ffmpeg Commands Cheatsheet — Convert, Trim & Compress

ffmpeg commands cheatsheet.

Convert, extract, trim, resize, compress and screenshot media from the command line. Tap to copy.

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Convert & basics

ffmpeg -i in.mov out.mp4Convert a file to another format

ffmpeg -i in.mp4 out.gifTurn a video into a GIF

ffmpeg -i in.wav out.mp3Convert audio to MP3

ffmpeg -i in.mp4 -vn out.mp3Extract the audio from a video

Trim & resize

ffmpeg -i in.mp4 -ss 00:00:10 -t 5 out.mp4Clip 5 seconds starting at 10s

ffmpeg -i in.mp4 -vf scale=1280:-1 out.mp4Resize video to 1280px wide, keep ratio

ffmpeg -i in.mp4 -an out.mp4Remove the audio track

ffmpeg -i in.mp4 -r 30 out.mp4Change the frame rate to 30fps

Compress & encode

ffmpeg -i in.mp4 -crf 23 out.mp4Re-encode with a quality/size tradeoff

ffmpeg -i in.mp4 -b:v 1M out.mp4Encode at a target video bitrate

ffmpeg -i in.mp4 -c copy out.mkvRewrap without re-encoding (fast)

Frames & info

ffmpeg -i in.mp4 -ss 5 -vframes 1 shot.pngGrab a single frame as an image

ffmpeg -i in.mp4 -vf fps=1 frame_%03d.pngExport one frame per second

ffprobe in.mp4Print media info about a file

Replace in/out filenames with your own. ffmpeg infers formats from the file extension you give it.

The Swiss-army knife for media

ffmpeg converts almost anything with ffmpeg -i input output — the extensions decide the formats. Add -ss and -t to trim, -vf scale to resize, -crf to control quality, and -c copy to rewrap without re-encoding (much faster). Use ffprobe to inspect a file.

FAQ

How do I extract audio from a video with ffmpeg?

Run ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vn output.mp3 — the -vn flag drops the video and keeps only the audio.

How do I trim a clip without re-encoding?

Use ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -ss 00:00:10 -t 5 -c copy output.mp4 to copy 5 seconds from the 10-second mark quickly, without quality loss.

ffmpeg commands cheatsheet.

The Swiss-army knife for media

FAQ

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