ffmpeg

Process video and audio with professional-grade encoding, conversion, streaming, and filtering.

When to Use

Format Conversion - Convert MKV/AVI/MOV to MP4/WebM with optimal codecs
Video Compression - Reduce file size while maintaining quality (4K to 1080p, web optimization)
Audio Extraction - Pull audio tracks from videos as MP3/AAC/FLAC
Media Processing - Apply filters, create GIFs, generate thumbnails, batch process files

Key Capabilities

Capability	What It Does	Example
Video Encoding	Convert with H.264/H.265/VP9/AV1 codecs	`ffmpeg -i input.mkv -c:v libx264 -crf 23 output.mp4`
Audio Processing	Extract, convert, normalize audio	`ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -vn -c:a copy audio.m4a`
Stream Manipulation	Fast copy without re-encoding	`ffmpeg -i input.mkv -c copy output.mp4`
Filtering	Scale, crop, denoise, rotate, watermark	`ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vf scale=1280:720 output.mp4`
Streaming	RTMP/HLS live streaming	`ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -f hls playlist.m3u8`
Hardware Accel	GPU encoding (NVENC, QSV)	`ffmpeg -hwaccel cuda -c:v h264_nvenc output.mp4`

Common Use Cases

Video Producer converting raw footage to web-ready format

"Use ffmpeg skill to convert 4K.mov to 1080p MP4 with H.264, CRF 22, and AAC audio"

Content Creator extracting audio for podcast

"Use ffmpeg skill to extract audio from all videos in /recordings as high-quality MP3"

Web Developer optimizing video for site performance

"Use ffmpeg skill to compress video.mp4 for web: 720p, small file size, maintain quality"

Live Streamer setting up RTMP stream

"Use ffmpeg skill to stream video.mp4 to Twitch RTMP with 1080p, 3000k bitrate"

Designer creating animated GIFs

"Use ffmpeg skill to create high-quality GIF from video clip (5s-10s) at 15fps"

Quick Reference

Fast Format Conversion (No Re-encoding)

ffmpeg -i input.mkv -c copy output.mp4

Quality Compression (Recommended Settings)

# H.264 with CRF 23 (lower = better quality)
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c:v libx264 -crf 23 -preset medium -c:a aac -b:a 128k output.mp4

Extract Audio as MP3

ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -vn -q:a 0 audio.mp3

Resize to 720p (Keep Aspect Ratio)

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vf scale=-1:720 output.mp4

Create Thumbnail at 5s

ffmpeg -ss 00:00:05 -i input.mp4 -frames:v 1 thumbnail.png

Batch Convert MKV to MP4

for file in *.mkv; do ffmpeg -i "$file" -c:v libx264 -crf 22 "${file%.mkv}.mp4"; done

Codec Quick Ref

H.264 (libx264) - Universal compatibility, web/streaming
H.265 (libx265) - 50% smaller files, 4K, slower encoding
AAC - Industry standard audio
CRF 18-23 - High quality range (lower = better)
Preset slow - Better compression (ultrafast/fast/medium/slow)

Pro Tips

Quality Control

Start with CRF 23, adjust lower (better) or higher (smaller)
Use slow preset for final output, fast for testing
Test on 10-second clip before processing full video

Performance

Use -c copy when format allows (no quality loss, instant)
Enable hardware acceleration: -hwaccel cuda (NVIDIA) or -hwaccel qsv (Intel)
Batch process with shell loops for multiple files

Common Patterns

Extract frame: -ss HH:MM:SS -frames:v 1
Trim video: -ss 00:01:00 -to 00:02:00 -c copy
Normalize audio: -af loudnorm
Remove black borders: -vf cropdetect

Not activating? Say: “Use ffmpeg skill to [your task]“

Media Processing - Combined FFmpeg + ImageMagick + RMBG
ImageMagick - Image manipulation and batch processing
Backend Development - Server-side media pipelines

ffmpeg is the industry-standard multimedia Swiss Army knife. Master CRF values (18-28), use -c copy for fast conversions, and leverage hardware acceleration for production workloads. One tool handles all video/audio encoding, conversion, streaming, and filtering needs.