# ffcvt
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## TOC
- [ffcvt - ffmpeg convert wrapper tool](#ffcvt---ffmpeg-convert-wrapper-tool)
- [Latest Update(s)](#latest-update(s))
- [Release v1.7.5](#release-v175)
- [Release v1.7.3](#release-v173)
- [Release v1.7.2](#release-v172)
- [Release v1.7.1](#release-v171)
- [Release v1.7.0](#release-v170)
- [Introduction](#introduction)
- [Quick Usage](#quick-usage)
- [$ ffcvt](#-ffcvt)
- [Environment Variables](#environment-variables)
- [Encoding Help](#encoding-help)
- [Tools Choices](#tools-choices)
- [Install Debian/Ubuntu package](#install-debianubuntu-package)
- [Install Debian/Ubuntu package](#install-debianubuntu-package)
- [Download/install binaries](#downloadinstall-binaries)
- [The binary executables](#the-binary-executables)
- [Distro package](#distro-package)
- [Debian package](#debian-package)
- [Install Source](#install-source)
- [Author](#author)
- [Contributors](#contributors-)
## ffcvt - ffmpeg convert wrapper tool
### Latest Update(s)
#### Release v1.7.5
* Now able to speed up playback speed (`-Speed`). Details in [\#22](https://github.com/suntong/ffcvt/issues/22)
* Also have added a `copy` target type that can speed up the `Seg` (split video) operation (v1.7.4). Details in [\#21](https://github.com/suntong/ffcvt/issues/21)
#### Release v1.7.3
* Now able to split video into multiple segments (`-S,Seg`) by the given time. Details in [\#16](https://github.com/suntong/ffcvt/issues/16)
#### Release v1.7.2
* Able to [choose streams by language, instead of streams index. ](https://github.com/suntong/ffcvt/commit/f649609356ef06d22d17d6dbe3f89b945cf18643)Details in [\#9](https://github.com/suntong/ffcvt/issues/9)
* Fixed [\#8](https://github.com/suntong/ffcvt/issues/8). Now [force copy all subtitle streams. ](https://github.com/suntong/ffcvt/commit/46ce6725f9b036d373c6836d3bd66b429d5c4b2f)Details in [\#8](https://github.com/suntong/ffcvt/issues/8)
* [Added option -sel](https://github.com/suntong/ffcvt/commit/defc5df5168216e279b944590f1d92523ecadc60), so now able to pick subtitle language(s). Details in [\#12](https://github.com/suntong/ffcvt/issues/12)
#### Release v1.7.1
Added option `-C,Cut` which allows cutting multiple segments.
For further details, check out the wiki https://git.io/JuK0c,
in which the source file of
https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/422244/132961501-a2344db0-c48c-4a57-90fa-c3746bf3025f.mp4
is cut-short into
https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/422244/132961530-ea65cd03-19f8-4e7c-a871-40218f7289cc.mp4
#### Release v1.7.0
Added `wx` type for weixin.
Convert to video that is recognizable and playable by weixin/wechat, by using the `-t wx` option as the convertion type. Here is a converted sample:
https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/422244/132617136-e1371ef3-6a21-4f12-8324-6db003c12468.mp4
(credit [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-UzBitLmf8))
For further details, check out the wiki https://git.io/JuK0q
## Introduction
- The next-generation codec like [High Efficiency Video codec (HEVC), H.265](https://goo.gl/IZrDH2) or [VP9](https://developers.google.com/media/vp9/) can produce videos visually comparable to H.264's result, but in [about half the file size](https://trac.ffmpeg.org/wiki/Encode/H.265).
- Meanwhile the [Opus](https://goo.gl/BPUkTf) [audio codec](https://goo.gl/IZrDH2) is becoming the best thing ever for compressing audio -- A 64K Opus audio stream is comparable to mp3 files of 128K to 256K bandwidth.
- Such fantastic high efficiency audio/video codec/encoding capability has long been available in `ffmpeg`, but fewer people know it or use it, partly because the `ffmpeg` command line is not that simple for every one.
- The `ffcvt` is designed to take the burden from normal Joe -- All you need to do to encode a video is to give one parameter to `ffcvt`, i.e., the path and file name of the video to be encoded, and `ffcvt` will take care of the rest, using the recommended values for both audio/video encoding to properly encode it for you.
- It can't be more simpler than that. However, beneath the simple surface, `ffcvt` is versatile and powerful enough to allow you to touch every corner of audio/video encoding. There is a huge list of environment variables (or command-line parameters) which will allow you tweak the encoding methods and parameters to exactly what you prefer instead.
- Moreover, to encode a directory full of video files, including under its sub-directories, you need just to give `ffcvt` one single parameter, the directory location, and `ffcvt` will go ahead and encode all video files under that directory, including all its sub-directories as well.
## Quick Usage
There is a quick usage help that comes with `ffcvt`, produced when it is invoked without any parameters:
### $ ffcvt
```sh
Usage:
ffcvt [flags]
Flags:
-t target type: webm/x265-opus/x264-mp3/wx/youtube/copy (FFCVT_T)
-ves video encoding method set (FFCVT_VES)
-aes audio encoding method set (FFCVT_AES)
-ses subtitle encoding method set (FFCVT_SES)
-vep video encoding method prepend (FFCVT_VEP)
-aep audio encoding method prepend (FFCVT_AEP)
-sep subtitle encoding method prepend (FFCVT_SEP)
-vea video encoding method append (FFCVT_VEA)
-aea audio encoding method append (FFCVT_AEA)
-abr audio bitrate (64k for opus, 256k for mp3) (FFCVT_ABR)
-crf the CRF value: 0-51. Higher CRF gives lower quality
(28 for x265, ~ 23 for x264) (FFCVT_CRF)
-d directory that hold input files (FFCVT_D)
-f input file name (either -d or -f must be specified) (FFCVT_F)
-sym symlinks will be processed as well (FFCVT_SYM)
-exts extension list for all the files to be queued (FFCVT_EXTS)
-suf suffix to the output file names (FFCVT_SUF)
-ext extension for the output file (FFCVT_EXT)
-w work directory that hold output files (FFCVT_W)
-ac copy audio codec (FFCVT_AC)
-vc copy video codec (FFCVT_VC)
-an no audio, output video only (FFCVT_AN)
-vn no video, output audio only (FFCVT_VN)
-vss video: same size (FFCVT_VSS)
-C,Cut Cut segment(s) out to keep. Specify in the form of start-[end],
strictly in the format of hh:mm:ss, and may repeat (FFCVT_C,CUT)
-S,Seg Split video into multiple segments (strictly in format: hh:mm:ss) (FFCVT_S,SEG)
-Speed Speed up/down video playback speed (e.g. 1.28) (FFCVT_SPEED)
-lang language selection for audio stream extraction (FFCVT_LANG)
-sel subtitle encoding language (language picked for reencoded video) (FFCVT_SEL)
-o more options that will pass to ffmpeg program (FFCVT_O)
-ato-opus audio encode to opus, using -abr (FFCVT_ATO_OPUS)
-vto-x265 video video encode to x265, using -crf (FFCVT_VTO_X265)
-p par2create, create par2 files (in work directory) (FFCVT_P)
-nc no clobber, do not queue those already been converted (FFCVT_NC)
-n no exec, dry run (FFCVT_N)
-force overwrite any existing none-empty file (FFCVT_FORCE)
-debug debugging level (FFCVT_DEBUG)
-ffmpeg ffmpeg program executable name (FFCVT_FFMPEG)
-ffprobe ffprobe program execution (FFCVT_FFPROBE)
-version print version then exit (FFCVT_VERSION)
Details:
-C value
Cut segment(s) out to keep. Specify in the form of start-[end],
strictly in the format of hh:mm:ss, and may repeat
-Cut value
Cut segment(s) out to keep. Specify in the form of start-[end],
strictly in the format of hh:mm:ss, and may repeat
-S string
Split video into multiple segments (strictly in format: hh:mm:ss)
-Seg string
Split video into multiple segments (strictly in format: hh:mm:ss)
-Speed string
Speed up/down video playback speed (e.g. 1.28)
-abr string
audio bitrate (64k for opus, 256k for mp3)
-ac
copy audio codec
-aea string
audio encoding method append
-aep string
audio encoding method prepend
-aes string
audio encoding method set
-an
no audio, output video only
-ato-opus
audio encode to opus, using -abr
-crf string
the CRF value: 0-51. Higher CRF gives lower quality
(28 for x265, ~ 23 for x264)
-d string
directory that hold input files
-debug int
debugging level (default 1)
-ext string
extension for the output file
-exts string
extension list for all the files to be queued (default ".3GP.3G2.ASF.AVI.DAT.DIVX.FLV.M2TS.M4V.MKV.MOV.MPEG.MP4.MPG.RMVB.RM.TS.VOB.WEBM.WMV")
-f string
input file name (either -d or -f must be specified)
-ffmpeg string
ffmpeg program executable name (default "ffmpeg")
-ffprobe string
ffprobe program execution (default "ffprobe -print_format flat")
-force
overwrite any existing none-empty file
-lang string
language selection for audio stream extraction (default "eng")
-n no exec, dry run
-nc
no clobber, do not queue those already been converted
-o string
more options that will pass to ffmpeg program
-p par2create, create par2 files (in work directory)
-sel value
subtitle encoding language (language picked for reencoded video)
-sep string
subtitle encoding method prepend
-ses string
subtitle encoding method set
-suf string
suffix to the output file names
-sym
symlinks will be processed as well
-t string
target type: webm/x265-opus/x264-mp3/wx/youtube/copy (default "webm")
-vc
copy video codec
-vea string
video encoding method append
-vep string
video encoding method prepend
-version
print version then exit
-ves string
video encoding method set
-vn
no video, output audio only
-vss
video: same size (default true)
-vto-x265
video video encode to x265, using -crf
-w string
work directory that hold output files
To reduce output, use `-debug 0`, e.g., `ffcvt -force -debug 0 -f testf.mp4 ...`
```
## Environment Variables
For each `ffcvt` command line parameter, there is a environment variable corresponding to it. For example you can use `export FFCVT_FFMPEG=avconv` to use `avconv` instead of `ffmpeg` (Don't, I use it for my [CommandLineArgs](https://github.com/suntong001/lang/blob/master/lang/Go/src/sys/CommandLineArgs.go) to develop/test `ffcvt` without invoking `ffmpeg` each time).
## Encoding Help
The detailed guide to choose/provide proper parameters to `ffcvt` have been moved to [wiki](https://github.com/suntong/ffcvt/wiki/). For example,
- [HEVC vs VP9](https://github.com/suntong/ffcvt/wiki/KB:-WebM-(VP9)-Encoding#hevc-vs-vp9)
- [HEVC Preset Method Comparison](https://github.com/suntong/ffcvt/wiki/KB:-HEVC-(x265)-Encoding#preset-method-comparison)
- [The HEVC CRF Comparison](https://github.com/suntong/ffcvt/wiki/KB:-HEVC-(x265)-Encoding#the-crf-comparison)
- [Example 1: YouTube Encoding](https://github.com/suntong/ffcvt/wiki/Example:-YouTube-Encoding)
- [Example 2: Talk Encoding](https://github.com/suntong/ffcvt/wiki/Example:-Talk-Encoding)
Please check them out in the [wiki](https://github.com/suntong/ffcvt/wiki/), and for other documents like "Most used ffmpeg options", "How to crop a video", etc.
## Tools Choices
As suggested before, don't use `avconv`, use `ffmpeg` instead (the `avconv` fork was more for political reasons. I personally believe `ffmpeg` is technically superior although might not be politically).
As for video/movie play back, use [mpv](http://mpv.io/). It is a fork of mplayer2 and MPlayer, and is a true *modern* *all-in-one* movie player that can play ANYTHING, and one of the few movie players being actively developed all the time. Download link is in [mpv.io](http://mpv.io/), from which Ubuntu repo I get my Ubuntu `ffmpeg` package as well. If you are unsatisfied with mpv's simple user interface, check out https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Mpv#Front_ends.
### Install Debian/Ubuntu package
apt install ffcvt
## Download/install binaries
- The latest binary executables are available
as the result of the Continuous-Integration (CI) process.
- I.e., they are built automatically right from the source code at every git release by [GitHub Actions](https://docs.github.com/en/actions).
- There are two ways to get/install such binary executables
* Using the **binary executables** directly, or
* Using **packages** for your distro
### The binary executables
- The latest binary executables are directly available under
https://github.com/suntong/ffcvt/releases/latest
- Pick & choose the one that suits your OS and its architecture. E.g., for Linux, it would be the `ffcvt_verxx_linux_amd64.tar.gz` file.
- Available OS for binary executables are
* Linux
* Mac OS (darwin)
* Windows
- If your OS and its architecture is not available in the download list, please let me know and I'll add it.
- The manual installation is just to unpack it and move/copy the binary executable to somewhere in `PATH`. For example,
``` sh
tar -xvf ffcvt_*_linux_amd64.tar.gz
sudo mv -v ffcvt_*_linux_amd64/ffcvt /usr/local/bin/
rmdir -v ffcvt_*_linux_amd64
```
### Distro package
- [Packages available for Linux distros](https://cloudsmith.io/~suntong/repos/repo/packages/) are
* [Alpine Linux](https://cloudsmith.io/~suntong/repos/repo/setup/#formats-alpine)
* [Debian](https://cloudsmith.io/~suntong/repos/repo/setup/#formats-deb)
* [RedHat](https://cloudsmith.io/~suntong/repos/repo/setup/#formats-rpm)
The repo setup instruction url has been given above.
For example, for [Debian](https://cloudsmith.io/~suntong/repos/repo/setup/#formats-deb) --
### Debian package
```sh
curl -1sLf \
'https://dl.cloudsmith.io/public/suntong/repo/setup.deb.sh' \
| sudo -E bash
# That's it. You then can do your normal operations, like
sudo apt-get update
apt-cache policy ffcvt
sudo apt-get install -y ffcvt
```
## Install Source
To install the source code instead:
```
go get -v -u github.com/suntong/ffcvt
```
## Author
Tong SUN
_Powered by_ [**WireFrame**](https://github.com/go-easygen/wireframe)
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the _one-stop wire-framing solution_ for Go cli based projects, from _init_ to _deploy_.
## Contributors β¨
Thanks goes to these wonderful people ([emoji key](https://allcontributors.org/docs/en/emoji-key)):
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<td align="center"><a href="https://github.com/suntong"><img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/422244?v=4?s=100" width="100px;" alt=""/><br /><sub><b>suntong</b></sub></a><br /><a href="https://github.com/suntong/ffcvt/commits?author=suntong" title="Code">π»</a> <a href="#ideas-suntong" title="Ideas, Planning, & Feedback">π€</a> <a href="#design-suntong" title="Design">π¨</a> <a href="#data-suntong" title="Data">π£</a> <a href="https://github.com/suntong/ffcvt/commits?author=suntong" title="Tests">β οΈ</a> <a href="https://github.com/suntong/ffcvt/issues?q=author%3Asuntong" title="Bug reports">π</a> <a href="https://github.com/suntong/ffcvt/commits?author=suntong" title="Documentation">π</a> <a href="#blog-suntong" title="Blogposts">π</a> <a href="#example-suntong" title="Examples">π‘</a> <a href="#tutorial-suntong" title="Tutorials">β
</a> <a href="#tool-suntong" title="Tools">π§</a> <a href="#platform-suntong" title="Packaging/porting to new platform">π¦</a> <a href="https://github.com/suntong/ffcvt/pulls?q=is%3Apr+reviewed-by%3Asuntong" title="Reviewed Pull Requests">π</a> <a href="#question-suntong" title="Answering Questions">π¬</a> <a href="#maintenance-suntong" title="Maintenance">π§</a> <a href="#infra-suntong" title="Infrastructure (Hosting, Build-Tools, etc)">π</a></td>
<td align="center"><a href="https://github.com/sanjaymsh"><img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/66668807?v=4?s=100" width="100px;" alt=""/><br /><sub><b>sanjaymsh</b></sub></a><br /><a href="#platform-sanjaymsh" title="Packaging/porting to new platform">π¦</a></td>
<td align="center"><a href="https://github.com/bjwest"><img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/1934590?v=4?s=100" width="100px;" alt=""/><br /><sub><b>Billy West</b></sub></a><br /><a href="https://github.com/suntong/ffcvt/issues?q=author%3Abjwest" title="Bug reports">π</a> <a href="#userTesting-bjwest" title="User Testing">π</a></td>
<td align="center"><a href="https://github.com/bdaroz"><img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/9668896?v=4?s=100" width="100px;" alt=""/><br /><sub><b>Brian Rozmierski</b></sub></a><br /><a href="https://github.com/suntong/ffcvt/issues?q=author%3Abdaroz" title="Bug reports">π</a> <a href="#userTesting-bdaroz" title="User Testing">π</a></td>
<td align="center"><a href="http://blogs.nopcode.org/brainstorm"><img src="https://avatars.githubusercontent.com/u/175587?v=4?s=100" width="100px;" alt=""/><br /><sub><b>Roman Valls Guimera</b></sub></a><br /><a href="https://github.com/suntong/ffcvt/issues?q=author%3Abrainstorm" title="Bug reports">π</a> <a href="#userTesting-brainstorm" title="User Testing">π</a></td>
</tr>
</table>
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