Video Conversion

Convert HEVC (H.265) video to H.264 with FFmpeg for old players, video editors, and Windows. CRF quality control, 10-bit to 8-bit yuv420p fixes, copy-audio shortcut, and why H.264 plays everywhere.

Shrink a video small enough to email with FFmpeg. Hit Gmail's and Outlook.com's 25 MB attachment caps with CRF, downscaling, and a two-pass target-bitrate workflow. Includes the bitrate-from-size formula.

Convert old AVI files (DivX, Xvid, MJPEG, MP3 audio) to MP4 with FFmpeg. Re-encode to H.264/AAC with CRF, learn when stream-copy works versus when you must re-encode, add faststart for web playback, plus troubleshooting and FAQ.

Extract frames from a video as image files with FFmpeg. Save every frame, grab one frame per second with fps, capture a single frame at a timestamp, and choose PNG vs JPG. Practical guide with quality tips, troubleshooting, and FAQ.

Convert QuickTime MOV files to MP4 with FFmpeg. Lossless remux with -c copy when codecs are MP4-compatible (H.264/AAC), and a re-encode path for ProRes or PCM audio. Container vs codec explained, plus faststart, audio fixes, and troubleshooting.

Convert WebM (VP8/VP9 video, Opus/Vorbis audio) to MP4 with FFmpeg. Re-encode to H.264/AAC with CRF, when VP9 stream-copy is possible, faststart for web playback, quality/size trade-offs, and a full troubleshooting and FAQ section.

Convert horizontal video to vertical 9:16 with FFmpeg for Shorts, Reels, and TikTok. Learn center crop, blurred-background padding, position-specific crop, and aspect-ratio conversion with the scale filter, with primary sources.

How to do GPU hardware encoding with FFmpeg using macOS VideoToolbox. Covers the basics of h264_videotoolbox and hevc_videotoolbox, Apple Silicon support, bitrate and quality options, and how to fix common errors.

How to do GPU hardware encoding in FFmpeg using VAAPI on Linux. Covers the basic setup for Intel iGPUs and AMD GPUs, h264_vaapi / hevc_vaapi / av1_vaapi command examples, prerequisites, and common pitfalls.

How to perform GPU hardware encoding with NVIDIA NVENC in FFmpeg. Covers h264_nvenc and hevc_nvenc basics, preset and quality options, CPU comparison, and error fixes.

CloudConvert is a powerful conversion service, but it requires uploading your file. FFmpeg Cookbook converts video and audio entirely in your browser — no upload, no account, no API quota. Compare formats, limits, and privacy trade-offs.

Compare HandBrake with FFmpeg Cookbook's browser-based video compressor. Same H.264/H.265 quality, no install, no upload, free forever — plus learn the equivalent FFmpeg commands behind every setting.

VEED.io is great until you hit the watermark, signup wall, or upload wait. FFmpeg Cookbook is a free browser-based alternative for subtitles, watermarks, and mosaic blur — running entirely on your device, with no account required.

Compress video to fit Discord's upload cap (Free 10 MB, Nitro Basic 25 MB, Boost Lv2 50 MB, Nitro 500 MB). Includes the bitrate reverse-calc formula, 2-pass encoding, resolution trade-offs, and a Windows drag-and-drop .bat.

Make iPhone-captured HEVC .mov files play on Windows, Discord, Twitter, and the rest of the world. Lossless remux, hvc1 tag explained, H.264 re-encode for older players, batch conversion, and iPhone camera-format settings — covered with FFmpeg.

Convert MKV to MP4 the fast, lossless way using FFmpeg remux. Remux vs. re-encode compared, the three typical failure modes (subtitle format, non-standard audio, AV1/VP9), movflags +faststart explained, and a practical audio-only re-encode recipe.

Convert TS/m2ts files from Japanese terrestrial TV recordings to MP4 with FFmpeg. Lossless remuxing with -c copy, PCR wraparound fixes, CM cutting, ARIB subtitle handling, BDAV extraction, and AACS errors explained. A practical guide for PT3/TVTest users.

A side-by-side comparison of MP4, WebM, MOV, and MKV — characteristics, use cases, and codec support. Includes FFmpeg conversion commands and recommended formats by scenario.

Optimal FFmpeg encoding settings for YouTube uploads. A complete guide to CRF, bitrate, resolution, frame rate, and audio settings for H.264 and H.265.

Learn how to encode AV1 video with FFmpeg. Covers libsvtav1 (fast) vs libaom-av1, CRF mode, 2-pass encoding, comparison with H.264/H.265, and browser compatibility.

Learn how to convert HDR (HDR10/HLG) video to SDR with FFmpeg. Covers zscale tone mapping, color space conversion (BT.2020→BT.709), pixel format conversion, and YouTube upload settings.

Compress MP4 and MOV video with FFmpeg: CRF mode vs bitrate mode explained, H.264 vs H.265 comparison table, preset speed/size benchmarks, resolution downscaling, audio compression, and 2-pass encoding. Reduce file size by 50–80%.

Use FFmpeg's yadif filter to convert interlaced (combed) video to progressive scan. Covers yadif's mode and parity options, comparison with fieldmatch/decimate, and tips for TV recordings and DV camera footage.

Extract video thumbnails with FFmpeg: -vframes for a specific timestamp, thumbnail filter for best-frame selection, resolution scaling, and PNG vs JPG output.

FFmpeg two-pass encoding for precise bitrate and file size control. Covers pass 1 analysis, pass 2 encoding, passlogfile option, and H.264/H.265 examples.

Convert video formats MP4, MKV, WebM, MOV with FFmpeg: container vs codec differences, when -c copy works vs fails, and ffprobe for codec inspection.

Convert any video to MP4 with FFmpeg: H.264 (libx264) + AAC, best CRF settings, -preset guide, stream copy shortcut. The complete ffmpeg video-to-mp4 command reference.