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Flags, also known as options or switches, are command-line parameters used to modify the behavior of a command or program. Flags are typically preceded by a hyphen (-) or a double hyphen (--), and they provide additional instructions or specify options when executing a command.
FFmpeg is a powerful tool for processing audio and video files, but its commands can appear complex at first glance. Let's break down the process of understanding an FFmpeg command into simpler steps:
Identify the basic function
Most FFmpeg commands start with an action verb, like ffmpeg -i input.mp4 output.avi. Here, ffmpeg is the program name, -i specifies the input file (input.mp4), and output.avi is the output filename.
Break down the options
The -i option is followed by various flags and parameters that control FFmpeg's behavior. These can be categorized into:
- Input options: These specify properties of the input file, like
-i input.mp4which tells FFmpeg to use "input.mp4" as the source. - Output options: These control the output file's format, quality, and other aspects. For example,
.aviin the command specifies the output format as AVI. - Codec options: Codecs are used for encoding and decoding audio/video data. FFmpeg can use different codecs depending on your needs.
Understand common options
Some frequently used options include:
-c:v codec: This specifies the video codec to use for encoding/decoding (e.g.,-c:v libx264for H.264 video).-c:a codec: Similar to-c:vbut for audio codecs (e.g.,-c:a libmp3lamefor MP3 audio).-b:v bitrate: Sets the video bitrate, which affects video quality and file size (e.g.,-b:v 5Mfor 5 Mbps bitrate).-ar samplerate: Sets the audio sample rate, which affects audio quality (e.g.,-ar 44100for 44.1 kHz sample rate).
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