Learning ffmpeg

[dellsam34]

How do you use ffmpeg program after it has been downloaded and extracted to a folder?

[davexnet]

You open a command prompt, navigate to that folder and execute ffmpeg.exe with the appropriate commands

[dellsam34]

I can run commend prompt from the start menu, How do I run it inside the folder? I've read a lot of tutorials suggest right click in the folder and hit comment prompt, It is not on the list on my Win7 64 bit OS.

[dellsam34]

Which folder I run the commend and put videos to be processed? There is the "FFMPEG-4.1-win64" main folder and three folders inside it Bin, Doc and Presets.

[pandy]

you can use commands https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_DOS_commands https://www.computerhope.com/msdos.htm and many similar sites...
easiest way to use ffmpeg is using it trough script - script is plain text file with particular extension - for DOS times it was extension BAT nowadays when Windows environment is used it may be or BAT or CMD - such script is considered by operating system as executable program.
For example you can open folder select video file then drag & drop file on script symbolised by icon on desktop - script will launch and begin process such video file.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTKpNk3uHos

I can run commend prompt from the start menu, How do I run it inside the folder? I've read a lot of tutorials suggest right click in the folder and hit comment prompt, It is not on the list on my Win7 64 bit OS.

inside bin folder there is ffmpeg.exe - this is file you are looking for, copy ffmpeg.exe to some easy accessible folder, place in same folder script i've provided - that's all - drag & drop video file on script icon after encoding you will get new video file.

[pandy]

please delete

[dellsam34]

The problem is I cannot run commend prompt from withing a folder, I can run it from Start menu but it will run on system32 folder.

I had to read you post several times to wrap my head around it, So you are saying copy the script into notepad as text, Save it next to ffmpg.exe and give it an extension cmd, and just drop videos over the *.cmd file ?

[davexnet]

It would help to have some knowledge of basic commands. For example assume your ffmpeg.exe is stored in your D: drive at path \ffmpeg\bin
At the command prompt you issue d: to set the drive, then CD "\ffmpeg\bin" (with the quotes) to set the path. CD stands for change directory

Easiest way to get the path so you don't have to type it in, right click ffmpeg.exe/properties, highlight and copy the path
then paste it into the command prompt with the CD command

[pandy]

no need to start command prompt from folder and even if you start command from folder then what ?

this is how command line for ffmpeg looks:

ffmpeg.exe -report -y -hide_banner -loglevel 32 -stats -threads 3 -i adv16apsk910.ts -vf "pp=ac,format=pix_fmts=yuv420p" -c:v mpeg2video -profile:v 4 -level:v 4 -b:v 17662k -maxrate 18686k -bufsize 3997696 -g 18 -bf 2 -bidir_refine 0 -sc_threshold -30000 -b_sensitivity 40 -me_range 0 -mpv_flags mv0+naq -mv0_threshold 0 -mbd 2 -mbcmp 2 -precmp 2 -subcmp 2 -cmp 2 -skip_cmp 2 -dia_size -4 -pre_dia_size -4 -preme 2 -last_pred 2 -seq_disp_ext 1 -quantizer_noise_shaping 0 -dc 9 -lmin 0.75 -mblmin 50.0 -qmin 2.0 -qcomp 0.75 -intra_vlc true -intra_matrix 8,8,8,9,11,13,14,17,8,8,9,11,13,13,14,17,8,8,11,12,13,14,17,94,9,11,13,13,14,17,17,94,11,11,13,13,14,17,94,94,13,13,14,16,17,20,94,94,13,13,14,17,94,94,94,94,13,14,17,94,94,94,94,94 -inter_matrix 12,12,13,14,15,16,22,26,12,13,14,15,16,22,26,32,13,14,15,16,22,26,32,41,14,15,16,22,26,32,41,53,15,16,22,26,32,41,53,94,16,22,26,32,41,53,70,94,22,26,32,41,53,70,94,94,26,32,41,53,94,94,94,94 -color_primaries 1 -color_trc 1 -colorspace 1 -color_range 1 -aspect 16/9 -af "pan=5.1(side)|FL<FL+0.5FLC|FR<FR+0.5FRC|FC<1.414FC+0.5FLC+0.5FRC|LFE=LFE|SL<SL+BL|SR<SR+BR" -c:a ac3 -b:a 448k -f mpegts -start_at_zero -muxrate 19390.4k adv16apsk910_h262_ac3_d-vhs_.ts

yes, this is single line command

I can imagine someone trying to type all this manually.

But if you really searching for possibility to open command line window in particular folder then please follow this article:
https://www.windowscentral.com/add-open-command-window-here-back-context-menu-windows-10

[sneaker]

I can run commend prompt from the start menu, How do I run it inside the folder? I've read a lot of tutorials suggest right click in the folder and hit comment prompt, It is not on the list on my Win7 64 bit OS.

On Win 7 it's simply: hold shift + right-click. The option isn't shown without holding shift by default (without shift you need a registry change)

Here's a good tutorial on how to "install" ffmpeg (extract and add to %PATH% so it can be called easily from any folder without always having to enter its full path).

[dellsam34]

Pandy, That script method is genius, I don't even have to rename input and output files, Just drag and drop on the *.cmd template.
I made 2 more templates so far, One for 25Mbps and one for 28.2Mbps just to try if they work, I know this is not related to this thread, But I can't imagine how easy this method is.

[dellsam34]

I can run commend prompt from the start menu, How do I run it inside the folder? I've read a lot of tutorials suggest right click in the folder and hit comment prompt, It is not on the list on my Win7 64 bit OS.

On Win 7 it's simply: hold shift + right-click. The option isn't shown without holding shift by default (without shift you need a registry change)

Here's a good tutorial on how to "install" ffmpeg (extract and add to %PATH% so it can be called easily from any folder without always having to enter its full path).

I tried Shift+right click, The command prompt is not there.

[JVRaines]

I can run commend prompt from the start menu, How do I run it inside the folder? I've read a lot of tutorials suggest right click in the folder and hit comment prompt, It is not on the list on my Win7 64 bit OS.

On Win 7 it's simply: hold shift + right-click. The option isn't shown without holding shift by default (without shift you need a registry change)

Here's a good tutorial on how to "install" ffmpeg (extract and add to %PATH% so it can be called easily from any folder without always having to enter its full path).

I tried Shift+right click, The command prompt is not there.

In my Win 7, it says "Open command window here" in the second context menu section. And I never know about this shortcut in all these years! Way easier than typing CD [excruciating long path].

[sneaker]

I tried Shift+right click, The command prompt is not there.

Which folder are you trying it in? Try different ones. It doesn't work in all folders (but in most it does).

• The Open Command Window Here context menu is only available for a folder, included library folder, or drive in Windows Explorer, Navigation Pane, and on the Desktop.
• The Open Command Window Here context menu is not available for a Library or files (ex: exe, txt, etc...).
• The Open Command Window Here context menu item only opens a normal command prompt and not an elevated command prompt.

https://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/27778-open-command-window-here.html

[pandy]

Seem Windows 10 (OP OS) removed this feature and whole effort on provided guide is to restore this feature by editing gp policy... Microsoft once again knew what is good for you...

Pandy, That script method is genius, I don't even have to rename input and output files, Just drag and drop on the *.cmd template.
I made 2 more templates so far, One for 25Mbps and one for 28.2Mbps just to try if they work, I know this is not related to this thread, But I can't imagine how easy this method is.

This was my point - why bother with gui frontend or by typing commands - type command once within script and later reuse script with command inside as many times as you wish - i could made script always asking for bitrate but IMHO it is easier to edit script and even save it under new name than constantly answering question for bitrate.
Probably some tweaks are possible to improve quality but even with this settings seem ffmpeg is able to deliver decent quality.

[davexnet]

And I never know about this shortcut in all these years! Way easier than typing CD [excruciating long path].

This is why I mentioned copying and pasting the path into the command window a few posts above !
I never knew about the shfit+right click shortcut either

[sneaker]

Yeah, can't live without that option anymore.

Want another s1ck life hack?
If you have the cmd open in e.g. "c:\mymovies\" and your movie name is "really awfully long and difficult movie name 12412551.mkv" you can e.g. start typing "ffmpeg -i " and then hit tabulator key. Then it will cycle through the file names in that folder. You can even type in the first letter(s) to make it only cycle through through the file names starting with those letter(s). Then you don't have to waste so much time typing folder or file names anymore.

Both of these two make things way easier.

[dellsam34]

Shift + Right click works now for me, I don't know what I was doing. Thank you all for the help, Really appreciate these priceless hacks and tricks, It was a pleasant learning experience.