Mastering FFmpeg: A Cheat Sheet for Concatenating Images and Setting Bitrate

FFmpeg is a powerful tool for video transcoding and manipulation, but its complexity can be overwhelming for beginners. To help you get started, we've created this cheat sheet that outlines some of the most commonly used commands.

One of the most important aspects of FFmpeg is setting the bitrate, which determines the amount of data required to store or stream a video. This can be achieved using two primary options: `-b:a` and `-b:v`.

The `-b:a` option sets the audio bitrate, which is particularly useful when combining H.264 and H.265/HEVC videos with AAC audio. You can choose from various codecs, including `aac`, `libvorbis`, and `copy`, depending on your specific requirements.

For example, to set the audio bitrate to 128 kbps, you would use the following command:

`ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -b:a 128k output.mp4`

The `-c:a` option allows you to specify the audio codec. This is useful when you want to convert an audio file from one format to another.

On the other hand, the `-b:v` option sets the video bitrate. To set a value in Mbit/s, simply append `M` to the number. For example:

`ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -b:v 10M output.mp4`

You can also use `K` to set the value in Kbit/s.

In addition to setting bitrates, FFmpeg offers various video codecs, including `libx264` for H.264, `libx265` for H.265/HEVC, and `libvpx-vp9` for VP9. The `-c:v` option allows you to specify the desired codec.

When working with images, concatenating multiple files is often necessary. This can be achieved using the `-i` option followed by the path to the input video. FFmpeg will then combine the images into a single output file.

Here's an example command that concatenates three image files:

`ffmpeg -framerate 1 -i img%03d.png -c:v libx264 -crf 18 output.mp4`

In this example, `img%03d.png` is a placeholder for the input image files. The `%03d` syntax tells FFmpeg to increment the number by 3 each time it encounters a file with the same name.

To use FFmpeg's powerful features, you'll need to navigate to the command line window and type in the desired commands. Alternatively, you can specify the full path to the FFmpeg binary.

By mastering these basic commands, you'll be well on your way to unlocking the full potential of FFmpeg. Whether you're a video editor or a developer, this powerful tool offers endless possibilities for manipulating and transcoding videos.

Ffmpeg concat images set bitrate