ffmpeg cheatsheet

Convert an image from one format to another

ffmpeg -i INPUT_FILE OUTPUT_FILE

# -q:v 2 sets the quality for output
# Scale from 2-31 with lower numbers equalling higher quality
ffmpeg -i INPUT_FILE -q:v 2 OUTPUT_FILE

Convert a video from one format to another

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 output.avi

Lower the file size of a video

# create a copy of the file encoded with more efficient settings
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vcodec libx264 -crf 28 -preset veryslow -acodec aac -b:a 128k output.mp4

• -i input.mp4: Your input file.
• -vcodec libx264: Uses the H.264 video codec.
• -crf 28: Controls video quality and file size. Lower = better quality, bigger file (range: 18–28 is typical). Try 23 for a balance, 28 for smaller files.
• -preset veryslow: Slower = better compression. Options: ultrafast, superfast, veryfast, faster, fast, medium (default), slow, slower, veryslow.
• -acodec aac: Audio codec.
• -b:a 128k: Audio bitrate.

Published Apr 11, 2025