph{output})
372 Set the number of data frames to output. This is an alias for @code{-frames:d}.
374 @item -frames[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{framecount} (@emph{output,per-stream})
375 Stop writing to the stream after @var{framecount} frames.
377 @item -q[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{q} (@emph{output,per-stream})
378 @itemx -qscale[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{q} (@emph{output,per-stream})
379 Use fixed quality scale (VBR). The meaning of @var{q}/@var{qscale} is
381 If @var{qscale} is used without a @var{stream_specifier} then it applies only
382 to the video stream, this is to maintain compatibility with previous behavior
383 and as specifying the same codec specific value to 2 different codecs that is
384 audio and video generally is not what is intended when no stream_specifier is
387 @anchor{filter_option}
388 @item -filter[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{filtergraph} (@emph{output,per-stream})
389 Create the filtergraph specified by @var{filtergraph} and use it to
392 @var{filtergraph} is a description of the filtergraph to apply to
393 the stream, and must have a single input and a single output of the
394 same type of the stream. In the filtergraph, the input is associated
395 to the label @code{in}, and the output to the label @code{out}. See
396 the ffmpeg-filters manual for more information about the filtergraph
399 See the @ref{filter_complex_option,,-filter_complex option} if you
400 want to create filtergraphs with multiple inputs and/or outputs.
402 @item -filter_script[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{filename} (@emph{output,per-stream})
403 This option is similar to @option{-filter}, the only difference is that its
404 argument is the name of the file from which a filtergraph description is to be
407 @item -pre[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{preset_name} (@emph{output,per-stream})
408 Specify the preset for matching stream(s).
410 @item -stats (@emph{global})
411 Print encoding progress/statistics. It is on by default, to explicitly
412 disable it you need to specify @code{-nostats}.
414 @item -progress @var{url} (@emph{global})
415 Send program-friendly progress information to @var{url}.
417 Progress information is written approximately every second and at the end of
418 the encoding process. It is made of "@var{key}=@var{value}" lines. @var{key}
419 consists of only alphanumeric characters. The last key of a sequence of
420 progress information is always "progress".
423 Enable interaction on standard input. On by default unless standard input is
424 used as an input. To explicitly disable interaction you need to specify
427 Disabling interaction on standard input is useful, for example, if
428 ffmpeg is in the background process group. Roughly the same result can
429 be achieved with @code{ffmpeg ... < /dev/null} but it requires a
432 @item -debug_ts (@emph{global})
433 Print timestamp information. It is off by default. This option is
434 mostly useful for testing and debugging purposes, and the output
435 format may change from one version to another, so it should not be
436 employed by portable scripts.
438 See also the option @code{-fdebug ts}.
440 @item -attach @var{filename} (@emph{output})
441 Add an attachment to the output file. This is supported by a few formats
442 like Matroska for e.g. fonts used in rendering subtitles. Attachments
443 are implemented as a specific type of stream, so this option will add
444 a new stream to the file. It is then possible to use per-stream options
445 on this stream in the usual way. Attachment streams created with this
446 option will be created after all the other streams (i.e. those created
447 with @code{-map} or automatic mappings).
449 Note that for Matroska you also have to set the mimetype metadata tag:
451 ffmpeg -i INPUT -attach DejaVuSans.ttf -metadata:s:2 mimetype=application/x-truetype-font out.mkv
453 (assuming that the attachment stream will be third in the output file).
455 @item -dump_attachment[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{filename} (@emph{input,per-stream})
456 Extract the matching attachment stream into a file named @var{filename}. If
457 @var{filename} is empty, then the value of the @code{filename} metadata tag
460 E.g. to extract the first attachment to a file named 'out.ttf':
462 ffmpeg -dump_attachment:t:0 out.ttf -i INPUT
464 To extract all attachments to files determined by the @code{filename} tag:
466 ffmpeg -dump_attachment:t "" -i INPUT
469 Technical note -- attachments are implemented as codec extradata, so this
470 option can actually be used to extract extradata from any stream, not just
474 Disable automatically rotating video based on file metadata.
478 @section Video Options
481 @item -vframes @var{number} (@emph{output})
482 Set the number of video frames to output. This is an alias for @code{-frames:v}.
483 @item -r[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{fps} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
484 Set frame rate (Hz value, fraction or abbreviation).
486 As an input option, ignore any timestamps stored in the file and instead
487 generate timestamps assuming constant frame rate @var{fps}.
488 This is not the same as the @option{-framerate} option used for some input formats
489 like image2 or v4l2 (it used to be the same in older versions of FFmpeg).
490 If in doubt use @option{-framerate} instead of the input option @option{-r}.
492 As an output option, duplicate or drop input frames to achieve constant output
493 frame rate @var{fps}.
495 @item -s[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{size} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
498 As an input option, this is a shortcut for the @option{video_size} private
499 option, recognized by some demuxers for which the frame size is either not
500 stored in the file or is configurable -- e.g. raw video or video grabbers.
502 As an output option, this inserts the @code{scale} video filter to the
503 @emph{end} of the corresponding filtergraph. Please use the @code{scale} filter
504 directly to insert it at the beginning or some other place.
506 The format is @samp{wxh} (default - same as source).
508 @item -aspect[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{aspect} (@emph{output,per-stream})
509 Set the video display aspect ratio specified by @var{aspect}.
511 @var{aspect} can be a floating point number string, or a string of the
512 form @var{num}:@var{den}, where @var{num} and @var{den} are the
513 numerator and denominator of the aspect ratio. For example "4:3",
514 "16:9", "1.3333", and "1.7777" are valid argument values.
516 If used together with @option{-vcodec copy}, it will affect the aspect ratio
517 stored at container level, but not the aspect ratio stored in encoded
518 frames, if it exists.
520 @item -vn (@emph{output})
521 Disable video recording.
523 @item -vcodec @var{codec} (@emph{output})
524 Set the video codec. This is an alias for @code{-codec:v}.
526 @item -pass[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{n} (@emph{output,per-stream})
527 Select the pass number (1 or 2). It is used to do two-pass
528 video encoding. The statistics of the video are recorded in the first
529 pass into a log file (see also the option -passlogfile),
530 and in the second pass that log file is used to generate the video
531 at the exact requested bitrate.
532 On pass 1, you may just deactivate audio and set output to null,
533 examples for Windows and Unix:
535 ffmpeg -i foo.mov -c:v libxvid -pass 1 -an -f rawvideo -y NUL
536 ffmpeg -i foo.mov -c:v libxvid -pass 1 -an -f rawvideo -y /dev/null
539 @item -passlogfile[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{prefix} (@emph{output,per-stream})
540 Set two-pass log file name prefix to @var{prefix}, the default file name
541 prefix is ``ffmpeg2pass''. The complete file name will be
542 @file{PREFIX-N.log}, where N is a number specific to the output
545 @item -vf @var{filtergraph} (@emph{output})
546 Create the filtergraph specified by @var{filtergraph} and use it to
549 This is an alias for @code{-filter:v}, see the @ref{filter_option,,-filter option}.
552 @section Advanced Video options
555 @item -pix_fmt[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{format} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
556 Set pixel format. Use @code{-pix_fmts} to show all the supported
558 If the selected pixel format can not be selected, ffmpeg will print a
559 warning and select the best pixel format supported by the encoder.
560 If @var{pix_fmt} is prefixed by a @code{+}, ffmpeg will exit with an error
561 if the requested pixel format can not be selected, and automatic conversions
562 inside filtergraphs are disabled.
563 If @var{pix_fmt} is a single @code{+}, ffmpeg selects the same pixel format
564 as the input (or graph output) and automatic conversions are disabled.
566 @item -sws_flags @var{flags} (@emph{input/output})
571 @item -rc_override[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{override} (@emph{output,per-stream})
572 Rate control override for specific intervals, formatted as "int,int,int"
573 list separated with slashes. Two first values are the beginning and
574 end frame numbers, last one is quantizer to use if positive, or quality
578 Force interlacing support in encoder (MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 only).
579 Use this option if your input file is interlaced and you want
580 to keep the interlaced format for minimum losses.
581 The alternative is to deinterlace the input stream with
582 @option{-deinterlace}, but deinterlacing introduces losses.
584 Calculate PSNR of compressed frames.
586 Dump video coding statistics to @file{vstats_HHMMSS.log}.
587 @item -vstats_file @var{file}
588 Dump video coding statistics to @var{file}.
589 @item -top[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{n} (@emph{output,per-stream})
590 top=1/bottom=0/auto=-1 field first
591 @item -dc @var{precision}
593 @item -vtag @var{fourcc/tag} (@emph{output})
594 Force video tag/fourcc. This is an alias for @code{-tag:v}.
595 @item -qphist (@emph{global})
597 @item -vbsf @var{bitstream_filter}
600 @item -force_key_frames[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{time}[,@var{time}...] (@emph{output,per-stream})
601 @item -force_key_frames[:@var{stream_specifier}] expr:@var{expr} (@emph{output,per-stream})
602 Force key frames at the specified timestamps, more precisely at the first
603 frames after each specified time.
605 If the argument is prefixed with @code{expr:}, the string @var{expr}
606 is interpreted like an expression and is evaluated for each frame. A
607 key frame is forced in case the evaluation is non-zero.
609 If one of the times is "@code{chapters}[@var{delta}]", it is expanded into
610 the time of the beginning of all chapters in the file, shifted by
611 @var{delta}, expressed as a time in seconds.
612 This option can be useful to ensure that a seek point is present at a
613 chapter mark or any other designated place in the output file.
615 For example, to insert a key frame at 5 minutes, plus key frames 0.1 second
616 before the beginning of every chapter:
618 -force_key_frames 0:05:00,chapters-0.1
621 The expression in @var{expr} can contain the following constants:
624 the number of current processed frame, starting from 0
626 the number of forced frames
628 the number of the previous forced frame, it is @code{NAN} when no
629 keyframe was forced yet
631 the time of the previous forced frame, it is @code{NAN} when no
632 keyframe was forced yet
634 the time of the current processed frame
637 For example to force a key frame every 5 seconds, you can specify:
639 -force_key_frames expr:gte(t,n_forced*5)
642 To force a key frame 5 seconds after the time of the last forced one,
643 starting from second 13:
645 -force_key_frames expr:if(isnan(prev_forced_t),gte(t,13),gte(t,prev_forced_t+5))
648 Note that forcing too many keyframes is very harmful for the lookahead
649 algorithms of certain encoders: using fixed-GOP options or similar
650 would be more efficient.
652 @item -copyinkf[:@var{stream_specifier}] (@emph{output,per-stream})
653 When doing stream copy, copy also non-key frames found at the
656 @item -hwaccel[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{hwaccel} (@emph{input,per-stream})
657 Use hardware acceleration to decode the matching stream(s). The allowed values
658 of @var{hwaccel} are:
661 Do not use any hardware acceleration (the default).
664 Automatically select the hardware acceleration method.
667 Use Apple VDA hardware acceleration.
670 Use VDPAU (Video Decode and Presentation API for Unix) hardware acceleration.
673 Use DXVA2 (DirectX Video Acceleration) hardware acceleration.
676 This option has no effect if the selected hwaccel is not available or not
677 supported by the chosen decoder.
679 Note that most acceleration methods are intended for playback and will not be
680 faster than software decoding on modern CPUs. Additionally, @command{ffmpeg}
681 will usually need to copy the decoded frames from the GPU memory into the system
682 memory, resulting in further performance loss. This option is thus mainly
685 @item -hwaccel_device[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{hwaccel_device} (@emph{input,per-stream})
686 Select a device to use for hardware acceleration.
688 This option only makes sense when the @option{-hwaccel} option is also
689 specified. Its exact meaning depends on the specific hardware acceleration
694 For VDPAU, this option specifies the X11 display/screen to use. If this option
695 is not specified, the value of the @var{DISPLAY} environment variable is used
698 For DXVA2, this option should contain the number of the display adapter to use.
699 If this option is not specified, the default adapter is used.
703 @section Audio Options
706 @item -aframes @var{number} (@emph{output})
707 Set the number of audio frames to output. This is an alias for @code{-frames:a}.
708 @item -ar[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{freq} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
709 Set the audio sampling frequency. For output streams it is set by
710 default to the frequency of the corresponding input stream. For input
711 streams this option only makes sense for audio grabbing devices and raw
712 demuxers and is mapped to the corresponding demuxer options.
713 @item -aq @var{q} (@emph{output})
714 Set the audio quality (codec-specific, VBR). This is an alias for -q:a.
715 @item -ac[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{channels} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
716 Set the number of audio channels. For output streams it is set by
717 default to the number of input audio channels. For input streams
718 this option only makes sense for audio grabbing devices and raw demuxers
719 and is mapped to the corresponding demuxer options.
720 @item -an (@emph{output})
721 Disable audio recording.
722 @item -acodec @var{codec} (@emph{input/output})
723 Set the audio codec. This is an alias for @code{-codec:a}.
724 @item -sample_fmt[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{sample_fmt} (@emph{output,per-stream})
725 Set the audio sample format. Use @code{-sample_fmts} to get a list
726 of supported sample formats.
728 @item -af @var{filtergraph} (@emph{output})
729 Create the filtergraph specified by @var{filtergraph} and use it to
732 This is an alias for @code{-filter:a}, see the @ref{filter_option,,-filter option}.
735 @section Advanced Audio options
738 @item -atag @var{fourcc/tag} (@emph{output})
739 Force audio tag/fourcc. This is an alias for @code{-tag:a}.
740 @item -absf @var{bitstream_filter}
742 @item -guess_layout_max @var{channels} (@emph{input,per-stream})
743 If some input channel layout is not known, try to guess only if it
744 corresponds to at most the specified number of channels. For example, 2
745 tells to @command{ffmpeg} to recognize 1 channel as mono and 2 channels as
746 stereo but not 6 channels as 5.1. The default is to always try to guess. Use
747 0 to disable all guessing.
750 @section Subtitle options
753 @item -scodec @var{codec} (@emph{input/output})
754 Set the subtitle codec. This is an alias for @code{-codec:s}.
755 @item -sn (@emph{output})
756 Disable subtitle recording.
757 @item -sbsf @var{bitstream_filter}
761 @section Advanced Subtitle options
765 @item -fix_sub_duration
766 Fix subtitles durations. For each subtitle, wait for the next packet in the
767 same stream and adjust the duration of the first to avoid overlap. This is
768 necessary with some subtitles codecs, especially DVB subtitles, because the
769 duration in the original packet is only a rough estimate and the end is
770 actually marked by an empty subtitle frame. Failing to use this option when
771 necessary can result in exaggerated durations or muxing failures due to
772 non-monotonic timestamps.
774 Note that this option will delay the output of all data until the next
775 subtitle packet is decoded: it may increase memory consumption and latency a
778 @item -canvas_size @var{size}
779 Set the size of the canvas used to render subtitles.
783 @section Advanced options
786 @item -map [-]@var{input_file_id}[:@var{stream_specifier}][,@var{sync_file_id}[:@var{stream_specifier}]] | @var{[linklabel]} (@emph{output})
788 Designate one or more input streams as a source for the output file. Each input
789 stream is identified by the input file index @var{input_file_id} and
790 the input stream index @var{input_stream_id} within the input
791 file. Both indices start at 0. If specified,
792 @var{sync_file_id}:@var{stream_specifier} sets which input stream
793 is used as a presentation sync reference.
795 The first @code{-map} option on the command line specifies the
796 source for output stream 0, the second @code{-map} option specifies
797 the source for output stream 1, etc.
799 A @code{-} character before the stream identifier creates a "negative" mapping.
800 It disables matching streams from already created mappings.
802 An alternative @var{[linklabel]} form will map outputs from complex filter
803 graphs (see the @option{-filter_complex} option) to the output file.
804 @var{linklabel} must correspond to a defined output link label in the graph.
806 For example, to map ALL streams from the first input file to output
808 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map 0 output
811 For example, if you have two audio streams in the first input file,
812 these streams are identified by "0:0" and "0:1". You can use
813 @code{-map} to select which streams to place in an output file. For
816 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map 0:1 out.wav
818 will map the input stream in @file{INPUT} identified by "0:1" to
819 the (single) output stream in @file{out.wav}.
821 For example, to select the stream with index 2 from input file
822 @file{a.mov} (specified by the identifier "0:2"), and stream with
823 index 6 from input @file{b.mov} (specified by the identifier "1:6"),
824 and copy them to the output file @file{out.mov}:
826 ffmpeg -i a.mov -i b.mov -c copy -map 0:2 -map 1:6 out.mov
829 To select all video and the third audio stream from an input file:
831 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map 0:v -map 0:a:2 OUTPUT
834 To map all the streams except the second audio, use negative mappings
836 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map 0 -map -0:a:1 OUTPUT
839 To pick the English audio stream:
841 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map 0:m:language:eng OUTPUT
844 Note that using this option disables the default mappings for this output file.
846 @item -ignore_unknown
847 Ignore input streams with unknown type instead of failing if copying
848 such streams is attempted.
851 Allow input streams with unknown type to be copied instead of failing if copying
852 such streams is attempted.
854 @item -map_channel [@var{input_file_id}.@var{stream_specifier}.@var{channel_id}|-1][:@var{output_file_id}.@var{stream_specifier}]
855 Map an audio channel from a given input to an output. If
856 @var{output_file_id}.@var{stream_specifier} is not set, the audio channel will
857 be mapped on all the audio streams.
859 Using "-1" instead of
860 @var{input_file_id}.@var{stream_specifier}.@var{channel_id} will map a muted
863 For example, assuming @var{INPUT} is a stereo audio file, you can switch the
864 two audio channels with the following command:
866 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map_channel 0.0.1 -map_channel 0.0.0 OUTPUT
869 If you want to mute the first channel and keep the second:
871 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map_channel -1 -map_channel 0.0.1 OUTPUT
874 The order of the "-map_channel" option specifies the order of the channels in
875 the output stream. The output channel layout is guessed from the number of
876 channels mapped (mono if one "-map_channel", stereo if two, etc.). Using "-ac"
877 in combination of "-map_channel" makes the channel gain levels to be updated if
878 input and output channel layouts don't match (for instance two "-map_channel"
879 options and "-ac 6").
881 You can also extract each channel of an input to specific outputs; the following
882 command extracts two channels of the @var{INPUT} audio stream (file 0, stream 0)
883 to the respective @var{OUTPUT_CH0} and @var{OUTPUT_CH1} outputs:
885 ffmpeg -i INPUT -map_channel 0.0.0 OUTPUT_CH0 -map_channel 0.0.1 OUTPUT_CH1
888 The following example splits the channels of a stereo input into two separate
889 streams, which are put into the same output file:
891 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
894 Note that currently each output stream can only contain channels from a single
895 input stream; you can't for example use "-map_channel" to pick multiple input
896 audio channels contained in different streams (from the same or different files)
897 and merge them into a single output stream. It is therefore not currently
898 possible, for example, to turn two separate mono streams into a single stereo
899 stream. However splitting a stereo stream into two single channel mono streams
902 If you need this feature, a possible workaround is to use the @emph{amerge}
903 filter. For example, if you need to merge a media (here @file{input.mkv}) with 2
904 mono audio streams into one single stereo channel audio stream (and keep the
905 video stream), you can use the following command:
907 ffmpeg -i input.mkv -filter_complex "[0:1] [0:2] amerge" -c:a pcm_s16le -c:v copy output.mkv
910 @item -map_metadata[:@var{metadata_spec_out}] @var{infile}[:@var{metadata_spec_in}] (@emph{output,per-metadata})
911 Set metadata information of the next output file from @var{infile}. Note that
912 those are file indices (zero-based), not filenames.
913 Optional @var{metadata_spec_in/out} parameters specify, which metadata to copy.
914 A metadata specifier can have the following forms:
917 global metadata, i.e. metadata that applies to the whole file
919 @item @var{s}[:@var{stream_spec}]
920 per-stream metadata. @var{stream_spec} is a stream specifier as described
921 in the @ref{Stream specifiers} chapter. In an input metadata specifier, the first
922 matching stream is copied from. In an output metadata specifier, all matching
923 streams are copied to.
925 @item @var{c}:@var{chapter_index}
926 per-chapter metadata. @var{chapter_index} is the zero-based chapter index.
928 @item @var{p}:@var{program_index}
929 per-program metadata. @var{program_index} is the zero-based program index.
931 If metadata specifier is omitted, it defaults to global.
933 By default, global metadata is copied from the first input file,
934 per-stream and per-chapter metadata is copied along with streams/chapters. These
935 default mappings are disabled by creating any mapping of the relevant type. A negative
936 file index can be used to create a dummy mapping that just disables automatic copying.
938 For example to copy metadata from the first stream of the input file to global metadata
941 ffmpeg -i in.ogg -map_metadata 0:s:0 out.mp3
944 To do the reverse, i.e. copy global metadata to all audio streams:
946 ffmpeg -i in.mkv -map_metadata:s:a 0:g out.mkv
948 Note that simple @code{0} would work as well in this example, since global
949 metadata is assumed by default.
951 @item -map_chapters @var{input_file_index} (@emph{output})
952 Copy chapters from input file with index @var{input_file_index} to the next
953 output file. If no chapter mapping is specified, then chapters are copied from
954 the first input file with at least one chapter. Use a negative file index to
955 disable any chapter copying.
957 @item -benchmark (@emph{global})
958 Show benchmarking information at the end of an encode.
959 Shows CPU time used and maximum memory consumption.
960 Maximum memory consumption is not supported on all systems,
961 it will usually display as 0 if not supported.
962 @item -benchmark_all (@emph{global})
963 Show benchmarking information during the encode.
964 Shows CPU time used in various steps (audio/video encode/decode).
965 @item -timelimit @var{duration} (@emph{global})
966 Exit after ffmpeg has been running for @var{duration} seconds.
967 @item -dump (@emph{global})
968 Dump each input packet to stderr.
969 @item -hex (@emph{global})
970 When dumping packets, also dump the payload.
971 @item -re (@emph{input})
972 Read input at native frame rate. Mainly used to simulate a grab device.
973 or live input stream (e.g. when reading from a file). Should not be used
974 with actual grab devices or live input streams (where it can cause packet
976 By default @command{ffmpeg} attempts to read the input(s) as fast as possible.
977 This option will slow down the reading of the input(s) to the native frame rate
978 of the input(s). It is useful for real-time output (e.g. live streaming).
980 Loop over the input stream. Currently it works only for image
981 streams. This option is used for automatic FFserver testing.
982 This option is deprecated, use -loop 1.
983 @item -loop_output @var{number_of_times}
984 Repeatedly loop output for formats that support looping such as animated GIF
985 (0 will loop the output infinitely).
986 This option is deprecated, use -loop.
987 @item -vsync @var{parameter}
989 For compatibility reasons old values can be specified as numbers.
990 Newly added values will have to be specified as strings always.
994 Each frame is passed with its timestamp from the demuxer to the muxer.
996 Frames will be duplicated and dropped to achieve exactly the requested
999 Frames are passed through with their timestamp or dropped so as to
1000 prevent 2 frames from having the same timestamp.
1002 As passthrough but destroys all timestamps, making the muxer generate
1003 fresh timestamps based on frame-rate.
1005 Chooses between 1 and 2 depending on muxer capabilities. This is the
1009 Note that the timestamps may be further modified by the muxer, after this.
1010 For example, in the case that the format option @option{avoid_negative_ts}
1013 With -map you can select from which stream the timestamps should be
1014 taken. You can leave either video or audio unchanged and sync the
1015 remaining stream(s) to the unchanged one.
1017 @item -frame_drop_threshold @var{parameter}
1018 Frame drop threshold, which specifies how much behind video frames can
1019 be before they are dropped. In frame rate units, so 1.0 is one frame.
1020 The default is -1.1. One possible usecase is to avoid framedrops in case
1021 of noisy timestamps or to increase frame drop precision in case of exact
1024 @item -async @var{samples_per_second}
1025 Audio sync method. "Stretches/squeezes" the audio stream to match the timestamps,
1026 the parameter is the maximum samples per second by which the audio is changed.
1027 -async 1 is a special case where only the start of the audio stream is corrected
1028 without any later correction.
1030 Note that the timestamps may be further modified by the muxer, after this.
1031 For example, in the case that the format option @option{avoid_negative_ts}
1034 This option has been deprecated. Use the @code{aresample} audio filter instead.
1037 Do not process input timestamps, but keep their values without trying
1038 to sanitize them. In particular, do not remove the initial start time
1041 Note that, depending on the @option{vsync} option or on specific muxer
1042 processing (e.g. in case the format option @option{avoid_negative_ts}
1043 is enabled) the output timestamps may mismatch with the input
1044 timestamps even when this option is selected.
1046 @item -start_at_zero
1047 When used with @option{copyts}, shift input timestamps so they start at zero.
1049 This means that using e.g. @code{-ss 50} will make output timestamps start at
1050 50 seconds, regardless of what timestamp the input file started at.
1052 @item -copytb @var{mode}
1053 Specify how to set the encoder timebase when stream copying. @var{mode} is an
1054 integer numeric value, and can assume one of the following values:
1058 Use the demuxer timebase.
1060 The time base is copied to the output encoder from the corresponding input
1061 demuxer. This is sometimes required to avoid non monotonically increasing
1062 timestamps when copying video streams with variable frame rate.
1065 Use the decoder timebase.
1067 The time base is copied to the output encoder from the corresponding input
1071 Try to make the choice automatically, in order to generate a sane output.
1074 Default value is -1.
1076 @item -shortest (@emph{output})
1077 Finish encoding when the shortest input stream ends.
1078 @item -dts_delta_threshold
1079 Timestamp discontinuity delta threshold.
1080 @item -muxdelay @var{seconds} (@emph{input})
1081 Set the maximum demux-decode delay.
1082 @item -muxpreload @var{seconds} (@emph{input})
1083 Set the initial demux-decode delay.
1084 @item -streamid @var{output-stream-index}:@var{new-value} (@emph{output})
1085 Assign a new stream-id value to an output stream. This option should be
1086 specified prior to the output filename to which it applies.
1087 For the situation where multiple output files exist, a streamid
1088 may be reassigned to a different value.
1090 For example, to set the stream 0 PID to 33 and the stream 1 PID to 36 for
1091 an output mpegts file:
1093 ffmpeg -i infile -streamid 0:33 -streamid 1:36 out.ts
1096 @item -bsf[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{bitstream_filters} (@emph{output,per-stream})
1097 Set bitstream filters for matching streams. @var{bitstream_filters} is
1098 a comma-separated list of bitstream filters. Use the @code{-bsfs} option
1099 to get the list of bitstream filters.
1101 ffmpeg -i h264.mp4 -c:v copy -bsf:v h264_mp4toannexb -an out.h264
1104 ffmpeg -i file.mov -an -vn -bsf:s mov2textsub -c:s copy -f rawvideo sub.txt
1107 @item -tag[:@var{stream_specifier}] @var{codec_tag} (@emph{input/output,per-stream})
1108 Force a tag/fourcc for matching streams.
1110 @item -timecode @var{hh}:@var{mm}:@var{ss}SEP@var{ff}
1111 Specify Timecode for writing. @var{SEP} is ':' for non drop timecode and ';'
1114 ffmpeg -i input.mpg -timecode 01:02:03.04 -r 30000/1001 -s ntsc output.mpg
1117 @anchor{filter_complex_option}
1118 @item -filter_complex @var{filtergraph} (@emph{global})
1119 Define a complex filtergraph, i.e. one with arbitrary number of inputs and/or
1120 outputs. For simple graphs -- those with one input and one output of the same
1121 type -- see the @option{-filter} options. @var{filtergraph} is a description of
1122 the filtergraph, as described in the ``Filtergraph syntax'' section of the
1123 ffmpeg-filters manual.
1125 Input link labels must refer to input streams using the
1126 @code{[file_index:stream_specifier]} syntax (i.e. the same as @option{-map}
1127 uses). If @var{stream_specifier} matches multiple streams, the first one will be
1128 used. An unlabeled input will be connected to the first unused input stream of
1131 Output link labels are referred to with @option{-map}. Unlabeled outputs are
1132 added to the first output file.
1134 Note that with this option it is possible to use only lavfi sources without
1137 For example, to overlay an image over video
1139 ffmpeg -i video.mkv -i image.png -filter_complex '[0:v][1:v]overlay[out]' -map
1142 Here @code{[0:v]} refers to the first video stream in the first input file,
1143 which is linked to the first (main) input of the overlay filter. Similarly the
1144 first video stream in the second input is linked to the second (overlay) input
1147 Assuming there is only one video stream in each input file, we can omit input
1148 labels, so the above is equivalent to
1150 ffmpeg -i video.mkv -i image.png -filter_complex 'overlay[out]' -map
1154 Furthermore we can omit the output label and the single output from the filter
1155 graph will be added to the output file automatically, so we can simply write
1157 ffmpeg -i video.mkv -i image.png -filter_complex 'overlay' out.mkv
1160 To generate 5 seconds of pure red video using lavfi @code{color} source:
1162 ffmpeg -filter_complex 'color=c=red' -t 5 out.mkv
1165 @item -lavfi @var{filtergraph} (@emph{global})
1166 Define a complex filtergraph, i.e. one with arbitrary number of inputs and/or
1167 outputs. Equivalent to @option{-filter_complex}.
1169 @item -filter_complex_script @var{filename} (@emph{global})
1170 This option is similar to @option{-filter_complex}, the only difference is that
1171 its argument is the name of the file from which a complex filtergraph
1172 description is to be read.
1174 @item -accurate_seek (@emph{input})
1175 This option enables or disables accurate seeking in input files with the
1176 @option{-ss} option. It is enabled by default, so seeking is accurate when
1177 transcoding. Use @option{-noaccurate_seek} to disable it, which may be useful
1178 e.g. when copying some streams and transcoding the others.
1180 @item -seek_timestamp (@emph{input})
1181 This option enables or disables seeking by timestamp in input files with the
1182 @option{-ss} option. It is disabled by default. If enabled, the argument
1183 to the @option{-ss} option is considered an actual timestamp, and is not
1184 offset by the start time of the file. This matters only for files which do
1185 not start from timestamp 0, such as transport streams.
1187 @item -thread_queue_size @var{size} (@emph{input})
1188 This option sets the maximum number of queued packets when reading from the
1189 file or device. With low latency / high rate live streams, packets may be
1190 discarded if they are not read in a timely manner; raising this value can
1193 @item -override_ffserver (@emph{global})
1194 Overrides the input specifications from @command{ffserver}. Using this
1195 option you can map any input stream to @command{ffserver} and control
1196 many aspects of the encoding from @command{ffmpeg}. Without this
1197 option @command{ffmpeg} will transmit to @command{ffserver} what is
1198 requested by @command{ffserver}.
1200 The option is intended for cases where features are needed that cannot be
1201 specified to @command{ffserver} but can be to @command{ffmpeg}.
1203 @item -sdp_file @var{file} (@emph{global})
1204 Print sdp information to @var{file}.
1205 This allows dumping sdp information when at least one output isn't an
1208 @item -discard (@emph{input})
1209 Allows discarding specific streams or frames of streams at the demuxer.
1210 Not all demuxers support this.
1217 Default, which discards no frames.
1220 Discard all non-reference frames.
1223 Discard all bidirectional frames.
1226 Discard all frames excepts keyframes.
1232 @item -xerror (@emph{global})
1233 Stop and exit on error
1237 As a special exception, you can use a bitmap subtitle stream as input: it
1238 will be converted into a video with the same size as the largest video in
1239 the file, or 720x576 if no video is present. Note that this is an
1240 experimental and temporary solution. It will be removed once libavfilter has
1241 proper support for subtitles.
1243 For example, to hardcode subtitles on top of a DVB-T recording stored in
1244 MPEG-TS format, delaying the subtitles by 1 second:
1246 ffmpeg -i input.ts -filter_complex \
1247 '[#0x2ef] setpts=PTS+1/TB [sub] ; [#0x2d0] [sub] overlay' \
1248 -sn -map '#0x2dc' output.mkv
1250 (0x2d0, 0x2dc and 0x2ef are the MPEG-TS PIDs of respectively the video,
1251 audio and subtitles streams; 0:0, 0:3 and 0:7 would have worked too)
1253 @section Preset files
1254 A preset file contains a sequence of @var{option}=@var{value} pairs,
1255 one for each line, specifying a sequence of options which would be
1256 awkward to specify on the command line. Lines starting with the hash
1257 ('#') character are ignored and are used to provide comments. Check
1258 the @file{presets} directory in the FFmpeg source tree for examples.
1260 There are two types of preset files: ffpreset and avpreset files.
1262 @subsection ffpreset files
1263 ffpreset files are specified with the @code{vpre}, @code{apre},
1264 @code{spre}, and @code{fpre} options. The @code{fpre} option takes the
1265 filename of the preset instead of a preset name as input and can be
1266 used for any kind of codec. For the @code{vpre}, @code{apre}, and
1267 @code{spre} options, the options specified in a preset file are
1268 applied to the currently selected codec of the same type as the preset
1271 The argument passed to the @code{vpre}, @code{apre}, and @code{spre}
1272 preset options identifies the preset file to use according to the
1275 First ffmpeg searches for a file named @var{arg}.ffpreset in the
1276 directories @file{$FFMPEG_DATADIR} (if set), and @file{$HOME/.ffmpeg}, and in
1277 the datadir defined at configuration time (usually @file{PREFIX/share/ffmpeg})
1278 or in a @file{ffpresets} folder along the executable on win32,
1279 in that order. For example, if the argument is @code{libvpx-1080p}, it will
1280 search for the file @file{libvpx-1080p.ffpreset}.
1282 If no such file is found, then ffmpeg will search for a file named
1283 @var{codec_name}-@var{arg}.ffpreset in the above-mentioned
1284 directories, where @var{codec_name} is the name of the codec to which
1285 the preset file options will be applied. For example, if you select
1286 the video codec with @code{-vcodec libvpx} and use @code{-vpre 1080p},
1287 then it will search for the file @file{libvpx-1080p.ffpreset}.
1289 @subsection avpreset files
1290 avpreset files are specified with the @code{pre} option. They work similar to
1291 ffpreset files, but they only allow encoder- specific options. Therefore, an
1292 @var{option}=@var{value} pair specifying an encoder cannot be used.
1294 When the @code{pre} option is specified, ffmpeg will look for files with the
1295 suffix .avpreset in the directories @file{$AVCONV_DATADIR} (if set), and
1296 @file{$HOME/.avconv}, and in the datadir defined at configuration time (usually
1297 @file{PREFIX/share/ffmpeg}), in that order.
1299 First ffmpeg searches for a file named @var{codec_name}-@var{arg}.avpreset in
1300 the above-mentioned directories, where @var{codec_name} is the name of the codec
1301 to which the preset file options will be applied. For example, if you select the
1302 video codec with @code{-vcodec libvpx} and use @code{-pre 1080p}, then it will
1303 search for the file @file{libvpx-1080p.avpreset}.
1305 If no such file is found, then ffmpeg will search for a file named
1306 @var{arg}.avpreset in the same directories.
1311 @c man begin EXAMPLES
1313 @section Video and Audio grabbing
1315 If you specify the input format and device then ffmpeg can grab video
1319 ffmpeg -f oss -i /dev/dsp -f video4linux2 -i /dev/video0 /tmp/out.mpg
1322 Or with an ALSA audio source (mono input, card id 1) instead of OSS:
1324 ffmpeg -f alsa -ac 1 -i hw:1 -f video4linux2 -i /dev/video0 /tmp/out.mpg
1327 Note that you must activate the right video source and channel before
1328 launching ffmpeg with any TV viewer such as
1329 @uref{http://linux.bytesex.org/xawtv/, xawtv} by Gerd Knorr. You also
1330 have to set the audio recording levels correctly with a
1333 @section X11 grabbing
1335 Grab the X11 display with ffmpeg via
1338 ffmpeg -f x11grab -video_size cif -framerate 25 -i :0.0 /tmp/out.mpg
1341 0.0 is display.screen number of your X11 server, same as
1342 the DISPLAY environment variable.
1345 ffmpeg -f x11grab -video_size cif -framerate 25 -i :0.0+10,20 /tmp/out.mpg
1348 0.0 is display.screen number of your X11 server, same as the DISPLAY environment
1349 variable. 10 is the x-offset and 20 the y-offset for the grabbing.
1351 @section Video and Audio file format conversion
1353 Any supported file format and protocol can serve as input to ffmpeg:
1358 You can use YUV files as input:
1361 ffmpeg -i /tmp/test%d.Y /tmp/out.mpg
1364 It will use the files:
1366 /tmp/test0.Y, /tmp/test0.U, /tmp/test0.V,
1367 /tmp/test1.Y, /tmp/test1.U, /tmp/test1.V, etc...
1370 The Y files use twice the resolution of the U and V files. They are
1371 raw files, without header. They can be generated by all decent video
1372 decoders. You must specify the size of the image with the @option{-s} option
1373 if ffmpeg cannot guess it.
1376 You can input from a raw YUV420P file:
1379 ffmpeg -i /tmp/test.yuv /tmp/out.avi
1382 test.yuv is a file containing raw YUV planar data. Each frame is composed
1383 of the Y plane followed by the U and V planes at half vertical and
1384 horizontal resolution.
1387 You can output to a raw YUV420P file:
1390 ffmpeg -i mydivx.avi hugefile.yuv
1394 You can set several input files and output files:
1397 ffmpeg -i /tmp/a.wav -s 640x480 -i /tmp/a.yuv /tmp/a.mpg
1400 Converts the audio file a.wav and the raw YUV video file a.yuv
1404 You can also do audio and video conversions at the same time:
1407 ffmpeg -i /tmp/a.wav -ar 22050 /tmp/a.mp2
1410 Converts a.wav to MPEG audio at 22050 Hz sample rate.
1413 You can encode to several formats at the same time and define a
1414 mapping from input stream to output streams:
1417 ffmpeg -i /tmp/a.wav -map 0:a -b:a 64k /tmp/a.mp2 -map 0:a -b:a 128k /tmp/b.mp2
1420 Converts a.wav to a.mp2 at 64 kbits and to b.mp2 at 128 kbits. '-map
1421 file:index' specifies which input stream is used for each output
1422 stream, in the order of the definition of output streams.
1425 You can transcode decrypted VOBs:
1428 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
1431 This is a typical DVD ripping example; the input is a VOB file, the
1432 output an AVI file with MPEG-4 video and MP3 audio. Note that in this
1433 command we use B-frames so the MPEG-4 stream is DivX5 compatible, and
1434 GOP size is 300 which means one intra frame every 10 seconds for 29.97fps
1435 input video. Furthermore, the audio stream is MP3-encoded so you need
1436 to enable LAME support by passing @code{--enable-libmp3lame} to configure.
1437 The mapping is particularly useful for DVD transcoding
1438 to get the desired audio language.
1440 NOTE: To see the supported input formats, use @code{ffmpeg -formats}.
1443 You can extract images from a video, or create a video from many images:
1445 For extracting images from a video:
1447 ffmpeg -i foo.avi -r 1 -s WxH -f image2 foo-%03d.jpeg
1450 This will extract one video frame per second from the video and will
1451 output them in files named @file{foo-001.jpeg}, @file{foo-002.jpeg},
1452 etc. Images will be rescaled to fit the new WxH values.
1454 If you want to extract just a limited number of frames, you can use the
1455 above command in combination with the -vframes or -t option, or in
1456 combination with -ss to start extracting from a certain point in time.
1458 For creating a video from many images:
1460 ffmpeg -f image2 -framerate 12 -i foo-%03d.jpeg -s WxH foo.avi
1463 The syntax @code{foo-%03d.jpeg} specifies to use a decimal number
1464 composed of three digits padded with zeroes to express the sequence
1465 number. It is the same syntax supported by the C printf function, but
1466 only formats accepting a normal integer are suitable.
1468 When importing an image sequence, -i also supports expanding
1469 shell-like wildcard patterns (globbing) internally, by selecting the
1470 image2-specific @code{-pattern_type glob} option.
1472 For example, for creating a video from filenames matching the glob pattern
1475 ffmpeg -f image2 -pattern_type glob -framerate 12 -i 'foo-*.jpeg' -s WxH foo.avi
1479 You can put many streams of the same type in the output:
1482 ffmpeg -i test1.avi -i test2.avi -map 1:1 -map 1:0 -map 0:1 -map 0:0 -c copy -y test12.nut
1485 The resulting output file @file{test12.nut} will contain the first four streams
1486 from the input files in reverse order.
1489 To force CBR video output:
1491 ffmpeg -i myfile.avi -b 4000k -minrate 4000k -maxrate 4000k -bufsize 1835k out.m2v
1495 The four options lmin, lmax, mblmin and mblmax use 'lambda' units,
1496 but you may use the QP2LAMBDA constant to easily convert from 'q' units:
1498 ffmpeg -i src.ext -lmax 21*QP2LAMBDA dst.ext
1504 @include config.texi
1506 @ifset config-avutil
1509 @ifset config-avcodec
1510 @include codecs.texi
1511 @include bitstream_filters.texi
1513 @ifset config-avformat
1514 @include formats.texi
1515 @include protocols.texi
1517 @ifset config-avdevice
1518 @include devices.texi
1520 @ifset config-swresample
1521 @include resampler.texi
1523 @ifset config-swscale
1524 @include scaler.texi
1526 @ifset config-avfilter
1527 @include filters.texi
1535 @url{ffmpeg.html,ffmpeg}
1537 @ifset config-not-all
1538 @url{ffmpeg-all.html,ffmpeg-all},
1540 @url{ffplay.html,ffplay}, @url{ffprobe.html,ffprobe}, @url{ffserver.html,ffserver},
1541 @url{ffmpeg-utils.html,ffmpeg-utils},
1542 @url{ffmpeg-scaler.html,ffmpeg-scaler},
1543 @url{ffmpeg-resampler.html,ffmpeg-resampler},
1544 @url{ffmpeg-codecs.html,ffmpeg-codecs},
1545 @url{ffmpeg-bitstream-filters.html,ffmpeg-bitstream-filters},
1546 @url{ffmpeg-formats.html,ffmpeg-formats},
1547 @url{ffmpeg-devices.html,ffmpeg-devices},
1548 @url{ffmpeg-protocols.html,ffmpeg-protocols},
1549 @url{ffmpeg-filters.html,ffmpeg-filters}
1556 @ifset config-not-all
1559 ffplay(1), ffprobe(1), ffserver(1),
1560 ffmpeg-utils(1), ffmpeg-scaler(1), ffmpeg-resampler(1),
1561 ffmpeg-codecs(1), ffmpeg-bitstream-filters(1), ffmpeg-formats(1),
1562 ffmpeg-devices(1), ffmpeg-protocols(1), ffmpeg-filters(1)
1565 @include authors.texi
1570 @settitle ffmpeg video converter