Video Conversion
10 articles
MKV to MP4: The Complete Remux Guide — Zero Quality Loss with -c copy
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.
Fit Any Video Under Discord's 10 MB / 25 MB / 500 MB Cap — FFmpeg Bitrate Math
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.
iPhone MOV to MP4 — The Complete Guide with the hvc1 Tag Fix
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.
Complete Guide to AV1 Encoding with FFmpeg — libsvtav1 / libaom-av1
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.
Convert HDR to SDR with FFmpeg — Tone Mapping Complete Guide
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.
FFmpeg Compress Video (MP4) — CRF, Bitrate, and Preset Selection Guide
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%.
Extracting Thumbnails from Video — -vframes and the thumbnail Filter
Extract video thumbnails with FFmpeg: -vframes for a specific timestamp, thumbnail filter for best-frame selection, resolution scaling, and PNG vs JPG output.
Video Format Conversion Basics (MP4, MKV, WebM, MOV)
Convert video formats MP4, MKV, WebM, MOV with FFmpeg: container vs codec differences, when -c copy works vs fails, and ffprobe for codec inspection.
Two-Pass Encoding — Precise Bitrate and File Size Control
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.
Complete Guide to Converting Video to MP4 (H.264/AAC) with FFmpeg
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.