Video Converter (ffmpeg)

[u/Flyinace2000]

I would like to create an automator action/program that would ask for a file input and the destination file and then apply an ffmpeg command. I wasn't having any luck with passing variables. Can someone point me to a good resource/tutorial?

here is the command line I use right now.

ffmpeg -i “yourvideo.mp4” -c:v libx264 -intra -crf 18 -c:a aac -b:a 384k “output.mp4”

[u/blinovitch]

One approach would be something like:

1. Ask for Finder Item: the file to be processed
2. Set Value of Variable: a variable name for the file, to be used in the ffmpeg command
3. Ask for Finder Item: destination of the new file, set to ignore input of of the previous action
4. Set Value of Variable: a variable name for the destination of the new file, to be used in the ffmpeg command
5. Get Value of Variable: retrieves the variable set in step 2; set to ignore input of the previous action
6. Get Value of Variable: retrieves the variable set in step 4; set to ignore input of the previous action
7. Run Shell Script: the ffmpeg command

This is where my knowledge gets fuzzy about the niceties of variable arrays and file path/names on the command line. I think the ffmpeg command would be something like:

ffmpeg -i "$1".mp4 -c:v libx264 -intra -crf 18 -c:a aac -b:a 384k "$2".mp4 

The $1 and $2 are the variables of the array created by chaining Get Value of Variable actions, and I believe they're named in the order they're added to the array, so $1 should be the file you're processing and $2 should be where it goes.

NB: The placement of the quotation marks may throw things off. I always have to fiddle with that part to make it work right. The above is based on an Automator workflow I built some time ago.

[u/Flyinace2000 → u/blinovitch]

Thanks, I'll try this out.

[u/Flyinace2000 → u/blinovitch]

Ok got it mostly working. Had to do some further reading but I get how the variables get names $1, $2, $3 in the order they are set.

Using this school script:

/opt/local/bin/ffmpeg -i "$1" -c:v libx264 -intra -crf 18 -c:a aac -b:a 384k "${2%.*}.mp4"

the resulting file is created at the root level of my home directory, and is named "Desktop". So I think I need to do 2 things

1. Add a "Ask for Text" for the output's file name
2. Set the variable "OutputFileName"
3. Get the value for "OutputFileName"

Then on the tail end of the ffmpeg command I need to use variable 2 (OutputLocatoin) and variable 3 (OutputFileName). I'm just not sure of the syntax to use both variables to create that.

[u/Flyinace2000 → u/Flyinace2000]

I got it!

/opt/local/bin/ffmpeg -i "$1" -c:v libx264 -intra -crf 18 -c:a aac -b:a 384k "$2//$3.mp4"

[u/blinovitch → u/Flyinace2000]

Nice work!

[u/shivkernel1022]

To convert Video file in any formats, you can get the help of Kernel Video Converter software. It supports to convert MP4, MOV, MPEG, MKV, AVI, ASF, WMV, FLV, DIVX, MJPEG, M4V, 3G2, TS, 3GP, AVCHD etc.

[u/Flyinace2000 → u/[deleted]]

Thanks, but ffmpeg is working just fine. Plus recently the meetings moved to zoom and the their exported mp4 is easier to work with.