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 rather 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 -i overlay.png -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.mp4Maybe 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 easier 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('out.mp4')
.run()
)ffmpeg-python takes care of running ffmpeg with the command-line arguments that correspond to the above filter diagram, in familiar Python terms.
Real-world signal graphs can get a heck of a lot more complex, but ffmpeg-python handles arbitrarily large (directed-acyclic) signal graphs.
The latest version of ffmpeg-python can be acquired via a typical pip install:
pip install ffmpeg-python
Or the source can be cloned and installed from locally:
git clone git@github.com:kkroening/ffmpeg-python.git
pip install -e ./ffmpeg-pythonWhen in doubt, take a look at the examples to see if there's something that's close to whatever you're trying to do.
Here are a few:
See the Examples README for additional examples.
Don't see the filter you're looking for? While ffmpeg-python includes shorthand notation for some of the most commonly used filters (such as concat), all filters can be referenced via the .filter operator:
stream = ffmpeg.input('dummy.mp4')
stream = ffmpeg.filter(stream, 'fps', fps=25, round='up')
stream = ffmpeg.output(stream, 'dummy2.mp4')
ffmpeg.run(stream)