FFmpeg Command Builder
Generate copy-paste ffmpeg commands for video conversion, compression, trimming, GIF creation, audio extraction, and resizing — with smart CRF and preset
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What is FFmpeg Command Builder?
The FFmpeg Command Builder turns everyday video jobs into ready-to-run ffmpeg commands. Instead of digging through documentation for the right flags, you pick a task — convert, compress, trim, GIF, audio extraction, or resize — fill in a short form, and copy the generated command straight into your terminal. Everything runs locally in your browser; no file is ever uploaded.
Key Benefits
- No CLI memorization: correct flags assembled for you from a simple form
- Sensible quality defaults: CRF, preset, and codec choices that just work
- Covers the six most common ffmpeg jobs people actually run
- Browser-only: nothing is uploaded, and it works offline
- Bilingual EN/TH interface for international teams
Common Use Cases
- •Shrinking a large screen recording before sharing it in chat or email
- •Cutting a highlight clip from a meeting recording without re-encoding
- •Turning a funny two-second moment into a shareable looping GIF
- •Extracting a podcast or interview audio track from a video file
- •Batch-preparing web-ready 720p/1080p versions of uploaded videos
How to Use the FFmpeg Command Builder
- Pick a task: Choose what you want to do: convert, compress, trim, make a GIF, extract audio, or resize. The form adapts to show only the options that matter for that task.
- Set file names: Enter your input file (e.g. input.mov) and an output file name. The extension of the output file determines the target container format.
- Tune the options: Adjust codec, CRF quality (lower = better), speed preset, resolution, or time range as needed. Sensible defaults are pre-filled so you can often skip this step.
- Copy and run: Click Copy, paste the command into your terminal, and run it. Make sure ffmpeg is installed (brew install ffmpeg, apt install ffmpeg, or choco install ffmpeg).
Key Features
- Six common tasks: convert, compress, trim, GIF, audio extraction, and resize
- Smart defaults: CRF 23, medium preset, and hvc1 tagging for H.265 MP4 playback on Apple devices
- High-quality GIF mode with palettegen/paletteuse two-pass filtering
- Fast lossless trim with -c copy stream-copy mode or frame-accurate re-encode
- Audio extraction to MP3, WAV, FLAC, Opus, or AAC with per-format quality flags
- Resolution presets from 360p to 4K with aspect-ratio-safe -2 scaling
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to install anything for this tool to work?
The builder itself runs entirely in your browser with no upload or account. To run the generated command you need ffmpeg installed locally: brew install ffmpeg on macOS, apt install ffmpeg on Debian/Ubuntu, or winget install Gyan.FFmpeg on Windows.
What CRF value should I use for compression?
For x264, CRF 18 is visually lossless, 23 is the default sweet spot, and 28 still looks acceptable at much smaller sizes. For x265, add about 4 (CRF 19-24) since it is more efficient. Lower numbers mean better quality and larger files.
Why does my trimmed video start with a few frozen frames?
Stream copy (-c copy) cuts on keyframes only, so the seek point snaps to the nearest keyframe. For frame-accurate cuts, turn off stream copy in the trim task so ffmpeg re-encodes that segment.
Why is my H.265 MP4 not playing on iPhone or Mac?
Apple players require the hvc1 codec tag inside MP4. The compress task adds -tag:v hvc1 automatically when the output is .mp4 and the codec is libx265, which fixes playback in Safari and QuickTime.