Cut and Merge Videos Using FFmpeg: A Developer's Guide
Introduction
As a developer, I often find myself turning to the command line for tasks that can easily be accomplished without GUI tools. Video editing is one such task. FFmpeg is a powerful command-line utility that allows you to manipulate multimedia data in various ways, including cutting and merging videos.
In this post, I'll show you how to perform basic video cutting and merging operations using FFmpeg.
Cut Video Using FFmpeg
Cutting a video means extracting a specific portion from it. You can cut by timestamp or by frame number using FFmpeg.
Cut by Timestamp
ffmpeg -ss 00:00:30.0 -i input.wmv -t 00:00:10.0 -c copy output.wmv
Cut by Frame Number
ffmpeg -ss 30 -i input.wmv -t 10 -c copy output.wmv
Note: The order of arguments is crucial for successful cutting. Always follow this pattern:
-ss <START_TIME> -i <INPUT_FILE> -t <END_TIME> [other options]
. Failure to do so may result in corrupted output. For more details, consult the Official Documentation.
For additional insights on video cutting, refer to the FFmpeg wiki on Seeking.
Merge Videos Using FFmpeg
Merging videos means combining multiple video files into one.
Create File List
First, create a text file that lists the videos you want to merge:
echo file file1.mp4 > mylist.txt
echo file file2.mp4 >> mylist.txt
echo file file3.mp4 >> mylist.txt
Concatenate Videos
Execute the following command to merge the listed files:
ffmpeg -f concat -i mylist.txt -c copy output.mp4
For more information on merging videos, refer to the FFmpeg wiki on Concatenation.
Conclusion
FFmpeg is a versatile tool for basic video editing tasks like cutting and merging videos. Its command-line nature makes it a preferred choice for developers who are comfortable with terminal commands.
Happy video editing!