text:
How to get the Cinematic look
With most movies, you can tell at a glance, if it is (or supposed to be) a blockbuster or not, by how the image looks.
Even some American TV-series look better (in my oppinion) than most european films.
I don't want to adress any content here, it's just about the look and feel of the final image.
Sometimes, when you can see some "raw" footage of the films (on the making of), it looks similar to final products of the others.
Now I was wondering, what makes that distinctive difference, of the cinematic feel, to all the other films.
I know that they have a higher budget and a lot more crew members, but what makes that distinctive difference? And what do these additional people do? so that you can tell the difference in the end.
Is is the lighting, the camera, the lenses, the color grading at the end...
or something completely different, I haven't thought of?
I'm not interessted on how Motion Picture differantiates from News or Sports Photography, because they want to acchieve different things.
I'm especialy interessted in the differences of european and american blockbusters (Excludeing England, because they are similar, by the quality of produced video as the Americans). (I know, that the budget is a big factor and that for example German films seldomly have a budget higher than 10 Millions, and that 200+ Million Dollar films are almost a standart in Hollywood (for Blockbusters).

@MoritzLost well, I'm not Interessted about the sport or news part, I'm wondering, why there is a difference in movies. Because Movies and other media - obviously - try to achieve different things. AND - I'm interessted in how to duplicate that look.

Well you haven't actually told us what difference you want to know more about. Difference between movies? All movies look different. Are you talking about specific genres, origins, styles, filmmakers? Provide details and screenshots, than you can get a less general answer. As it stands, thsis question is a duplicate of the one I linked. The specific look is a combination of many factors including lighting, cameras, props, makeup, post-processing and much more.

If you want help achieving a specific look, provide examples and screenshots showing the look you want to replicate, tell us what you have tried to achieve that look and why it isn't working/which part you need work with. Your comments reads a bit like 'what button do I press in my editing program to make my movie look like a multi-million dollar hollywood production'. Sorry, but that's not going to happen ...

There are a few important things to consider:

Lighting is perhaps the most important aspect to creating a filmic image. A lot of filmmakers like to use natural light such as Innaritu on The Revenant. I remember from the BTS that they had maybe 2 hours a day for a week or so to film the 3 minute scene because he only wanted to use natural light. In the studio, however, there are a whole slew of LED lights, fresnels, bounces, softboxes, diffusion, .etc. all set up to make the scene, and the actor look perfect. Almost every angle is thought of, from the lighting of a plant in the background to the color temperature of each light. This is a massive undertaking, and I wouldn’t be surprised in any given scene of a blockbuster movie you will have upwards of 100-200k worth of lighting working on set.
Dynamic range/camera. More and more, directors and cinematographers are opting for using digitial cameras because of their epic post production workflow and there easy integration into vfx. Cameras like the Arri Alexa and the Red Epic can record up to 18 stops of dynamic range. Take the Sony A7Sii for example, a rather pro-sumer grade camera used in a lot of indie productions, with only ~11 stops of dynamic range it is miles behind the Red in terms of the latitude one can get in post-production. This latitude, or the ability to adjust the exposure of minute details to larger troublesome areas such as a blown out window is why dynamic range is so important. Naturally, in order to get the most out of a cameras dynamic range, blockbuster films typically record in logarithmic formats. Arri and Red cameras can record in a RAW format (sensor data, rather than processed sensor data is recorded) which is just like DSLR raw where exposure and color temp (among other things) can be altered after the fact without loss in quality.
Color grading/color correction. Dynamic range would be almost useless if it weren’t for a skilled hand behind the knobs adjusting each and every aspect of the scene to perfect exposure, color temp, .etc. Using power windows with track masks the colorists can add definition to one side of an actors face, or darken it more to fit an ominous scene. They can color a certain act to be warmer when the actors get married, and then can color the next act to be bluer when they get divorced.
Lenses. Lenses have the power to imbue a certain je ne sais quoi to a scene. Cinema lenses such as those produced by Cooke or Panavision are made to a technical standard that most consumer or pro-sumer manufactures couldn’t economically match. In addition, these lenses all have different characteristics that distort the way the camera, and by extension, the audience, experience a space. Some directors prefer to use anamorphic lenses because it instills a classic cinema-type vibe, and gives the movie a certain look.
Audio. No-brainer. Good audio can make or break a scene. From ADR to using multiple mics on an actor; picking the right mic for the job .etc. a good image is nothing without good audio. Naturally, this audio is mixed to perfection in post.
So in general, if you are a small-producer of wedding films or corporate docs; whatever the case may be. You can take some tips from Hollywood. Focus on lighting. I cannot stress this enough. A 70d can look cinematic if you have the right lighting. Learn about large diffuse light sources, negative fill, bounces, .etc. You may not have a big boy toy such as the Alexa or the Epic, but you can get the most out of your A7S or whatever the camera you may have by spending time doing color grading and learning about how to properly expose for and use LOG. Experiment with different lenses. And of course, don’t let your audio fall by the way side.
Overally, what makes a blockbuster a blockbuster is the combination of many many different skilled professionals acting in unison. It is unlikely you can economically match the level of a blockbuster film, but you can get close.

** I’ve only focused on technical aspects. If your actors suck, or your setting sucks… well you won’t have a very good video.

I was/am only interessted in the technical Aspects of this topic. I fully understand that you can't save a bad script or bad acting.

What your saying is, that there is no field, that is beeing overlooked by european film producers, they are just overall working on a lower level (because of budget reasons)?

You'd have to specify a specific program and back it up with examples. But based on you saying that you perceive the quality is lower or not blockbuster-ish then maybe they are operating at a lower level. This may be due to budget, or merely due to a lack of available talent. Let us not forget Hollywood is like the epicenter where all these really good professionals flock to.


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In what aspect ratio shoud one record with a DSLR?
This Question is not about what aspect ratio should be chosen for the final film, it's rather about how to get the biggest "resolution" capable of the cammera.
When you take a photo with a Modern camera "usually" it's 4/3, I know you can change the aspect ratio, but that's not my point.
I assume, that the sensors of DSLR cameras are the same ratio, because they are created for the purpose of creating photos, aren't they?
I guess focal lenght can be taken in account as well.
Now when you shoot Video in 16:9, I assume, that the image is "croped", because you can't change the size and ratio of your sensor.
So the only way, to have that aspect ratio, is to leave it blank or record on the top/bottom of the image (or both) a black bar.
Wouldn't it be smarter, to record with the fullsensor, to get "more" of the image"?
This might sound redicolous, because you'd have a bigge file size and have to put black bars over it in post. But like this you'd have some extra "room", for example someone dips the Microphone or the boom in the picture, you could just crop the clip a bit further down and still be able to use it.
More footage = better to edit, right?
Because you still have the same width of the sensor that you use, you just use all of the avaivable height as well.
Now here is my question:
What aspect ratio, should you put your cammera into, to get the highest resolution.

When you take a photo with a Modern camera "usually" it's 4/3, I know you can change the aspect ratio, but that's not my point. I assume, that the sensors of DSLR cameras are the same ratio, because they are created for the purpose of creating photos, aren't they?

Actually, no. Only low-end digital cameras (mostly point-and-shoot) use a 4/3 aspect ratio, because they were designed to match the aspect ratio of computer displays (which used to be 4/3). DSLRs use the traditional 3/2 aspect ratio of 35mm film. So if you set your DSLR to 4/3 (for photos), a part of the sides gets cropped.

Wouldn't it be smarter, to record with the fullsensor, to get "more" of the image"?

Most DSLRs don't use their 'full' resolution for video because of technical limitations (mostly memory buffer, but also memory card transfer speed). For example: My Canon EOS 80D has a maximum resolution of 6000x4000 pixels for photos. However, the highest video resolution it can record in is 1920x1080p @ 50fps (IPB). IPB means every frame is recorded as a full frame, no interframe compression is applied. Recording 25 or even 50 frames per second at a resolution of 6000x4000 pixels would result in an absurdly high data rate that DLSRs simply aren't built to process and transfer.

What aspect ratio, should you put your cammera into, to get the highest resolution.

Depends on your camera. Either the camera menu or manual will specify the available resolutions for each aspect ratio, possibly it's a seperate setting as well. This way you can tell what combination gives you the highest resolution. If you can't find the resolution specified in the menu or the manual, take a test recording with every setting the camera has, copy the files to your computer and check each file's resolution with MediaInfo or a similar program.

Note that apart from the resolution, the bitrate will have a much higher impact on your video quality than some pixels more or less. Make sure to get a fast SD card with a lot of space so you can always record at the highest bitrate (and I-frames only if that's an option with your camera). Also, it's good practice to film in the resolution that you want your final video to be in for more reasons than video quality. So if you're creating a video that is intended to be viewed on normal video screens, film in 16/9 from the start.

Regarding recording with the full sensor, It should be possible to skip some pixels of the sensor so that you get the full field of view without cropping vertically, at a feasible resolution like 1763 x 1175, which still has fewer pixels than 1080p. Or 1620 x 1080. Field of view is more obviously noticeable than the number of pixels.

source: Stack Exchange

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

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How to independently produce 3D Movies when 3D-TV's are discontinued?
Big TV-Screen companies like LG, Sony, Samsung and Sharp have announced that they'll discontinue to produce 3D-TV's.
What impact does it have to small independent film producers, that produce 3D films?
How are you able to set up and test your 3D footage, before showing in in Theaters and festivals?
Do you have to keep using "old" monitors and screens or will Screens in "the normal" (affordable) price range still be avavable to the public? (Does a company have annunced to keep continuing screens no matter what?)

What 'small, independent film producer' produces in 3D?

There are a variety of film producers doing that. There are even 3D rigs as far back as the GoPro Heron 2 (for action cams). And if you have the knowlege and 2 idenical cameras, virtually everyone can do it. However you need a 3D Monitor to composit it.

@MoritzLost The kind who produces scantily clad content.

Some are using VR headsets, some work with anaglyph glasses. With some plug-ins (such as the Dashwood 360 VR Toolbox, as one example), you can use popular headsets like the Oculus Rift. But many will convert the left and right eye to red/cyan and blend them so you can use those silly paper glasses from your childhood. Simple, but effective!

This answer is indeed quite late.
If you don't specifically have to use a TV, you may do with a projector. There are projectors with 3D stereoscpy support, such as the Optoma UHD506 which I use. These projectors advertise support for "Bluray and PC 3D", which I'm assume it's some kind of marketing term.
However, they don't convert left-right pictures into 3D imagery, instead, some of these DLP-Link require the HDMI source to output at 120Hz, with each eye getting 60 frames every second.
Optoma provided glasses that can switch eye when the left-right signal goes out of sync.
Also, these 3D modes are often only available at 1080p resolution.
Finally, if you want to play a 3D movies on these projectors, you need some software like Bino3D.
I've also written the Studio Media Player for Mac using the Swift programming language for my own use. Because I don't have the finacial motive to enroll in Apple developer program, I can't offer that as an App, so you need to compile it using Xcode if you were to use my player.

all_licenses: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

all_licenses: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/


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How to create a pseudo 3D/virtual POV effect
I was wondering, how American Football and Soccer Experts in the studios can move the field and camera perspective at their own will, even to places where there hasn't been a camera yet.
I'm talking about something like this:
http://variety.com/2017/digital/news/fox-super-bowl-li-virtual-player-pov-replays-1201959112/
or
http://www.vizrt.com/products/viz_libero/
I guess they have a 3D generated field, where they map the different camera perspectives on, and where the images don't line up, is a player generated, where they map that picture on from different sides.
I could be totally wrong.
How is this effect originally achieved and how could you recreate it with "traditional" video editing software?
(besides the viz liberto)

Th general technique is called camera mapping, projection mapping, or videogrammetry. It works by taking a photo or video from an angle and projecting the image onto geometry.
As a simple example, think of a picture of a typical A-frame house taken from the front of the house. You could easily create the geometry of the house in a 3D application like Max, or Maya. You'd need a plane for the front of the house and planes for the sides of the roof and any dormer windows. If you projected the image of the house onto your plane and masked out the parts that were not house (the sky, ground, etc.), you could then move the virtual camera around it and it would appear you were moving around the front of the house in 3D.
Of course, as soon as you got far enough over to the side, you'd see there's no side to the house. So you'd need a picture from the side, and you'd need more geometry for the side of the house to project it onto.
In the case of a game like the Super Bowl they have cameras all over the stadium, and they know the geometry of the stadium, too. Mostly you just need a ground plane to project the field onto, and a rectangle for each player. Given that the field is green, you may be able to chroma key the players out from the field. You'll need to fill in where they were with at least something green.
There are tools to help with this. It's tedious, but in After Effects you can use lights to project footage onto a solid. There are also plug-ins to help, such as Buena Depth Cue's Camera Mapper.


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What are Grey Balls used for?
I know that a Grey Card is used for the white balance of the camera, but whate are the Grey Balls used for?
On big Productions, there is usually a guy (what is his job?) that holds up a grey ball and a "mirror"-colored/reflective ball.
What is this used for? Is this for digital effects added in post and to see the light and the direction of light?
What is the purpose of them?
Also, sometimes, there is the use of a reference card (a paper with many little colored squares on there).
What is that used for?
Is this to adjust the color of the digitally added material?
This can't be added to adjust the images in post, because they should be the same (because of white balance), is it? Does dynamic range matter with these kind of things?
What are these balls called and what for are they used?
What Role/Job does the person holding them have? Does he has other duties or is he/her just holding them?

Educated guesses: The grey ball is to determine the lightness & darkness from different angles, probably used for people's faces to make sure the lit side and the shadow side fall in some range. I think you're right about the mirrored ball -- it will show where all the lights are on set. The reference card could easily be used for color balancing (not just white balancing) during post production.

The grey balls are actually used like the grey cards but with added lighting data cause they are spherical and refer to the surrounding light sources better, they usually reflect 18% of the light and are used to match the temperature of the CG Element to the footage and also exposure.
We create the CGI versions of the grey and chrome ball since they are very easy to make and mostly mathematically very close to the real balls. So if your CGI balls don't match the pictures of the chrome/grey balls then you need to adjust:

intensity of the CGI Lighting,
exposure of the lights (individual or mostly overall) and finally
the white balance or the temperature of the CGI Lighting to make it fit.

Sometimes they use the Mirror or Chrome Balls to take HDRIs to roughly recreate the surrounding lighting using a DSLR and multiple bracketed shots but nowadays VFX or On-set supervisors, the guy, you were asking about, used a compact 360 cameras like the Thetha Z1 or Insta 360 One X2 or even a 180 degree fisheye lens on a camera and quickly snapped the images without worrying about capturing what's behind the chromball or the other tedious job of actually paining out the camera and/or cameraman.
The small colour squares you see are called colour checkers and they come in many types. They are used to unify the CG Camera and the footage in terms of colour profile, dynamic range and white/black points; usually there is a separate bigger card for white, black and grey points but all in all it's to mimic and dumb down CG Cameras to the characteristics of the real world cameras used to capture the image.

…and I thought it was to save them shouting "Moving on" or "and that's lunch" at the end of the scene ;))

Yes, they are used for adding visual effects in post. The mirrored ball is for creating an environment map or reflection map. These maps provide the same lighting from the real scene to the virtual scene where graphics are created to composite into the existing scene.
I believe the grey ball is used for recording more diffuse lighting from all angles, though I'm not positive.
The cards with either black and white or colored square patterns on them are for motion tracking, image stabilization, and orientation. They're often used to replace computer or mobile phone screens, for example.


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FFmpeg, encode video for 720p @ 4mbps playback
I've been fighting with this dilemma for about a week or two now and I've tried my best to understand it from whatever I can find through google.
What I need (or at least I think I need) to do is calculate the bitrate to determine the mbps, if it's over my requirement (720p @ 4mbps) then I want to optimise the video, if it's below my requirement then it's just a matter of copying the file to an mp4 container.
Now I have my own code for FFmpeg, which I will attach below, and I found that there are alternative applications that will provide me with kbps calculated from the file, but I want to do as much of this as possible with only one application if I can.
I'm not asking anyone to code anything here, but more so to tell me how I can calculate this myself using the information I get from FFmpeg or even FFprobe, and what parameters I'd need to set within FFmpeg to make sure that the video file is encoded to stream at 4mbps.
ffmpeg -i "input.file" -map 0:0 -map 0:1 -map 0:1 -r 30 -profile:v Main -level:v 4.0 -crf 19 -c:a:0 copy -b:a:0 448k -metadata:s:a:0 language="english" -metadata:s:a:0 title="AC3 5.1" -c:a:1 libfdk_aac -ac:a:1 2 -b:a:1 160k -metadata:s:a:1 language="english" -metadata:s:a:1 title="AAC Stereo" -movflags +faststart "output.file"

Thanks in advance.
Update to my original code
This new code includes the bitrate buffsize and maxrate (if needed), in my script, if the fps is over 30 it will be set to 30, otherwise it was left alone, but if the fps is uncertain, example 23.970542342, this can produce an error in FFmpeg, I thought "-r 23.97" would fix this but apparently not, so I had to change "-r" to "-filter:v fps=" and set the fps for my files by calculating the "r_frame_rate", which is easy enough.
My new code
ffmpeg -i "input.file" -map 0:0 -map 0:1 -map 0:1 -filter:v fps=30 -profile:v Main -level:v 4.0 -crf 18 -b:v 4000k -bufsize 4000k -maxrate:v 4000k -metadata title="" -metadata year="" -c:a:0 copy -metadata:s:a:0 language="english" -metadata:s:a:0 title="AC3 5.1" -c:a:1 libfdk_aac -ac:a:1 2 -b:a:1 160k -metadata:s:a:1 language="english" -metadata:s:a:1 title="AAC Stereo" -movflags +faststart "output.file"

In the script that I'm building, it's going to generate the appropriate parameters for FFmpeg, so if the codec is not x264, if profile:v is not main, if level:v is not 4.0, if bit_rate is more than 4000k, then all the needed parameters will be set, otherwise it gets copied.
FFprobe Code from Mulvya, slightly modified so I can get everything I need from it.
ffprobe -v error -select_streams v -show_entries stream="bit_rate,codec_name,profile,level,r_frame_rate" -of compact=p=0:nk=1 "input.file"

Goal at the end of this is to have my own automation script to encode my videos from a folder, I know about sickbeard mp4 automator, but I don't need all those features, and there are things I want that it doesn't have.

The ffprobe command below will spit out the bitrate:
ffprobe in.mp4 -select_streams v -show_entries stream=bit_rate -of compact=p=0:nk=1

e.g.
4118620

If the result is greater than 4000000 then you can add -b:v 4000k -bufsize 4000k -maxrate:v 4000k. Or you can add it anyway. Set -c:v to copy if the stream is under 4000000 else to libx264. The three values will be ignored just like -b:a:0 448k in your command is.

Thank you @Mulvya the bit_rate was slightly confusing for me, so I assume bit_rate is bits per second? and 4000000 = 4 Mbps?, I'll test this out and get back asap. The command "-b:a:0 448k" and even "-b:a:1 160k", doesn't get ignored when I run my current script, if I was to output the info, both audio streams display what I set, as for bit_rate, I didn't think of just comparing it to the overall bit_rate, I thought there was more to it than that lol.

When c:a is set to copy for a stream, the b:a is inert as there's no encoding being performed.

Ah right, I took a look at the files they already had the 448k audio, so it makes sense why it was always the same as my output lol. Just a quick thought and last question lol, can't I just use "-maxrate:v" on its own during the encoding to ensure it doesn't exceed my requirement? or would it be more practical to include "-b:v" and "-buffsize"?

If -b:v is not set, then the default value (200k) is used, or in the case of x264, CRF mode is used instead of bitrate targeting.


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ffmpeg -f tee refuses to do anything useful
I would like to stream a single MP4 to multiple streaming sites at once. The easiest way I could think to do this was to simply run four concurrent ffmpeg instances at once, and send the stream individually. I wish I had stuck to this.
Unfortunately I remembered the tee filter and had hoped it would save a few CPU cycles. Instead I have wasted hours getting nowhere.
I realise these sorts of questions have been asked before, hundreds of times, and with them hundreds of answers. None of them have helped me.
To get the “banner” out of the way:
ffmpeg version 4.2.2-static https://johnvansickle.com/ffmpeg/  Copyright (c) 2000-2019 the FFmpeg developers
  built with gcc 8 (Debian 8.3.0-6)
  configuration: --enable-gpl --enable-version3 --enable-static --disable-debug --disable-ffplay --disable-indev=sndio --disable-outdev=sndio --cc=gcc --enable-fontconfig --enable-frei0r --enable-gnutls --enable-gmp --enable-libgme --enable-gray --enable-libaom --enable-libfribidi --enable-libass --enable-libvmaf --enable-libfreetype --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libopencore-amrnb --enable-libopencore-amrwb --enable-libopenjpeg --enable-librubberband --enable-libsoxr --enable-libspeex --enable-libsrt --enable-libvorbis --enable-libopus --enable-libtheora --enable-libvidstab --enable-libvo-amrwbenc --enable-libvpx --enable-libwebp --enable-libx264 --enable-libx265 --enable-libxml2 --enable-libdav1d --enable-libxvid --enable-libzvbi --enable-libzimg
  libavutil      56. 31.100 / 56. 31.100
  libavcodec     58. 54.100 / 58. 54.100
  libavformat    58. 29.100 / 58. 29.100
  libavdevice    58.  8.100 / 58.  8.100
  libavfilter     7. 57.100 /  7. 57.100
  libswscale      5.  5.100 /  5.  5.100
  libswresample   3.  5.100 /  3.  5.100
  libpostproc    55.  5.100 / 55.  5.100

Note that I have tried static and linked builds (no change) as well as older versions of ffmpeg (worse).
Now, for the first command:
[h264 @ 0x6f8f1c0] Reinit context to 1280x720, pix_fmt: yuv420p
Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from 'huuge.mp4':
  Metadata:
    major_brand     : isom
    minor_version   : 512
    compatible_brands: isomiso2avc1mp41
    encoder         : Lavf58.20.100
  Duration: 00:23:18.37, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 2104 kb/s
    Stream #0:0(eng): Video: h264 (High), 1 reference frame (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p(left), 1280x720 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 1900 kb/s, 30 fps, 30 tbr, 15360 tbn, 60 tbc (default)
    Metadata:
      handler_name    : VideoHandle
    Stream #0:1(eng): Audio: aac (LC) (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 48000 Hz, stereo, fltp, 192 kb/s (default)
    Metadata:
      handler_name    : SoundHandle
[tcp @ 0x6fbc6c0] Starting connection attempt to 35.176.16.102 port 1935
[tcp @ 0x6fbc6c0] Successfully connected to 35.176.16.102 port 1935
[flv @ 0x6ff1240] Tag avc1 incompatible with output codec id '27' ([7][0][0][0])
[tee @ 0x6fb6900] Slave '[f=flv:onfail=ignore]rtmp://stream.dlive.tv/live/<snip>': error writing header: Invalid data found when processing input
[AVIOContext @ 0x6ff09c0] Statistics: 0 seeks, 0 writeouts
[tee @ 0x6fb6900] Slave muxer #0 failed: Invalid data found when processing input, continuing with 2/3 slaves.
[tcp @ 0x6fbc380] Starting connection attempt to 99.181.67.204 port 1935
[tcp @ 0x6fbc380] Successfully connected to 99.181.67.204 port 1935
[flv @ 0x7026a80] Tag avc1 incompatible with output codec id '27' ([7][0][0][0])
[tee @ 0x6fb6900] Slave '[f=flv:onfail=ignore]rtmp://live-lhr04.twitch.tv/app/<snip>': error writing header: Invalid data found when processing input
[AVIOContext @ 0x70260c0] Statistics: 0 seeks, 0 writeouts
[tee @ 0x6fb6900] Slave muxer #1 failed: Invalid data found when processing input, continuing with 1/3 slaves.
[flv @ 0x6f99880] Tag avc1 incompatible with output codec id '27' ([7][0][0][0])
[tee @ 0x6f969c0] Slave '[f=flv:onfail=ignore]rtmp://a.rtmp.youtube.com/live2/<snip>': error writing header: Invalid data found when processing input
[tee @ 0x6fb6900] All tee outputs failed.
Could not write header for output file #0 (incorrect codec parameters ?): Invalid argument
Stream mapping:
  Stream #0:0 -> #0:0 (copy)
  Stream #0:1 -> #0:1 (copy)
    Last message repeated 1 times
[AVIOContext @ 0x6f96400] Statistics: 2123151 bytes read, 0 seeks

I tried adding -vtag avc1 which made no difference.
And simply out of curiosity I tried using the -use_fifo 1 switch:
Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from 'huuge.mp4':
  Metadata:
    major_brand     : isom
    minor_version   : 512
    compatible_brands: isomiso2avc1mp41
    encoder         : Lavf58.20.100
  Duration: 00:23:18.37, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 2104 kb/s
    Stream #0:0(eng): Video: h264 (High) (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p, 1280x720 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 1900 kb/s, 30 fps, 30 tbr, 15360 tbn, 60 tbc (default)
    Metadata:
      handler_name    : VideoHandle
    Stream #0:1(eng): Audio: aac (LC) (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 48000 Hz, stereo, fltp, 192 kb/s (default)
    Metadata:
      handler_name    : SoundHandle
Output #0, tee, to '[f=flv:onfail=ignore]rtmp://stream.dlive.tv/live/<snip>|[f=flv:onfail=ignore]rtmps://homeserver:1936/rtmp/<snip>|[f=flv:onfail=ignore]rtmp://live-lhr04.twitch.tv/app/<snip>|[f=flv:onfail=ignore]rtmp://a.rtmp.youtube.com/live2/<snip>':
  Metadata:
    major_brand     : isom
    minor_version   : 512
    compatible_brands: isomiso2avc1mp41
    encoder         : Lavf58.29.100
    Stream #0:0(eng): Video: h264 (High) (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p, 1280x720 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], q=2-31, 1900 kb/s, 30 fps, 30 tbr, 30 tbn, 30 tbc (default)
    Metadata:
      handler_name    : VideoHandle
    Stream #0:1(eng): Audio: aac (LC) (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 48000 Hz, stereo, fltp, 192 kb/s (default)ffmpeg: malloc.c:2404: sysmalloc: Assertion `(unsigned long) (old_size) < (unsigned long) (nb + MINSIZE)' failed.

    Metadata:
      handler_name    : SoundHandleffmpeg: malloc.c:2401: sysmalloc: Assertion `(old_top == initial_top (av) && old_size == 0) || ((unsigned long) (old_size) >= MINSIZE && prev_inuse (old_top) && ((unsigned long) old_end & (pagesize - 1)) == 0)' failed.

Aborted                 (core dumped) ffmpeg -hide_banner -re -i "$1" -flags +global_header -map 0 -c copy -f tee -use_fifo 1 "[f=flv:onfail=ignore]rtmp://stream.dlive.tv/live/<snip>|[f=flv:onfail=ignore]rtmps://homeserver:1936/rtmp/<snip>|[f=flv:onfail=ignore]rtmp://live-lhr04.twitch.tv/app/<snip>|[f=flv:onfail=ignore]rtmp://a.rtmp.youtube.com/live2/<snip>"

I can do nothing with a segfault.
So now I'm hoping someone else may have tried this, but done so successfully. One file to four outputs doesn't seem to be that big a deal, but I cannot get it to work!
For reference, four separate ffmpeg instances work fine, including through stunnel. And the whitespace between the pipes make no difference.
I have tried -flags +global_header and bsfs/v=dump_extra=freq=keyframe both separate and together, which are no help. I have no idea what the latter does.

I'll need to debug when I have time to see why this occurs during tee and not mormally, but for now, add -vtag 7 to get ffmpeg working when streamcopying H.264/AVC video. Do check and confirm that your recipients can decode the output.
-flags +global_header only applies when encoding the video.
bsfs/v=dump_extra=freq=keyframe is not relevant and in fact, counterproductive for FLV output, although it does not intersect with your issue.
-use_fifo 1 also does not intersect, and it's orthogonal here.

That did it! Because I was using aac I also had to add -atag 10, but I wasn't told that until your solution got me that far. Thank you!

Perhaps you could try a different approach, instead of getting FFMPEG to stream to different IP's use something else.
I.e. Capture what you need and encode with FFMPEG, then pass that to something else to pass it on the the multiple locations.
This guide might help you (providing you are in the nginx enviro).
I've spent a lot of time running into brick walls recently with streaming related stuff, and found it is frequently easier to use two or three specialist things, rather than trying to force one to do it all.
Hope this helps.

The videos are re-encoded with ffmpeg before they are streamed. Encoding them again will achieve nothing as the result is always going to be the same. I have used Nginx in the past but it is not suitable for this either, and is no different to using separate ffmpeg invocations, but with added hassle and complexity (and resource waste).

I am not suggesting encoding them multiple times. You should be able to get ffmpeg to end code, the pipe/broadcast this to something else that will then simply broadcast it to the multiple points you need it sent to (assuming all points support the same format). IMO this should not need a 2nd lot of encoding, simply pass it on.

That's already what is being done. You are complicating a very simple issue.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/


text:
ffmpeg flash frames last still image in concat sequence
I want to concat several pictures into a video. Each picture must have its own duration. I use the most recent windows build for ffmpeg (20170204) and the guide from http://trac.ffmpeg.org/wiki/Slideshow/
Here is my text file:
file path/to/001.png
duration 5
file path/to/002.png
duration 6

I try using the following command:
ffmpeg.exe -f concat -safe 0 -i path/to/input.txt output.mp4

In the resulting video, the first pictures hangs for 5 seconds but the second picture only hangs for 0 seconds (I only see a glimpse of it). What am I doing wrong?

@LordNeckbeard the demuxer example at Wiki doesn't work. Reproduced by me. Adding a duplicate entry of the last image alters total duration unpredictably.

No. There is a concat filter which is different from the fps filter. In any case, neither of those are used here. Filters are processors invoked by -vf, -af or -filter_complex. Here, the concat demuxer is used, which is a different process.

Doesn't work here. Supply a different duration for the duplicated entry and check.

Bug report filed.

Based on the discussion at the bug tracker, this should be a workaround:
file path/to/001.png
duration 5
file path/to/002.png
duration 5.96
file path/to/002.png

and
ffmpeg.exe -f concat -safe 0 -i path/to/input.txt -vsync vfr output.mp4

The idea is to duplicate the entry of the last image. If you need the duration to be precise, then decrease the duration of the now 2nd-last entry by 1/fps seconds. For 25 fps video, that's 0.04s. If you don't do this, the output duration will be 0.04s longer.

Make sure to add -pix_fmt yuv420p for broad player compatibility.


text:
What Beginner Video Editing Software Should I Use?
Specifically, I need to edit HD video on Windows 7.
I need a software solution which can zoom, pan and insert text. Also, I will need to adjust the scale of video clips and composite multiple video layers into the main picture (eg. zoom to a black TV screen and insert video to that TV screen).
The software can not be complex/difficult to learn (eg. After Effects/Premiere/Vegas) as I do not have much time to complete the project. However, it should be capable, unlike Movie Maker, and run on Windows 7.
So, what do you recommend?

With both Premiere and Vegas, it seems that such a project would take a long time for someone like me. Would Lightworks be capable of this project? Are there any good/active forums I could use if I get stuck on the tutorials? If I were to request a designer to finish the project, for free and by the weekend, how would I do so? Thanks. James.

Nobody is going to do this for free. And despite what these answers are saying no editing program will do this. You need to do a screen replacement in after effects. The text and pan you can do in premiere or the like.

James, yes - there are tons of YouTube video tutorials. EditShare (the makers of LightWorks) produce very good ones. Check out EditShare's YouTube channel.

I think pretty much every editing program would allow you to zoom, pan and insert text. Inserting another video into the main video is a little more complex and the only program I know for sure that does it is After Effects. But I'm sure there are others that will.
I would suggest using Premiere because it's a very powerful program. Even though I've never had to insert video into another one like you've described, I'm sure there's a way to do it. You don't have to learn the program inside out to be able to edit in it. There are hundreds of tutorials online that take you step by step through the process. A quick Google search would reveal that.
However, if you still don't want to go with Premiere, here is a list of free video editing programs that might be able to do the job. I haven't used any of them so I can't make a recommendation – but it's a good starting point.

"The software can not be complex/difficult to learn (eg. After Effects/Premiere/Vegas)"

Cannot connect to your link: http://tv.isg.si/site/?q=node/873

The most easy to use Video Editing Software I know is Magix Video Delux. It has HD capabilities, a lot of fixed crossover effects and is available for Windows 7.
My mother swears by it and she still has trouble sending mails and stuff.
For more advanced users there's the option of timeline editing, but most of the things you can do in a block overview - you just drag & drop blocks of video to order them and apply some effects very easily between them.
I personally use Edius, but that's about as professional as you can get!

"My mother swears by it"!!! Best litmus test for ease of use ever. Do you mean this software: http://www.magix.com/us/movie-edit-pro/

yes indeed, we bought the pro package, so we have a lot of extra's too.

Sony Vegas is my second option to Final Cut. You can do everything you need in a very intuitive interface. Like Chard says, there are hundreds of tutorials online that take you step by step through the process and many good free video editors around.

"The software can not be complex/difficult to learn (eg. After Effects/Premiere/Vegas)"

I started to use Sony Movie Studio and have found it easy to get to grips with after watching an excellent set of tutorial videos titled "Video Editing Basics for Vloggers" by CalmBiker on YouTube.  It is more capable than Movie Maker and definitely includes all the features you have asked for.  The tutorials include details of how to perform pan & zoom, Adding Text and Picture in Picture.
I would recommend getting version 12 or older if you want the interface to closely match that of the video.  In version 13 they changed the interface to work better on tablets, so it looks more like the recent versions of Microsoft Office with the ribbon across the top.

I can't really compare with other software, but I  really like HitFilm Express 4. I've done everything you said in it. This basic version is free, has some excellent tutorials. It isn't a dumbed down NLE software.
I enjoyed the free online course Visual Effects for Guerrilla Filmmakers that uses it as a tool. It is really fun to make some special effects in your family videos. The kids love it.
I don't know your time frame, but some of the things you desire aren't completely trivial.
If you like it and decide to invest more time/money, you can buy some advanced packs or the full Pro version.

Free = BlackMagic Davinci Resolve 12.5 (Win, Mac, Linux)
It is a fully fledged NLE and Colour correction and if you want to jump into the realms of SFX they offer Fusion for free as well (bear in mind that some options are limited but nothing for the basic and intermediate users)
Paid - Adobe Premier Pro (Win, Mac), Apple FCPX (only Mac), Sony Vegas (Win)(I have never used this tho)

Alright. Thanks for the info man. much appreciated

Also free: EditShare's Lightworks, tho limited in output options.

If Adobe Premiere has too steep a learning curve, you might like Adobe Premiere Elements. It is a pared down editing package and not as complex as Adobe Premiere. You can download a free trial here. See here for the system requirements. It is available for Windows 7
All non-linear editing programs are pretty much the same: they are I/O (input/output) programs that ingest media files (motion pictures, stills, audio, graphics, and such), allow you to arrange them in a timeline and output them to a media stream (file, signal, etc.)
The more complex and difficult to learn the NLE, usually the more controls and options you'll have. The more streamlined, usually less options and controls.
I would suggest Avid Media Composer. They also have a Free 30 day trial but the learning curve is as steep as FCP & Premiere - which are not too bad - but less than DaVinci Resolve.
Note that whichever software you choose, a lot of non-linear editing software requires a minimum of 8GB or 16GB RAM, as well as specific Graphics processing minimums (e.g. Adobe Premiere, Adobe Elements, BlckMagic's DaVinci Resolve, Apple's Final Cut, Sony Vegas, EditShare's Lightworks, etc.)
Aside from these more robust software packages, you might want to check out this review of these freeware options available for Windows:


text:
FFMPEG MXF -> MP4 - Cannot get proper audio on output file
I am software developer working on a project that requires my video files to be an mp4 format, as this is what most vendors support. I am trying to use ffmpeg, to rewrap the MXF file, into an mp4.
Here is the probe.

Attempting a direct
ffmpeg -i c:\Users\206420055\Downloads\MAAAAAHVIY.mxf -c:v copy -c:a copy test.mp4

the video works, but the audio appears to be squished into the first few seconds of the video. As well as seeking does not work properly on the video.
Trying to use libmp3lame as the audio codec, it complains about

[libmp3lame @ 0000000002d08900] Queue input is backward in time [mp4 @
  0000000003887fc0] Non-monotonous DTS in output stream 0:1; previous:
  1565 375, current: 1564346; changing to 1565376. This may result in
  incorrect timesta mps in the output file.

I have tried a variety of adding -af aresample=async=1000 (and other hertz values), which succeeds in removing the warnings, but does not succeed in fixing the video.
Does anyone have any ideas what else I am missing? I have tried to map the individual streams to the output as well, with no luck.

Full console when running
ffmpeg.exe -i c:\Users\206420055\Downloads\MAAAAAHVIY.mxf  -c:v copy -c:a copy -report testing.mp4
c:\dev\ffmpeg-20161230-6993bb4-win64-static\bin>ffmpeg.exe -i c:\Users\206420055
\Downloads\MAAAAAHVIY.mxf  -c:v copy -c:a copy -report testing.mp4
ffmpeg started on 2017-01-09 at 12:10:03
Report written to "ffmpeg-20170109-121003.log"
ffmpeg version N-82966-g6993bb4 Copyright (c) 2000-2016 the FFmpeg developers
  built with gcc 5.4.0 (GCC)
  configuration: --enable-gpl --enable-version3 --enable-dxva2 --enable-libmfx -
-enable-nvenc --enable-avisynth --enable-bzlib --enable-fontconfig --enable-frei
0r --enable-gnutls --enable-iconv --enable-libass --enable-libbluray --enable-li
bbs2b --enable-libcaca --enable-libfreetype --enable-libgme --enable-libgsm --en
able-libilbc --enable-libmodplug --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libopencore-amrnb
--enable-libopencore-amrwb --enable-libopenh264 --enable-libopenjpeg --enable-li
bopus --enable-librtmp --enable-libsnappy --enable-libsoxr --enable-libspeex --e
nable-libtheora --enable-libtwolame --enable-libvidstab --enable-libvo-amrwbenc
--enable-libvorbis --enable-libvpx --enable-libwavpack --enable-libwebp --enable
-libx264 --enable-libx265 --enable-libxavs --enable-libxvid --enable-libzimg --e
nable-lzma --enable-decklink --enable-zlib
  libavutil      55. 43.100 / 55. 43.100
  libavcodec     57. 70.100 / 57. 70.100
  libavformat    57. 61.100 / 57. 61.100
  libavdevice    57.  2.100 / 57.  2.100
  libavfilter     6. 68.100 /  6. 68.100
  libswscale      4.  3.101 /  4.  3.101
  libswresample   2.  4.100 /  2.  4.100
  libpostproc    54.  2.100 / 54.  2.100
Input #0, mxf, from 'c:\Users\206420055\Downloads\MAAAAAHVIY.mxf':
  Metadata:
    application_platform: Omneon Media Api (mqx)
    uid             : 7889285c-97b8-161e-b2af-00d02813303e
    generation_uid  : 8289285c-97b8-161e-8c77-00d02813303e
    company_name    : Omneon Inc.
    product_name    : Omneon Media Subsystem
    modification_date: 2016-12-02T13:58:10.000000Z
    product_version : Omneon SB Release 7.9.0.0.62 (tags/7.9.x.0/7.9.0.0.11),ex=
{0,-1},rng={0,-1,8},exPre
    product_uid     : 00000000-0000-1000-8000-050e0b010602
    material_package_umid: 0x060A2B340101010501010D231301066E8E44035197B8161E898
C00D02813303E
    timecode        : 08:58:00;04
  Duration: N/A, start: 0.000000, bitrate: N/A
    Stream #0:0: Video: h264 (Baseline), yuv420p(progressive), 640x360 [SAR 1:1
DAR 16:9], 29.97 fps, 29.97 tbr, 29.97 tbn, 59.94 tbc
    Metadata:
      file_package_umid: 0x060A2B340101010501010D231300E3D05291285C97B8161EA0A40
0D02813303E
    Stream #0:1: Audio: aac (LC), 48000 Hz, stereo, fltp
    Metadata:
      file_package_umid: 0x060A2B340101010501010D231300E3D05291285C97B8161EA0A40
0D02813303E
    Stream #0:2: Audio: aac (LC), 48000 Hz, stereo, fltp
    Metadata:
      file_package_umid: 0x060A2B340101010501010D231300E3D05291285C97B8161EA0A40
0D02813303E
    Stream #0:3: Audio: aac (LC), 48000 Hz, stereo, fltp
    Metadata:
      file_package_umid: 0x060A2B340101010501010D231300E3D05291285C97B8161EA0A40
0D02813303E
    Stream #0:4: Audio: aac (LC), 48000 Hz, stereo, fltp
    Metadata:
      file_package_umid: 0x060A2B340101010501010D231300E3D05291285C97B8161EA0A40
0D02813303E
Output #0, mp4, to 'testing.mp4':
  Metadata:
    application_platform: Omneon Media Api (mqx)
    uid             : 7889285c-97b8-161e-b2af-00d02813303e
    generation_uid  : 8289285c-97b8-161e-8c77-00d02813303e
    company_name    : Omneon Inc.
    product_name    : Omneon Media Subsystem
    modification_date: 2016-12-02T13:58:10.000000Z
    product_version : Omneon SB Release 7.9.0.0.62 (tags/7.9.x.0/7.9.0.0.11),ex=
{0,-1},rng={0,-1,8},exPre
    product_uid     : 00000000-0000-1000-8000-050e0b010602
    material_package_umid: 0x060A2B340101010501010D231301066E8E44035197B8161E898
C00D02813303E
    timecode        : 08:58:00;04
    encoder         : Lavf57.61.100
    Stream #0:0: Video: h264 (Baseline) ([33][0][0][0] / 0x0021), yuv420p(progre
ssive), 640x360 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], q=2-31, 29.97 fps, 29.97 tbr, 30k tbn, 29.97
 tbc
    Metadata:
      file_package_umid: 0x060A2B340101010501010D231300E3D05291285C97B8161EA0A40
0D02813303E
    Stream #0:1: Audio: aac (LC) ([64][0][0][0] / 0x0040), 48000 Hz, stereo, flt
p
    Metadata:
      file_package_umid: 0x060A2B340101010501010D231300E3D05291285C97B8161EA0A40
0D02813303E
Stream mapping:
  Stream #0:0 -> #0:0 (copy)
  Stream #0:1 -> #0:1 (copy)
Press [q] to stop, [?] for help
frame= 8114 fps=0.0 q=-1.0 size=   58047kB time=00:04:30.70 bitrate=1756.6kbits/
frame=15327 fps=0.0 q=-1.0 size=  120712kB time=00:08:31.37 bitrate=1933.7kbits/
frame=22191 fps=14794 q=-1.0 size=  179753kB time=00:12:20.40 bitrate=1988.8kbit
frame=27272 fps=13112 q=-1.0 size=  222031kB time=00:15:09.94 bitrate=1998.9kbit
frame=27306 fps=9819 q=-1.0 size=  222314kB time=00:15:11.07 bitrate=1998.9kbits
frame=29077 fps=8862 q=-1.0 size=  237699kB time=00:16:10.16 bitrate=2007.1kbits
frame=32305 fps=8419 q=-1.0 size=  265789kB time=00:17:57.87 bitrate=2020.0kbits
frame=32378 fps=7453 q=-1.0 size=  266393kB time=00:18:00.31 bitrate=2020.1kbits
frame=34179 fps=7056 q=-1.0 size=  282049kB time=00:19:00.40 bitrate=2026.1kbits
frame=37305 fps=6974 q=-1.0 size=  308619kB time=00:20:44.71 bitrate=2031.2kbits
frame=39711 fps=6666 q=-1.0 size=  328751kB time=00:22:04.99 bitrate=2032.6kbits
frame=39966 fps=6187 q=-1.0 size=  330953kB time=00:22:13.49 bitrate=2033.1kbits
frame=42056 fps=6043 q=-1.0 size=  348347kB time=00:23:23.23 bitrate=2033.6kbits
frame=44924 fps=6012 q=-1.0 size=  373270kB time=00:24:58.93 bitrate=2040.0kbits
frame=46764 fps=5841 q=-1.0 size=  389255kB time=00:26:00.32 bitrate=2043.7kbits
frame=46917 fps=5516 q=-1.0 size=  390614kB time=00:26:05.43 bitrate=2044.1kbits
frame=46918 fps=3183 q=-1.0 size=  390616kB time=00:26:05.46 bitrate=2044.1kbits
frame=50173 fps=3292 q=-1.0 size=  418106kB time=00:27:54.07 bitrate=2046.0kbits
frame=53009 fps=3366 q=-1.0 size=  441437kB time=00:29:28.70 bitrate=2044.6kbits
frame=53204 fps=3258 q=-1.0 size=  443135kB time=00:29:35.20 bitrate=2044.9kbits
frame=56009 fps=3328 q=-1.0 size=  467497kB time=00:31:08.80 bitrate=2049.3kbits
frame=60122 fps=3469 q=-1.0 size=  500061kB time=00:33:26.03 bitrate=2042.1kbits
frame=63046 fps=3529 q=-1.0 size=  525469kB time=00:35:03.60 bitrate=2046.3kbits
frame=63208 fps=3442 q=-1.0 size=  526867kB time=00:35:09.00 bitrate=2046.5kbits
frame=65119 fps=3449 q=-1.0 size=  543496kB time=00:36:12.77 bitrate=2049.1kbits
frame=69350 fps=3577 q=-1.0 size=  580081kB time=00:38:33.94 bitrate=2053.6kbits
frame=71850 fps=3603 q=-1.0 size=  601509kB time=00:39:57.36 bitrate=2055.4kbits
frame=71997 fps=3522 q=-1.0 size=  602790kB time=00:40:02.26 bitrate=2055.6kbits
frame=73545 fps=3512 q=-1.0 size=  615686kB time=00:40:53.91 bitrate=2055.4kbits
frame=78165 fps=3645 q=-1.0 size=  651742kB time=00:43:28.07 bitrate=2047.1kbits
frame=79980 fps=3624 q=-1.0 size=  667551kB time=00:44:28.63 bitrate=2049.2kbits
frame=80080 fps=3546 q=-1.0 size=  668364kB time=00:44:31.96 bitrate=2049.1kbits
frame=81095 fps=3510 q=-1.0 size=  677211kB time=00:45:05.83 bitrate=2050.3kbits
frame=81644 fps=3459 q=-1.0 size=  682016kB time=00:45:24.15 bitrate=2050.9kbits
frame=81896 fps=3386 q=-1.0 size=  684248kB time=00:45:32.56 bitrate=2051.3kbits
frame=81941 fps=3319 q=-1.0 size=  684629kB time=00:45:34.06 bitrate=2051.3kbits
frame=82384 fps=3270 q=-1.0 size=  688448kB time=00:45:48.84 bitrate=2051.7kbits
frame=83076 fps=3233 q=-1.0 size=  694402kB time=00:46:11.93 bitrate=2052.2kbits
frame=83263 fps=3172 q=-1.0 size=  696039kB time=00:46:18.17 bitrate=2052.4kbits
frame=86446 fps=3232 q=-1.0 size=  722836kB time=00:48:04.38 bitrate=2052.9kbits
frame=88403 fps=3242 q=-1.0 size=  739677kB time=00:49:09.68 bitrate=2054.3kbits
frame=89460 fps=3208 q=-1.0 size=  748572kB time=00:49:44.94 bitrate=2054.4kbits
frame=89620 fps=3153 q=-1.0 size=  749971kB time=00:49:50.28 bitrate=2054.6kbits
frame=90747 fps=3137 q=-1.0 size=  759297kB time=00:50:27.89 bitrate=2054.3kbits
frame=96196 fps=3269 q=-1.0 size=  805940kB time=00:53:29.70 bitrate=2057.0kbits
frame=98564 fps=3283 q=-1.0 size=  826519kB time=00:54:48.71 bitrate=2058.8kbits
frame=98650 fps=3230 q=-1.0 size=  827279kB time=00:54:51.58 bitrate=2058.9kbits
frame=98651 fps=3009 q=-1.0 size=  827285kB time=00:54:51.62 bitrate=2058.9kbits
frame=103872 fps=3120 q=-1.0 size=  872630kB time=00:57:45.82 bitrate=2062.6kbit
frame=108427 fps=3190 q=-1.0 size=  907403kB time=01:00:17.81 bitrate=2054.7kbit
frame=108503 fps=3132 q=-1.0 size=  908057kB time=01:00:20.35 bitrate=2054.7kbit
frame=108554 fps=3074 q=-1.0 size=  908463kB time=01:00:22.05 bitrate=2054.7kbit
frame=108712 fps=3019 q=-1.0 size=  909880kB time=01:00:27.32 bitrate=2054.9kbit
frame=108922 fps=2975 q=-1.0 size=  911695kB time=01:00:34.33 bitrate=2055.0kbit
frame=111604 fps=3006 q=-1.0 size=  934504kB time=01:02:03.82 bitrate=2055.8kbit
frame=114459 fps=3042 q=-1.0 size=  957610kB time=01:03:39.08 bitrate=2054.1kbit
frame=114904 fps=3001 q=-1.0 size=  961435kB time=01:03:53.93 bitrate=2054.3kbit
[mxf @ 00000000004b8060] next_ofs didn't change. not deriving packet timestamps
[mp4 @ 0000000003a07760] Timestamps are unset in a packet for stream 0. This is
deprecated and will stop working in the future. Fix your code to set the timesta
mps properly
frame=115116 fps=2966 q=-1.0 Lsize=  968349kB time=01:04:01.00 bitrate=2065.3kbi
ts/s speed=  99x
video:906506kB audio:60016kB subtitle:0kB other streams:0kB global headers:0kB m
uxing overhead: 0.188993%

Share the full console output of your copy command as text. Add -report if you wish.

@Mulvya added for your reference.

The audio output looks fine, is the first audio stream is the one you want. Which player did you test in?

I cant get sound to play in VLC, before or after the wrap. The file plays properly in a enterprise software we use .. Avid MediaCentral MAM... the file played fine inside the software, but when I pulled it locally it wont play with sound. I also tried with mpc-hc https://mpc-hc.org/  no luck. as for which stream, I cant tell because they all play nothing on either vlc or mpc-hc (video is fine)

File seeking is also an issue pre-wrap

Run ffmpeg.exe -i c:\Users\206420055\Downloads\MAAAAAHVIY.mxf  -c copy -map 0:a:0 1.m4a, ffmpeg.exe -i c:\Users\206420055\Downloads\MAAAAAHVIY.mxf  -c copy -map 0:a:1 2.m4a, ffmpeg.exe -i c:\Users\206420055\Downloads\MAAAAAHVIY.mxf  -c copy -map 0:a:2 3.m4a and ffmpeg.exe -i c:\Users\206420055\Downloads\MAAAAAHVIY.mxf  -c copy -map 0:a:3 4.m4a and check which files have working audio.

Thanks foryour advice, I have some morning meetings and will get back to you

number 1 has audio but it is not understandable, sounds at super speed. playing with ffplay plays proper audio... actually audio plays properly in mpc-hc

Let us continue this discussion in chat.


text:
Do I have any sort of loss converting an M4V file to MKV?
I have a bunch of files I've "shrunk" with Handbrake using a custom preset I've built after reading what each of the advanced options of the x264 encoder, at least those listed under "Advanced" tab, does.
When I encoded these files, originally MP4 I don't have anymore, for some reason I don't remember I chose the M4V over MKV.
Then today I was uploading one of the files and got an error that M4V wasn't supported. Thinking I could do a "lossless" conversion with FFMPEG I ran:
ffmpeg -i "path/to/file.m4v" -c:v copy -c:a copy "path/to/file.mkv"

And all files were converted without problems, at least none FFMPEG could relate with:
ffmpeg.exe -v error -i "path/to/file.mkv"

But then again I'm no video expert, not even close to that.
Do I have any sort of loss doing that? I would like to know so I could delete the M4V that as I read it more proprietary in favour of the open-source and more acceptable MKV

Your command
ffmpeg -i "path/to/file.m4v" -c:v copy -c:a copy "path/to/file.mkv"

does do a lossless copy since no recompression occurs.
You have to note all warning or error messages during the conversion. The command below will only throw an error if the file properties can't be detected, like stream info.
ffmpeg.exe -v error -i "path/to/file.mkv"

Run
ffmpeg.exe -i "path/to/file.mkv" -map 0 -f null -

to see if the entire file decodes fine.

I didn't know about this command. Does it complement the one I was using or it does the properties checking as well? Anyway, I ran it and no errors have been reported so I assume I'm safe to delete the M4Vs, right?

The last command will check both the properties as well as a decode check. If it runs without errors, the mkv is good.

Use MKVToolNix:
Drag and drop your video into the Multiplexer Input and click on "Start multiplexing".
No quality loss, even all metadata is preserved (in my experience).


text:
Handbrake :: Why is an RF value of 20 to 23 recommended for HD while a lower value of 18 to 20 for SD?
This question is based on the software Handbrake.
Being a newbie to video editing/conversion and Handbrake, I understand that the RF values are used to select quality.
Lower the RF value, higher is the quality.
RF = 51 means fast encoding while very low quality.
RF = 0 means very very slow but lossless.
So from this logic it would mean that if I want to encode a 360p video for YouTube I would have to select higher RF value because it is lower quality and conversely, it I want a 1080p video then I must go for a lower RF value.
But Handbrake itself recommends RF=23 for HD and RF=18 for SD. How is this possible? I'm confused.

Resolution != quality, at least, not in the sense referred to by RF. What the RF primarily modulates is the quantization parameter (QP).

Let's say you have a 2x2 array of pixels and each pixel is represented by one floating-point value e.g. 3.98, 2.10, 1.05, 7.88. If your goal is to compress the video, then storing these values with full precision and fidelity will be more expensive than if you could store 4,2,1,8. Given the limitations of human vision, it turns out this is an acceptable compromise in the service of video compression. The greater the quantization parameter, the greater the 'smoothing out' of values. Such smoothing out reduces spatial detail i.e. sharpness and subtle color variation in the picture. Of course, this is just one strategy among the many used.
(The above is just a thematic illustration and not an example of the result of an actual quantization)

Before RF, video encoders would apply a single QP across the entire video, so a scene with a lot of diversity of visual forms would have the same smoothing applied as a simple scene. If the degree of smoothing is low, the bitrate will shoot up in complex scenes. If it's high, it will degrade simpler scenes more than desired. What RF does is analyze the video content and modulate QP so that visual details appreciated by the human eye are not highly quantized but neglected details are. The RF value determines how much latitude the encoder has to vary the QP.
Now, to your question. A group of pixels, say a 16x16 block, forms a larger part of an SD image than of a HD image, so it will play a larger role in the subjective visual perception of the image (and have greater variation within), so you ought to smooth it out less.

Oh I seeee... After wrapping my head around what you just told here's what I understood ::  RF value is (very roughly) inversely proportional to "amount of useful information held in every pixel".
HD videos have more pixels to begin with so each pixel can hold lesser information.
But since SD videos have fewer pixels, then each pixel must be more detailed.
Hope I got that right!


text:
How / can you make subclips from sequences in Adobe Premiere CC?
Subclips are great for organizing. This makes a lot of sense when you either do it in prelude ahead of time etc. But what about when you want to make clips from say an interview.
I have a sequence for each interview, each sequence has a video clip, audio track, and adjustment layer for effects. I want to now be able to create subclips of this as if it were a single video clip. (Yes I know I could export it as a video clip and then make clips but the point is I want to have a bunch of clips that are linked to the sequence so that way if I go back and make changes to the audio or the adjustment layer it will effect all the clips.)
I know you can right click on the sequence and "Open in Source Monitor" and create clips that way, however I noticed when you then make changes to the original sequence they do not update the clips. I.E. the clips are separate pieces and not linked.
Is there a way to create linked subclips from sequences in premiere pro CC?
—-
Note:
Though there are workarounds with nested sequences there really isn’t a feature like this in Premiere. To me it seems like with professional editing this should be something that’s used way more often, or maybe there is a different methodology for how to edit those. I think this would be a really useful feature

If you convert all the clips in your timeline (video, audio, adjustment layer) into a Compound Clip, then underlying changes will be properly reflected in your Compound Clip.

Right, that’s just nesting sequences. So what you can do is make the whole sequence a nested clip and then cut it up into the clips you want. But then you still have to reference the sequence you made those edits in to grab those pieces. You can’t like, have each of those pieces be in the media browser and previewable, renamed, add metadata etc.

NOTE: This isn't the answer that OP was looking for but I'll leave it here for now in case it is of help to anyone else looking to do something similar. Sorry OP!
Try selecting the necessary items on the timeline, right click and select 'Make Subsequence' - this will create a brand new sequence out of those items and leave them where they are (R-click & 'Nest' will REPLACE those items with the nested sequence). You can then drag and drop the subsequence onto a timeline in another sequence and, when you double-click to open the subsequence, any changes you make in there will be reflected in the parent timeline.
You can also just create a brand new sequence and drag any other sequence into it, then amend the original sequences to have those changes reflected in the parent.
Hopefully this makes it a bit clearer:

As I said above, you can use 'Make Subsequence' instead of 'Nest' to create a new sequence but NOT replace the footage in the timeline, or skip this step and create a new MASTER sequence and drop existing sequences into it.

Thank you I appreciate the answer. If you look at the comment I left on Michaels post it’s kind of the same idea. You can make subsequences and best sequences but only one. As in, if you make a nest sequence and cut it up then you can have clips. You can make multiple nested sequences becuase then it’s sub components don’t all get edited the same. That being said, neither of those solutions are previewable in the project panel as clips. There would only be one nested sequence clip, or a single sequence that contains all the cut up clip items.

Right - I think I get you now! You'd like to be able to set in-out points in a timeline and create dependent clips from that original timeline that you can drop into different (sequences/projects?) and still be able to go back into the main project and make changes that are reflected in those dependants. Unfortunately, you've hit the nail on the head in that Premiere doesn't have that function. Creating subsequences preserves the original sequence by design so changes there won't be reflected in subsequences derived from that sequence. I apologise for my earlier misunderstanding.

No worries! Thanks for the support. I know it seems like maybe a specific use case but I feel like it could be fairly useful for organizational purposes


text:
Scripting Video Production for data entry
I'm doing freelance work producing product videos for a company that sells millions of products (sub components for telecom equipment).  They want me to produce a video for each part number.  The video template they've provided to me has a roll about their company, contact info, etc and in the middle is a single title that has the static text of "We buy/sell: " followed by the part number the video corresponds to.  There are millions of part numbers provided to me via many spreadsheets.
I'm not a video editor/producer by trade - I do cyber security work with freelance advanced data entry such as this.  I used my cyber security skills to mostly automate the process, which now looks like this:

Using Adobe Premiere CC, create a sequence for the part number and insert a title with the part number in it into the sequence.  (~20 seconds total PER sequence).  I generate a project file with several thousand sequences.
Batch encode all of the sequences in a single project via Adobe Media Encoder.
Use a script I wrote to leverage YouTube API to upload all of the video files and pull the data from the spreadsheet (converted to CSV) and match the video's filename with the corresponding line in the CSV to add the YouTube metadata for the particular file.

My time sink is just the 20 seconds per video of data entry - everything else is done via semi-automated job batching.
I'm looking for a way to automate the last remaining data entry portion.  Adobe premiere doesn't reliably import formats that I can generate, such as XML.  (It does, but it fails 90% of the time - title objects are offline/missing.  It fails to import an unmodified XML file that it generated.)
I'm not all that familiar with other video editing/production softwares.  I'm thinking I can combine the encoding and data entry portion into a process that I can script.  I started looking into VirtualDub but I decided I should ask the experts before trying to invent something that has already been invented.

Can you link to one output video, and identify the fixed and variable portions?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxifEOqKiYs
At 44 seconds you will find the title that is variable.  The rest of the video is static.
I may have a solution that I can script via python using ImageMagick and FFMPEG.  I'll develop it a little tonight and hopefully be able to test.

Look into blender - free 3d app w/ python scripting, it has basic 2d timeline editing

Easily doable using ffmpeg alone. No IM required. Render the whole thing once from Premiere with the 44s-55s part with no text. Then use drawtext filter with right font to overlay text at that time.

I'm still going to use IM to generate the static images because I'm looking at the potential scale of a render job:  While 1 million videos isn't a realistic number, it shows how the scale can affect production time.
If I have 1 million videos to render and it takes ffmpeg 2 addtional seconds to render the 44-55 second mark, that's an extra 555 hours of rendering time needed.  Using IM, I can offload the image rendering to another server I have in my server farm and then stagger the start of the ffmpeg script so the IM script has time to get some buffer.  Needs benchmarking.

My solution to this issue is fairly complex but stable.  I feel I went well beyond the initial request here.
I built a MySQL database with a table of jobs.  In that table there are columns for status, the text that needs to be in each video and then further more with youtube metadata.  The table has an index ID value that auto increments with each added row.
I manipulate the data via microsoft excel and save it as a CSV. I wrote a python script that reads the CSV and then imports into MySQL.  I do this because the youtube metadata column in each row is stored in JSON format for ease during the upload phase.
Once in the MySQL database, I have a script that runs once daily that generates any videos listed with the status code corresponding to needing to be rendered.
I use ffmpeg with drawtext to push the text desired during the timeline desired on top of a template version of the video that has whitespace in the timeline desired.
Files are named corresponding to the Row ID# in the database to make it easier to pick up later on in the upload phase.


text:
Using FFmpeg can I merge three different videos using overlap and overlay in one instance?
I'm quite new to FFmpeg, so please bear with me.
I find myself in a situation where I have:
An intro video
A main video
An outro video
Desired effect:
The intro video has an alpha channel that at the end functions as a transition as it reveals the main video. An overlap in the concatenation would help this happen.
The last 20 seconds of the main video need to have the frame scaled down and overlaid in a corner of the outro video.
Also important to note that there are versions the main video with different language audio channels, so I would like to create a merged output for every channel.
What is the procedure? Is this possible to do in one instance or in one go? Can I batch process?
FFProbe gives me the following...
For videos with one language:
Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from 'SINGLELANG.mp4':
  Metadata:
    major_brand     : mp42
    minor_version   : 0
    compatible_brands: mp42isom
    creation_time   : 2017-03-23T14:24:12.000000Z
  Duration: 00:10:52.84, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 2423 kb/s
    Stream #0:0(und): Video: h264 (High) (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p, 852x480 [SAR 1:1 DAR 71:40], 2031 kb/s, 25 fps, 25 tbr, 25k tbn, 50 tbc (default)
    Metadata:
      handler_name    : Telestream Inc. Telestream Media Framework - Release TXGP 2016.50.195670
      encoder         : AVC
    Stream #0:1(eng): Audio: aac (LC) (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 48000 Hz, stereo, fltp, 381 kb/s (default)
    Metadata:
      handler_name    : Telestream Inc. Telestream Media Framework - Release TXGP 2016.50.195670

For videos with more than one language:
Input #0, mxf, from 'MULTILANG.mxf':
  Metadata:
    uid             : e4cf0a91-0e3c-11e7-9129-d89d671392e0
    generation_uid  : e4cf0a92-0e3c-11e7-bf5f-d89d671392e0
    company_name    : Telestream
    product_name    : Flip Technology
    product_version : 3.0
    application_platform: win32
    product_uid     : ffeeddcc-bbaa-9988-7766-554433221100
    modification_date: 2017-03-21T13:47:15.000000Z
    material_package_umid: 0x060A2B340101010501010D12130000002262F5023378058082B6D89D671392E0
    timecode        : 00:58:43:05
  Duration: 00:17:12.00, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 57535 kb/s
    Stream #0:0: Video: mpeg2video (4:2:2), yuv422p(tv, bt709, top first), 1920x1080 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 50000 kb/s, 25 fps, 25 tbr, 25 tbn, 50 tbc
    Metadata:
      file_package_umid: 0x060A2B340101010501010D121371EEFF0E62F50233780580F599D89D671392E0
      file_package_name: Source Package
      track_name      : Track 1
    Stream #0:1: Audio: pcm_s24le, 48000 Hz, 2 channels, s32 (24 bit), 2304 kb/s
    Metadata:
      file_package_umid: 0x060A2B340101010501010D121371EEFF0E62F50233780580F599D89D671392E0
      file_package_name: Source Package
      track_name      : Track 2
    Stream #0:2: Audio: pcm_s24le, 48000 Hz, 2 channels, s32 (24 bit), 2304 kb/s
    Metadata:
      file_package_umid: 0x060A2B340101010501010D121371EEFF0E62F50233780580F599D89D671392E0
      file_package_name: Source Package
      track_name      : Track 3
    Stream #0:3: Audio: pcm_s24le, 48000 Hz, 2 channels, s32 (24 bit), 2304 kb/s
    Metadata:
      file_package_umid: 0x060A2B340101010501010D121371EEFF0E62F50233780580F599D89D671392E0
      file_package_name: Source Package
      track_name      : Track 4
    Stream #0:4: Data: none
    Metadata:
      file_package_umid: 0x060A2B340101010501010D121371EEFF0E62F50233780580F599D89D671392E0
      file_package_name: Source Package
      track_name      : Track 5
      data_type       : vbi_vanc_smpte_436M
Unsupported codec with id 0 for input stream 4

Possible. If you provide input details as shown by ffprobe, I can show the basic command.

Please find what ffprobe returned in the question. Thanks!

Try Zoompan and the Intro won't need an Alpha, then zoom the Intro out (revealing the Main Video), once the Main Video is finished Zoompan it but leave it big enough to be a Thumbnail on the Outro (is that what you are describing?) - See: https://ffmpeg.org/ffmpeg-filters.html#overlay-1


text:
Multiple FFmpeg input & output
I just want to know if it's possible to encode audio & video at the
 same time by FFmpeg
-c:a libfaac  for  audio
 &
 x264.exe for video.
and any example!

Not clear on what you are looking for, but in general, yes. It is very much possible to encode audio and video at the same time, muxing the results into the same file, or separate files.

Thanx Mulvya. What I want exactly is how to use x264.exe encoder & libfaac (aac) to encode video and audio at the same time by FFmpeg.

Something like    /
ffmpeg -i test.avi -c:a libfaac -b:a 128k | x264 --crf 18 -o test.mp4 -

You don't want to use libx264 in ffmpeg?

No, I want to use x264-10bit which come with FFmpeg build.
I tried this  :( ffmpeg -i DC_MV.mp4 | x264.exe --crf 18 --output "test.mp4")   but it says " At least one output file must specified"

To pipe to x264 and encode to AAC file in the same command, use
ffmpeg -i in.mp4 -map v -f yuv4mpegpipe - -map a -c:a libfaac v.aac | x264 --demuxer y4m --crf 18 --output "v.mp4" -

Then you can mux it via
mp4box -add v.mp4 -add v.aac -new va.mp4

Thank you very much, but I got problem, the time of audio isn't like video , video time is 1:40 and audio time is 1;25 , for output, Why ?!

Show the full console output of the command and also ffprobe of the mp4box output.

ffmpeg -i DC.mp4 -map v -f yuv4mpegpipe - -c:a aac audio.aac  | x264 --demuxer y4m --crf 18 --output "out.mp4" -    /////
Screenshot 1 : https://postimg.org/image/xelash2sn/
Screenshot 2 : https://postimg.org/image/ps6rpp8xt/      ///////    I didn't use mp4box yet.

What does ffprobe audio.aac and ffprobe -show_entries stream=duration dc.mp4 say?

I think the problem with input file video test .. anyway this is Video input : https://postimg.org/image/s5z9zwqb5/
audio output : https://postimg.org/image/3o76c0nqp/
// I just upload input Video https://www.solidfiles.com/v/GDRWZBkXxXxBX

When I used avs to import video , still same problem!


text:
How to make python ignore square bracket?
I have a code it work with fine with with file name does not contain square bracket []
an example:
10245,13445.avi
def insert_types(out, dir):
for root, dirs, files in walk(dir):
   for f in os.listdir(dir):
        match =  search(r"(\d+),(\d+)\.avi$", f)
        if match:
            startframe = match.group(1)
            endframe = match.group(2)
            out = fvf.InsertSign(out, join(root, f), int(startframe), int(endframe), matrix="709")
return out

This code works with .avi file format and it take the first and the second values with the comma mark ,  and its only work with the filename which does not contain square bracket like  10245,13445.avi
But now I want to make this code ignore the square bracket [] in file name [10245,13445].avi  how it gonna be, any help?
Thanx in advance

the regex pattern should be
search(r"(\d+),(\d+)\]*\.avi$", f)

previously, the pattern is "13445" + ".avi"
now, the pattern is "13445" + "]" + ".avi", and it should be fine with or without square brackets.


text:
How to use magicyuv & utvideo codec with ffmpeg
I would like to know how to use magicyuv & utvideo codec with ffmpeg

Answer edited (see below) It depends on the version you have.

The following Linux command searches all codecs than can Encode anything containing ut.
  ffmpeg -codecs | grep --regexp="^ .E" | grep --ignore-case ut

and its output is:
 DEVI.S utvideo              Ut Video

so you can use:
ffmpeg -i ~/Videos/WebCam/me.mp4 -c:v utvideo -r 30 -c:a libmp3lame -b:a 512K /tmp/test.mkv

However:
ffmpeg -codecs | grep --regexp="^ .E" | grep --ignore-case magic

has no output at all on my version of ffmpeg, but if your version supports it, you will see an output and then you just use whatever is in the second column as per the example above for utvideo.

Check your ffmpeg version. MagicYUV encoder has been present since 4.0

And to list only encoders, you can run ffmpeg -encoders

@Gyan Answer edited to include your comment as I have the standard version that came with my distro and it does what it needs to do, so not adding (yet another) PPA.  P.S. you have enough rep to [edit] my answer.  0:-)

@Fabby No need for a PPA since recent ffmpeg builds can just be downloaded. Users often get mad when their answers are edited: comments are less intrusive.

@llogan yeah, but then you need to download and install manually.  That's why I just stay with the standard...


text:
How to capture documentary quality footage of tiny subjects

Hi, guys. I just watched the David Attenborough documentary: Life In The Undergrowth:
Invasion Of The Land.
And I was wondering: What sort of equipment would I need, in order to get that kind of footage? Is it possible with typical modern retail-consumer class A/V hardware; or only at great expense - with professional, specialized gear?
I've included a short clip to illustrate the actual size of some typical subjects; followed by a copy of the entire documentary for your viewing pleasure (if anybody's interested).
Unfortunately, they're both in SD/Lo-Res; but should (hopefully) give you a decent idea of what I'm talking about.
Here's a short clip on YouTube:
(min 144p→360p max)
Here's the full video on Dailymotion:
(min 380p→480p max)
Cheers.

This is a site frequented by video professionals, you're not going to win any friends by posting pirated content. I fixed it for you.

Up until the high-frame rate (HFR) section of the video I would have said that all you need is a Canon MP-E 65mm Macro Lens, a nice LED light (so as not to fry the poor bugs with all the IR radiation that comes from tungsten halogen sources), and a camera with a reasonable video codec that accepts Canon lenses.  However, the HFR section is clearly in the specialized territory of a Phantom camera, which is very expensive.

Keep in mind that many recent cell phones can record 240 fps footage. Macro photography with a cell phone is tricky, but it can be done.

240 fps is likely not fast enough to capture those high-speed sequences.  I expect they were shot at 1000fps or above.

Ah, good point!


text:
Free and simple video editor for Windows 10
I need a free and simple to use tool that is able to cut vidoes, fade to another videos (or instant change without any fade) and overlap audio (music or out of screen voices). Basically the basic features that everyone expect from a video editor and that almost all programs do not have.
Finding such a program for Windows 10 is a real challenge. In the meanwhile I become a expert in HandBrake transcoder, but still searching for a video editor.

Non of the video editors in that answer were useful, some crashed, some Others were so complex that I just become bored after halfhour/ 1 hour of.
"simple too use"

Upvoting as it seems some of the answers in the suggested duplicate do not work nowadays or on Windows 10.  The question could be re-worded to focus on Windows 10 and simplicity of use with a drag and drop style interface.

And someone should remove the "duplicate" tag :_D

While some of the answers in the dupe may not work for you, this question really is a duplicate.

None of the answers work in the dupe

As you are going to be uploading to YouTube anyway you can use the YouTube Video Editor that they include for free in Creator Studio.  It includes the ability to cut and spice videos as well as add music or other audio channels.  YouTube also includes a selection of free (as in beer and speech to the degree that you can use it on YouTube) music that you can easily add to the background.
There are several video tutorials available on YouTube if you search for YouTube Video Editor Tutorial, such as this tutorial for 2017.
Outside of that the free ones I know of are mostly Linux based so will be of no use for a Windows 10 user.

For older versions of Windows and those of us living in the past there was Windows Movie Maker included as part of Windows Essentials (see a past answer for details).  If you are using Windows 10 or living in a time post January 2017 then Movie Maker is no longer available.


text:
Edit audio from Final Cut Pro X 10.4.5 in Logic Pro X 10.4.4
I'm new to Logic Pro, more experienced with FCP. I have a video project in FCP with may different sound situations, and I need to level the audio. I've tried to do this in FCP, and that works reasonably well, but now I have Logic Pro, I hope to have a better tool available.

I've tried to export to XML in FCP, but can't open or import that in LP. I read somewhere that you need to publish from FCP to LP, but I don't see that option and have no idea how to do that. What I found online was for older versions - no idea if that is the problem here.
How can I edit audio from a Final Cut Pro X (10.4.5) project in Logic Pro X (10.4.4)?

The solution is to open the menu Preferences > Advanced, then select all. Then the FCP Import menu becomes available. The Help menu did help me, but could be more directly explaining that you need to set this option in the advanced preferences.

Unbelievable that they hide this import option.


text:
How to make animation when composing mp4 with ffmpeg?
This code compose 3 mp4 into 1 with ffmepg, it works, but there is no animation:
ffmpeg()
                    .input(`./media/001.mp4`)
                    .inputFormat('mp4')
                    .input(`/tmp/looped_video.mp4`)
                    .inputFormat('mp4')
                    .input(`./media/003.mp4`)
                    .inputFormat('mp4')
                    .noAudio()
                    .videoCodec('libx264')
                    .format('mp4')
                    .complexFilter([
                        '[0]pad=1080:1080:-1:-1,setsar=1,fps=30,format=yuv420p[v0]',
                        '[1]pad=1080:1080:-1:-1,setsar=1,fps=30,format=yuv420p[v1]',
                        `[2]pad=1080:1080:-1:-1,setsar=1,fps=30,format=yuv420p[v2]`,
                        `[v0][v1][v2]concat=n=3:v=1:a=0`,
                    ])
                    .outputOptions([
                        '-tune animation',
                        '-loop 1',
                        '-profile:v baseline',
                        '-level 3.0',
                        '-preset medium',
                        '-threads 4',
                    ])
                    .output(`/tmp/output.mp4`)
                    .on('end', () => {
                        console.log('MP4 video generated')
                        const endTime = Date.now()
                        console.log(
                            `FFmpeg took ${endTime - startTime} milliseconds to render.`
                        )
                    })
                    .on('error', (e) => {
                        console.log(e)
                    })
                    .run()

I tried adding animation like this
ffmpeg()
                    .input(`./media/001.mp4`)
                    .inputFormat('mp4')
                    .input(`/tmp/looped_video.mp4`)
                    .inputFormat('mp4')
                    .input(`./media/003.mp4`)
                    .inputFormat('mp4')
                    .noAudio()
                    .videoCodec('libx264')
                    .format('mp4')
                    .complexFilter([
                        '[0]pad=1080:1080:-1:-1,setsar=1,fps=30,format=yuv420p[v0]',
                        '[1]pad=1080:1080:-1:-1,setsar=1,fps=30,format=yuv420p[v1]',
                        `[2]pad=1080:1080:-1:-1,setsar=1,fps=30,format=yuv420p[v2]`,
                        '[0:v][1:v]crossfade=duration=1[faded]',
                        `[faded][v2]concat=n=3:v=1:a=0`,
                    ])
                    .outputOptions([
                        '-tune animation',
                        '-loop 1',
                        '-profile:v baseline',
                        '-level 3.0',
                        '-preset medium',
                        '-threads 4',
                        '-map [faded]',
                    ])
                    .output(`/tmp/output.mp4`)
                    .on('end', () => {
                        console.log('MP4 video generated')
                        const endTime = Date.now()
                        console.log(
                            `FFmpeg took ${endTime - startTime} milliseconds to render.`
                        )
                    })
                    .on('error', (e) => {
                        console.log(e)
                    })
                    .run()

but it raise an error:
yarn run dev
yarn run v1.22.19
$ ts-node index.ts
MP4 video generated
FFmpeg took 2063 milliseconds to render.
Error: ffmpeg exited with code 1: Error initializing complex filters.
Invalid argument

    at ChildProcess.<anonymous> (/Users/janoskukoda/Workspace/test/node_modules/fluent-ffmpeg/lib/processor.js:182:22)

I tried xfade filter also, but raise an error:
.complexFilter([
                        '[0:v]pad=1080:1080:-1:-1,setsar=1,fps=30,format=yuv420p[v0]',
                        '[1:v]pad=1080:1080:-1:-1,setsar=1,fps=30,format=yuv420p[v1]',
                        `[2:v]pad=1080:1080:-1:-1,setsar=1,fps=30,format=yuv420p[v2]`,
                        `[v0][v1]xfade=duration=1:offset=3:crossfade=1[xf0]`,
                        `[xf0][v2]xfade=duration=1:offset=3:crossfade=1[out]`,
                    ])

Error: ffmpeg exited with code 1: Error initializing complex filters.
Option not found

You will need to use the xfade filter: http://www.ffmpeg.org/ffmpeg-filters.html#xfade

I tried xfade filter also, but raise an error, would you look at my post?

See the syntax in the example: http://www.ffmpeg.org/ffmpeg-filters.html#Examples-137


text:
Why when you specify a video bitrate with ffmpeg does the resulting files displayed bit rate differ?
I'm fairly new to transcoding.I've been generating some mp4's from mxf files.
I've been playing around with some settings on ffmpeg and been specifying various bitrate's for audio and video with the -b:v and -b:a arguments.
When I check the file after they have been created with mediainfo I notice that the audio bitrate displayed is always exactly the same I as specified, but video bitrate is different.
For example, I specified -b:v 1500k but the video bitrate for file created when interrogated with mediainfo says 6 943 kb/s. I was just wondering why this is? Why is audio bitrate always the same as selected and not video?
The full command is:
 ffmpeg -i mediafile.mxf -vcodec libx264 -crf 23 -b:v 1500k mediafile.mp4

The output is:
ffmpeg version 2.6.8 Copyright (c) 2000-2016 the FFmpeg developers
  built with gcc 4.8.5 (GCC) 20150623 (Red Hat 4.8.5-4)
  configuration: --prefix=/usr --bindir=/usr/bin --datadir=/usr/share/ffmpeg --incdir=/usr/include/ffmpeg --libdir=/usr/lib64 --mandir=/usr/share/man --arch=x86_64 --optflags='-O2 -g -pipe -Wall -Wp,-D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2 -fexceptions -fstack-protector-strong --param=ssp-buffer-size=4 -grecord-gcc-switches -m64 -mtune=generic' --enable-bzlib --disable-crystalhd --enable-gnutls --enable-ladspa --enable-libass --enable-libcdio --enable-libdc1394 --enable-libfaac --enable-nonfree --enable-libfdk-aac --enable-nonfree --disable-indev=jack --enable-libfreetype --enable-libgsm --enable-libmp3lame --enable-openal --enable-libopenjpeg --enable-libopus --enable-libpulse --enable-libschroedinger --enable-libsoxr --enable-libspeex --enable-libtheora --enable-libvorbis --enable-libv4l2 --enable-libx264 --enable-libx265 --enable-libxvid --enable-x11grab --enable-avfilter --enable-avresample --enable-postproc --enable-pthreads --disable-static --enable-shared --enable-gpl --disable-debug --disable-stripping --shlibdir=/usr/lib64 --enable-runtime-cpudetect
  libavutil      54. 20.100 / 54. 20.100
  libavcodec     56. 26.100 / 56. 26.100
  libavformat    56. 25.101 / 56. 25.101
  libavdevice    56.  4.100 / 56.  4.100
  libavfilter     5. 11.102 /  5. 11.102
  libavresample   2.  1.  0 /  2.  1.  0
  libswscale      3.  1.101 /  3.  1.101
  libswresample   1.  1.100 /  1.  1.100
  libpostproc    53.  3.100 / 53.  3.100
Guessed Channel Layout for  Input Stream #0.1 : mono
Guessed Channel Layout for  Input Stream #0.2 : mono
Guessed Channel Layout for  Input Stream #0.3 : mono
Guessed Channel Layout for  Input Stream #0.4 : mono
Input #0, mxf, from 'mediafile.mxf':
  Metadata:
    uid             : adab4424-2f25-4dc7-92ff-29bd000b0000
    generation_uid  : adab4424-2f25-4dc7-92ff-29bd000b0001
    company_name    : FFmbc
    product_name    : OP1a Muxer
    product_version : 53.6.0
    product_uid     : adab4424-2f25-4dc7-92ff-29bd000b0002
    modification_date: 2016-04-08 15:58:38
    material_package_umid: 0x060A2B340101010501010D0013D24E0A529471342FD24E0A00529471342FD200
    timecode        : 00:00:00:00
  Duration: 00:02:42.56, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 118682 kb/s
    Stream #0:0: Video: dvvideo, yuv422p, 1440x1080 [SAR 4:3 DAR 16:9], 25 fps, 25 tbr, 25 tbn, 25 tbc
    Metadata:
      file_package_umid: 0x060A2B340101010501010D0013D24E0A529471342FD24E0A00529471342FD201
    Stream #0:1: Audio: pcm_s16le, 48000 Hz, 1 channels, s16, 768 kb/s
    Metadata:
      file_package_umid: 0x060A2B340101010501010D0013D24E0A529471342FD24E0A00529471342FD201
    Stream #0:2: Audio: pcm_s16le, 48000 Hz, 1 channels, s16, 768 kb/s
    Metadata:
      file_package_umid: 0x060A2B340101010501010D0013D24E0A529471342FD24E0A00529471342FD201
    Stream #0:3: Audio: pcm_s16le, 48000 Hz, 1 channels, s16, 768 kb/s
    Metadata:
      file_package_umid: 0x060A2B340101010501010D0013D24E0A529471342FD24E0A00529471342FD201
    Stream #0:4: Audio: pcm_s16le, 48000 Hz, 1 channels, s16, 768 kb/s
    Metadata:
      file_package_umid: 0x060A2B340101010501010D0013D24E0A529471342FD24E0A00529471342FD201
File 'mediafile.mp4' already exists. Overwrite ? [y/N] y
No pixel format specified, yuv422p for H.264 encoding chosen.
Use -pix_fmt yuv420p for compatibility with outdated media players.
[libx264 @ 0xe3b9a0] using SAR=4/3
[libx264 @ 0xe3b9a0] using cpu capabilities: MMX2 SSE2Fast SSSE3 SSE4.2
[libx264 @ 0xe3b9a0] profile High 4:2:2, level 4.0, 4:2:2 8-bit
[libx264 @ 0xe3b9a0] 264 - core 142 r2495 6a301b6 - H.264/MPEG-4 AVC codec - Copyleft 2003-2014 - http://www.videolan.org/x264.html - options: cabac=1 ref=3 deblock=1:0:0 analyse=0x3:0x113 me=hex subme=7 psy=1 psy_rd=1.00:0.00 mixed_ref=1 me_range=16 chroma_me=1 trellis=1 8x8dct=1 cqm=0 deadzone=21,11 fast_pskip=1 chroma_qp_offset=-2 threads=18 lookahead_threads=3 sliced_threads=0 nr=0 decimate=1 interlaced=0 bluray_compat=0 constrained_intra=0 bframes=3 b_pyramid=2 b_adapt=1 b_bias=0 direct=1 weightb=1 open_gop=0 weightp=2 keyint=250 keyint_min=25 scenecut=40 intra_refresh=0 rc_lookahead=40 rc=crf mbtree=1 crf=23.0 qcomp=0.60 qpmin=0 qpmax=69 qpstep=4 ip_ratio=1.40 aq=1:1.00
Output #0, mp4, to 'mediafile.mp4':
  Metadata:
    uid             : adab4424-2f25-4dc7-92ff-29bd000b0000
    generation_uid  : adab4424-2f25-4dc7-92ff-29bd000b0001
    company_name    : FFmbc
    product_name    : OP1a Muxer
    product_version : 53.6.0
    product_uid     : adab4424-2f25-4dc7-92ff-29bd000b0002
    modification_date: 2016-04-08 15:58:38
    material_package_umid: 0x060A2B340101010501010D0013D24E0A529471342FD24E0A00529471342FD200
    timecode        : 00:00:00:00
    encoder         : Lavf56.25.101
    Stream #0:0: Video: h264 (libx264) ([33][0][0][0] / 0x0021), yuv422p, 1440x1080 [SAR 4:3 DAR 16:9], q=-1--1, 1500 kb/s, 25 fps, 12800 tbn, 25 tbc
    Metadata:
      file_package_umid: 0x060A2B340101010501010D0013D24E0A529471342FD24E0A00529471342FD201
      encoder         : Lavc56.26.100 libx264
    Stream #0:1: Audio: aac (libfaac) ([64][0][0][0] / 0x0040), 48000 Hz, mono, s16, 128 kb/s
    Metadata:
      file_package_umid: 0x060A2B340101010501010D0013D24E0A529471342FD24E0A00529471342FD201
      encoder         : Lavc56.26.100 libfaac
Stream mapping:
  Stream #0:0 -> #0:0 (dvvideo (native) -> h264 (libx264))
  Stream #0:1 -> #0:1 (pcm_s16le (native) -> aac (libfaac))
Press [q] to stop, [?] for help
frame= 4064 fps= 22 q=-1.0 Lsize=  139476kB time=00:02:42.56 bitrate=7028.7kbits/s
video:137744kB audio:1640kB subtitle:0kB other streams:0kB global headers:0kB muxing overhead: 0.065406%
[libx264 @ 0xe3b9a0] frame I:72    Avg QP:21.59  size: 65595
[libx264 @ 0xe3b9a0] frame P:3978  Avg QP:24.85  size: 34252
[libx264 @ 0xe3b9a0] frame B:14    Avg QP:23.42  size:  5032
[libx264 @ 0xe3b9a0] consecutive B-frames: 99.3%  0.7%  0.0%  0.0%
[libx264 @ 0xe3b9a0] mb I  I16..4: 12.6% 85.9%  1.5%
[libx264 @ 0xe3b9a0] mb P  I16..4:  2.4% 25.6%  0.5%  P16..4: 44.5%  9.3%  5.3%  0.0%  0.0%    skip:12.5%
[libx264 @ 0xe3b9a0] mb B  I16..4:  0.2%  0.9%  0.0%  B16..8: 27.5%  0.5%  0.1%  direct: 1.0%  skip:69.9%  L0:41.2% L1:57.3% BI: 1.5%
[libx264 @ 0xe3b9a0] 8x8 transform intra:89.8% inter:88.5%
[libx264 @ 0xe3b9a0] coded y,uvDC,uvAC intra: 76.2% 60.7% 7.8% inter: 38.4% 53.3% 0.1%
[libx264 @ 0xe3b9a0] i16 v,h,dc,p:  5% 72%  3% 19%
[libx264 @ 0xe3b9a0] i8 v,h,dc,ddl,ddr,vr,hd,vl,hu: 19% 21% 35%  4%  4%  5%  4%  4%  5%
[libx264 @ 0xe3b9a0] i4 v,h,dc,ddl,ddr,vr,hd,vl,hu: 13% 57% 13%  3%  3%  3%  3%  2%  3%
[libx264 @ 0xe3b9a0] i8c dc,h,v,p: 55% 20% 21%  4%
[libx264 @ 0xe3b9a0] Weighted P-Frames: Y:3.7% UV:2.4%
[libx264 @ 0xe3b9a0] ref P L0: 43.9% 13.1% 26.1% 16.5%  0.4%
[libx264 @ 0xe3b9a0] ref B L0: 68.4% 31.6%
[libx264 @ 0xe3b9a0] kb/s:6941.41

Thanks

Show the command and full console output.

Looks like you made two accounts (otherwise you could have edited the question without needing to wait for approval). See I accidentally created two accounts; how do I merge them?.

CRF and bitrate mode are exclusive, and x264 is using CRF here. Drop the former. Add -bufsize 1600k -maxrate 1600k

The issue is that you are using -crf with -b:v. ffmpeg is a well built program, so it's just ignoring -b:v and using -crf. If you want to have a specific bitrate, remove the crf command.
CRF is "constant rate factor", which means a quality variable is specified then a variable bitrate is calculated based on the content. It's my favorite for h.264 because it usually comes out vey well.
Setting a constant bitrate works as expected. Compression will be nearly exactly what you entered, but quality may suffer for it. I never use it for h.264. I can't think of a use case where I would.

The answer by ￼DigiVision Media resolved it for me, I was using -crf and -b:v as soon as i removed -crf the output bitrate was as set in the b:v paramater. (had to post as answer as cannot comment)

The bitrate you specify is a target bitrate, not a guaranteed bitrate. There is no way to know exactly how large a frame will be until after its encoded. Going into a frame, its possible to be a little more or a little less aggressive on how much information you are willing to lose while encoding, but how information loss leads to data size reduction (data is not the same thing as information (AAAA and A4 both contain he same information (4 A's), but A4 is half the data)) is not 100% predictable. Encoders use something called rate control to achieve this. If the frames end up being slightly larger than expected, it will more aggressively loose information on the next frame. Since most people specify bitrate to target specific use cases (streaming over the internet for example) a lot of stream control algorithms err on the side of to low, as too high could cause issues like buffering.