There are tons of Python FFmpeg wrappers out there but they seem to lack complex filter support. ffmpeg-python works well for simple as well as complex signal graphs.
Flip a video horizontally:
import ffmpeg
stream = ffmpeg.input('input.mp4')
stream = ffmpeg.hflip(stream)
stream = ffmpeg.output(stream, 'output.mp4')
ffmpeg.run(stream)
Or if you prefer a fluent interface:
import ffmpeg
(ffmpeg
.input('input.mp4')
.hflip()
.output('output.mp4')
.run()
)
FFmpeg is extremely powerful, but its command-line interface gets really complicated really quickly - especially when working with signal graphs and doing anything more than trivial.
Take for example a signal graph that looks like this:
The corresponding command-line arguments are pretty gnarly:
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 \
-filter_complex "\
[0]trim=start_frame=10:end_frame=20[v0];\
[0]trim=start_frame=30:end_frame=40[v1];\
[v0][v1]concat=n=2[v2];\
[1]hflip[v3];\
[v2][v3]overlay=eof_action=repeat[v4];\
[v4]drawbox=50:50:120:120:red:t=5[v5]"\
-map [v5] output.mp4
Maybe this looks great to you, but if you're not an FFmpeg command-line expert, it probably looks alien.
If you're like me and find Python to be powerful and readable, it's easy with ffmpeg-python:
import ffmpeg
in_file = ffmpeg.input('input.mp4')
overlay_file = ffmpeg.input('overlay.png')
(ffmpeg
.concat(
in_file.trim(start_frame=10, end_frame=20),
in_file.trim(start_frame=30, end_frame=40),
)
.overlay(overlay_file.hflip())
.drawbox(50, 50, 120, 120, color='red', thickness=5)
.output(TEST_OUTPUT_FILE)
.run()
)
ffmpeg-python takes care of running ffmpeg with the command-line arguments that correspond to the above filter diagram, and it's easy to see what's going on and make changes as needed.
Real-world signal graphs can get a heck of a lot more complex, but ffmpeg-python handles them with ease.
The easiest way to acquire the latest version of ffmpeg-python is through pip:
pip install ffmpeg-python
It's also possible to clone the source and put it on your python path ($PYTHONPATH, sys.path, etc.):
> git clone git@github.com:kkroening/ffmpeg-python.git
> export PYTHONPATH=${PYTHONPATH}:ffmpeg-python
> python
>>> import ffmpeg
API documentation is automatically generated from python docstrings and hosted on github pages: https://kkroening.github.io/ffmpeg-python/
Alternatively, standard python help is available, such as at the python REPL prompt as follows:
import ffmpeg
help(ffmpeg)
Don't see the filter you're looking for? ffmpeg-python is a work in progress, but it's easy to use any arbitrary ffmpeg filter:
stream = ffmpeg.input('dummy.mp4')
stream = ffmpeg.filter_(stream, 'fps', fps=25, round='up')
stream = ffmpeg.output(stream, 'dummy2.mp4')
ffmpeg.run(stream)
Or fluently:
(ffmpeg
.input('dummy.mp4')
.filter_('fps', fps=25, round='up')
.output('dummy2.mp4')
.run()
)
When in doubt, refer to the existing filters and/or the official ffmpeg documentation.
Feel free to report any bugs or feature requests.
It should be fairly easy to use filters that aren't explicitly built into ffmpeg-python but if there's a feature or filter you'd really like to see included in the library, don't hesitate to open a feature request.
Pull requests are welcome as well.