How to Use the Free Software FFmpeg

FFmpeg is a free, open source command line application that lets you convert and modify audio and video files. It offers advanced features and full control over the media file. Using it is easy.

First, you need to download FFmpeg. This application is available for Linux, macOS, and Windows. The installer is a zip file, so you'll need to unzip it before you can use it. If you're on a PC, you'll also need a file archiver.

After downloading the file, you'll need to unzip it and place it into a folder on your computer. FFmpeg supports dozens of external libraries.

Next, you'll need to enter a file name and input video. You'll also need to specify the codecs you'll be using. These codecs will be used to process the video. For example, "-vcodec libx264" will convert the video to the H264 codec.

When you're done, you'll have an output file in the current working directory. There are a few things you can do with the file: rename it, recode it, and edit its metadata.

FFmpeg supports many common image formats, as well as some uncommon ones. But if you want to do something more advanced, you'll need to learn a few commands.

Using FFmpeg, you can combine multiple media formats, broadcast squeeze, rescale, and loop videos. You can also do video flipping and record sound.

You'll find a number of different FFmpeg forums that describe how to use the software. You can also compile FFmpeg from its free source code. However, the best approach is to use the development branch, which receives more frequent bug fixes.