Fast Forward MPEG (FFmpeg) is one of the most popular and best multimedia networks in the world. It offers plenty of tools for you to play the video, convert the formats, stream live broadcast and even analyze the multimedia stream. These are the tools that actually make FFmpeg is a great framework to work with. They provide you with the best technical solutions, also offering a myriad of extremely useful yet free software to the users.
I have multiple audio tracks and subtitles to extract in a single.mkv file. I'm new to ffmpeg commands, this is what I've tried (audio): ffmpeg -i VIDEO.mkv -vn -acodec copy AUDIO.aac. It just extract 1 audio. What I want is tell ffmpeg to extract every single audio files and subtitle files to a. The subtitles play fine in vlc but mkvtoolnix has problems with editing the file. The header editor recognizes all tracks but mkvextract fails to extract the subtitles because of the missing data (Error: Track 5 with the CodecID 'SVOBSUB' is missing the 'codec private' element and cannot be extracted.). DVD subtitle extractors can't directly extract subtitle from physical DVD disc. They can recognize VOB files only and rip subtitles from VOB files. With WonderFox DVD Ripper Pro, you can easily bypass CSS, region code, Sony ARccOS, UOPs, APS, RCE, Disney X-project DRM, etc. And convert DVD to VIDEOTS folder easily. FFmpeg CRF Example: # FFmpeg –i –input –c:v libx264 –preset fast –crf 22 –c:a copy output.mkv. FFmpeg Transcode Example. If you are looking for a more flexible way to use FFmpeg for encoding videos, you must consider using the transcoding feature. You can convert any video and audio format into your specified video codecs and audio.
FFmpeg can perform many functions when it comes to digitally play or recording your videos and audios. For instance, you can easily convert the video from one format to another. Following is a very simple example of a command line that converts an MP4 file into the AVI file.
# FFmpeg –i Shawshank_Redemption.mp4 Shawshank_Redemption.avi
This is the simplest example of any command line you will come across in the FFmpeg. This command will make the FFmpeg video converter to convert an MP4 file into a file. It is as simple as that. However, it is also recommended to declare other specifications such as bitrate and codex as well.
Various Command Lines to Convert Video Formats.
In the context of the above discussion, the following are some FFmpeg examples of the commands you can use to convert video formats.
.AVI VIDEO TO .MPG:
.avi and .mpg are two of the most popular video formats. The following commands help you convert .avi video to .mpg.
# FFmpeg –i original_video.mpg final_vidoe.avi
Conversely, the following command will convert a .avi video into a .mpg video.
# ffmpeg –i – Shawshank_Redemption.avi Shawshank_Redemption.mpg
.MP4 to .WMV:
The following commands convert .mp4 and .wmv formats between each other.
# FFmpeg –i – video_name.mp4 final_video_name.wmv
Now, simply reverse the code to make FFmpeg convert video to mp4. It can’t be simpler than that.
# FFmpeg –i – video_name.wmv final_video_name.mp4
.AVI to Uncompressed Animated Gifs:
Sometimes, you also want to convert your videos to animated gifs, especially if you run a blog or online video channel. Following is the FFmpeg command for converting a .avi video to an uncompressed gif.
# FFmpeg –i – original_video.avi gif_uncompressed.gif
.AVI to .FLV:
.flv is another very popular video format. The command line used for converting .avi video format to .flv is slightly different from the rest of the commands. Take a look at the following example.
# FFmpeg –i – original_video.avi –f Flv final_video.flv
.AVI to DV:
DV is a new video format that is quickly garnering popularity among users. Following is a command line you can use to convert .AVI file to a DV file.
# FFmpeg –i – origine.avi -s pal -r pal -aspect 4:3 -ar 48000 -ac 2 video_finale.dv
.ffmpeg Convert MP4 to MOV:
FFmpeg also makes it very simple to convert an MP4 video into a MOV video. Following is a command which enables FFmpeg to convert MP4 to MOV format.
# FFmpeg -i input_file.mp4 -acodec copy -vcodec copy -f mov output_file.mov
Reducing the Size of Animated GIF
It is pertinent to note that you only have to add .gif extension to in the output file and leave the rest to FFmpeg. You need to remember that gif files are usually much larger than original videos. However, FFmpeg allows you to considerably reduce the size of the gif file. First of all, the line you will write to make an animated gif from the video is as follows.
# FFmpeg –i – video_320x180.avi agif_320x180.gif –hide_banner
You also need to remember that there is no sound in animated gifs. Now, you can use different FFmpeg command lines to reduce the size of the output file. The first of these commands is as under.
# FFmpeg –i – video_320x180.avi -ss 35 –t 20 agif_35-55_320x180.gif –hide_banner
What this command does is that it extracts from 35 seconds to 55 seconds of the original gif and reduces it to a 20-second video. Understandably, the size of the output video, in this case, will be much smaller.
Secondly, you can also reduce the video resolution of the original video to reduce the size of the output video. Following is an FFmpeg command to accomplish this task.
# FFmpeg -i video_500x300.avi -vf scale=160:90 agif_160x90.gif -hide_banner
The above command reduces the video resolution from 500×300 to 160×190, thus considerably reducing the size of the output gif.
There are many other FFmpeg command-line options to reduce the size of the gif video. For instance, you can have a smaller gif video simply by decreasing the frame per second rate of the original video. The following FFmpeg command allows you to do exactly the same.
# FFmpeg –i – video_500x300.avi –r 10 agif_r10_500x300.gif
Above mentioned are some of the many FFmpeg command line examples for reducing the size of an animated gif.
Converting formats for DVD players
When it comes to converting videos for DVD players, you need a different line of code. Take a look at the following example.
# FFmpeg –i –original_video.avi –target pal-DVD –ps 1000000000 –aspect 16:9 final_video.mpeg
Following is a brief explanation of the above command line.
- The aspect ratio is 16:9 which is perfect for widescreens.
- ps 1000000000 is the size of the output file in bytes. It is the maximum size for the output video in this particular case.
- target pal-DVD determines the output format of the video.
In addition to converting video formats between each other, Ffmpeg can also help users to compress different formats between each other. Following is an example of a command-line that compresses .AVI to DIVX.
# FFmpeg –i –original_video.avi –s 320x240 –vcodec msmpeg4v2 video_output.avi
Similarly, you can use the following commands to COMPRESS .AVI TO SVCD MPEG2.
PAL format
# FFmpeg –i –original_video.avi –target pal-svcd final_video.mpg
NTSC format:
# FFmpeg –i –original_video.avi –target ntsc-svcd final_video.mpg
FFmpeg Copy Video Command Line
Sometimes, it is not a good idea to recode your video. All you need to do is to copy the contents especially when you are editing the video and cutting some of its parts. Following is the command you should use when you want to copy the video instead of recording it.
# FFmpeg –i –origine.mp4 –c:v copy –c:a copy –final.mkv
You can use the same command to copy the video in any format.
FFmpeg Copy Audio Command-Line
Sometimes, you only need to copy the audio of a video. Following the FFmpeg, copy audio command enables you to extract only audio from your video.
# FFmpeg –i –origine.mp4 –vn –acodec copy audio.aac
Here is a short explanation of the command:
- As you must know, i specifies the input file.
- You will skip the video part using the vn part.
- acodec copy part keeps the original codec while copying the audio part.
Command-Line Examples h264
FFmpeg also comes with the latest x264 encoder which allows you to create high-quality H.264 videos quite easily. There are actually two ways you can use x264 encoder to create videos. First of all, you need to choose a CRF value and a preset. Subsequently, apply your chosen values in the coder to get the video. This will also help you maintain the quality of all of the future videos you want to encode as well. Take a look at these FFmpeg command line examples h264.
FFmpeg CRF Example:
# FFmpeg –i –input –c:v libx264 –preset fast –crf 22 –c:a copy output.mkv
FFmpeg Transcode Example
If you are looking for a more flexible way to use FFmpeg for encoding videos, you must consider using the transcoding feature. You can convert any video and audio format into your specified video codecs and audio output. Following is an example of FFmpeg transcoding.
FFmpeg –i {filepath/inputfile}.{inputwrapper} –vcodec {desired video codec} –acodec {desired audio codec} {outputfile}.{output wrapper}
The transcode code can look like this in real life.
# FFmpeg –i origine.avi –vcodec prores –acodec pcm_s16Ie file.
What this command line is doing that it is converting a standard .avi file to a Quick Time Apple Prores.
FFmpeg Video Scaling Commands
Apart from using FFmpeg to convert video formats, you can also use its scale images as well. You can actually scale the original video to any size you want using the following command.
# FFmpeg -i input.avi –vf scale=320:180 output.avi
You can scale the original video to any size just by adding the width and height of your choice in the above command. This is the simplest of the commands to scale the video but it might disturb the aspect ratio of the output video.
On the other hand, you can use the following FFmpeg command to maintain the aspect ratio of the scaled video.
# FFmpeg -i input.avi –vf scale=320:180 output.avi
However, if you want to change the aspect ratio of the video, you will use the following command.
# FFmpeg -i input.avi -vf scale='if(gt(a,1/1),320,-1)':'if(gt(a,1/1),-1,240)' output.avi
Now, if you want to crop the width and height of the video, you will use the following FFmpeg crop video command.
# FFmpeg -i input.avi -vf 'crop=320:180:x:y' input_crop.avi
The above command will crop the video to the size of 320×180 pixels where 320 is the width and 180 is the height. The VF in the command stands for “video filter” whereas x and y represent left and top coordinates of the video respectively.
Splitting Video Using FFmpeg
It is also possible to split or cut a video using different FFmpeg command-line options. Take a look at the following FFmpeg split video command.
FFmpeg -ss <start> -t <duration> -i in1.avi -vcodec copy -acodec copy out1.avi
Following is a brief explanation of the command:
- Start the part of the video from where you want the video to start splitting. The format used is hours:minutes: seconds (00:00:00).
- Duration: the total duration of the video you want to split from the original video. The format used is hours:minutes: seconds (00:00:00).
Now, if you use actual parameters in the above FFmpeg split video command, it will look like this.
FFmpeg -ss 01:05:35 -t 01:10:00 -i in1.avi -vcodec copy -acodec copy out1.avi
The FFmpeg cut video command cuts a part of the video from 1 hour minutes 35 seconds to 1 hour 10 minutes. The split video has a duration of 4 minutes 30 seconds.
Video Streaming with the Help of FFmpeg
It is also possible to stream video using FFmpeg. Following is a general FFmpeg streaming command for a Ubuntu machine. You can also adjust the parameters for your own specific system.
# FFmpeg -f alsa -i default -f v4l2 -i /dev/video0 -s 320x240 -ar 11025 -f flv -r 30.0 'rtmp://publish.live.streamshark.io/2050C7/jumbwywy/livestreamdemo_328?mypassword
FFmpeg Command Line Generators
You can use many generators or editors to generate command lines for FFmpeg. For instance, FFmpeg Little Helper is a very popular FFmpeg command line generator. Similarly, you can also use Command Line Encoder if you are using windows 10. This particular encoder makes it really simple to generate FFmpeg command lines for windows. There are in fact innumerable command line generates you can use. Just do a little search on the Internet and you will get plenty of options to choose from.
Finally, it is also important for you to check the official documentation of FFmpeg if you are new to this multimedia framework. This will help you learn more about FFmpeg and all the amazing things you can do using this extremely popular video converting framework.
Convert a Video to Images
This is one of the most important FFMPEG commands. This command will create images called pic1.jpg, pic2.jpg, etc, from a presented video file. The resulting image formats that can be obtained by this command are PGM, SGI, PPM, PGMYUV, PAM, TIFF, JPEG, GIF, PNG.
ffmpeg -i video.mpg pic%d.jpg
The above command is used to convert video to images. There are many parameters. With the -f mp4 parameter, you can also define that the product file will have an mp4 format. With vcodec libx264 parameter, you can specify the video codec that you desire to apply.
Selecting codecs
If you want to apply a container that can manage any stream but still determine which codecs are in the result file then FFmpeg is the best for such a job. You can choose the codecs required by applying the -c flag. This flag allows you to arrange the various codec to apply for each stream. For instance, to install the stream like Vorbis, you would apply the following command:
ffmpeg -i myfile.mp3 -c:a libvorbis result.ogg
The command FFmpeg -codecs will publish every codec FFmpeg associates around. The result of this command will vary depending on the tale of FFmpeg you have established.
Converting video for iPhones/iPod
If you want to convert videos for iPod or iPhone then with the help of source file and an audio codec it can be achieved. For this, you have to mention video bitrate and video size so that it will generate the output. For example,
ffmpeg -i src_vid.avi input -acodec aac -ab 128kb -vcodec mpeg4 -b 1200kb -mbd 2 -flags +4mv+trell -aic 2 -cmp 2 -subcmp 2 -s 320x180 -title X output_vid.mp4
The above command will convert the source video into the output video which is suitable for iPods and iPhones
Convert .AVI to .MPG
Now, converting .avi video to .mpg is very simple.You just have to mention the source video file and with the help of some parameters, you can convert .avi to .mpg. For example,
ffmpeg -i source_video.avi result_video.mpg
The above command is one of the most important commands. As you can see, the above command is using the parameter “-i” which then converts the .avi file to .mpg.
Compress .AVI to SVCD
MPEG-2 is the conventional form for SVCD/CVD which users can sting on CDR and play on a Television with an SVCD-CVD congenial DVD player. Now, if you want to compress the .avi to SVCD mpeg2 then depending on the player format, you have to use various commands with various parameters. For example, if you want to use NTSC, then the following command will be used.
ffmpeg -i source_video.avi -target ntsc-svcd output_video.mpg
The above command is used to compress into NTSC format. Now, if you have a PAL format player and you want to compress file then in the above command you just have to replace the NTSC with PAL and it will automatically compress it. This is one of the most used commands and it all depends on what type of player format you have.
About the Author
ByteScout Team of WritersByteScout has a team of professional writers proficient in different technical topics. We select the best writers to cover interesting and trending topics for our readers. We love developers and we hope our articles help you learn about programming and programmers.We extract subtitles from videos for different purposes. For example, we extract the subtitles of a low-resolution video file, and then add them to a high-resolution version for getting a better visual experience. We find nice courses from YouTube and wish to separate subtitles as the learning context for further study. With that in mind, the following can be deduced: To find the easiest way to extract subtitles from MKV, MP4, AVI, VOB or other videos as SRT, ASS files, we should get a versatile subtitle extractor that can cope with videos in a different type of formats.
After testing a majority of subtitles extractor for days, we realize the best option for both PC and Mac - VideoProc, which enables users to split subtitles from MKV videos or virtually any other videos in a few clicks. Meanwhile, it allows you to import subtitles to a video from a computer or a connected external hard drive/USB, as well as search subtitle files from online before importing to videos. By the way, you're also allowed to extract subtitles from MKV with subtitles Edit and MKVToolnix.
Click-and-go Subtitle Extractor & Full-fledged Video Processing Software - VideoProc
- Extract subtitles from MKV, MP4, AVI, VOB, etc. Add (srt, ass, ssa) subtitle files to movies.
- Simple edit is to cut, crop, merge, rotate, flip videos; add effect, image watermark to videos, etc.
- Convert any videos to any preferred format; resize/upscale videos. Video processing speed is ultrafast.
- Free download video/music/live streaming videos from YouTube and 1000+ sites.
- Built-in recorder is capable of capturing anything on your screen with system sound and voice-over.
What Is the Best Subtitle Extractor for PC and Mac
A subtitle extractor is a tool that can help you rip the subtitle part from a video file and output it as a subtitle file such as .srt, .sub, .sbv and .ass. Some subtitle extractor can help you search for movie subtitle online and batch extract subtitle files.
VideoProc is the best subtitle extractor as well as a lightweight video editor, converter, screen recorder. You can use it to:
1. Extract subtitles from MKV, MP4, AVI, VOB, etc. to separated SRT or ASS file. It supports also batch extract mode to easily extract the same element from multiple files.
What is the SRT?
SRT refers to Sub Rip text, which is the most basic format for subtitles, which is often used in movies. It is a simple text file without any rich media information like videos, animations. Open SRT file with a text document or Microsoft word, we can easily edit the start and end time of when the subtitle appears and change subtitle information.
What is the ASS?
ASS stands for Sub Station Alpha, which is an advanced subtitle format developed to cover the shortage of SRT which has a too simple function. It will implement abundant subtitle functions, for instance, setting size and position of different subtitle data, dynamic text, watermark, etc. Ass is created by the Substation Alpha software program, therefore it is more standardize and way more complicated than SRT.
2. Add subtitles:Add hardcode subtitles, embed SRT ASS file to MP4/MKV/AVI/MOV without decreasing the quality of the target video file. A one-stop subtitle editor app to solve all problems about adding or removing subtitles for the clips.
3. Process with hardware acceleration: Seamlessly support Nvidia/Intel/AMD hardware acceleration tech to deliver lightning speed in extracting subtitles. The whole file must be read by software as the data packets of the subtitle are interwoven with various file information packets. GPU acceleration fasts the whole process.
4. Identify tracks easily: If you have some clips with multiple subtitle tracks, it will display their language and file size information for you to easily differentiate between them.
5. Download subtitle/video/music: Download subtitles, 8K/4K/1080p/720p videos, movies, MP3 songs, playlist from YouTube, Vimeo, Dailymotion, 1000+ sites supported.
6. Edit video: Cut, merge, crop, rotate, flip, stabilize, denoise, mirror video, add effects, text/image watermark, time stamp to video, and enhance video quality.
7. Convert video/music: Convert or compress 4K or high bitrate/framerate videos recorded by GoPro, DJI, 4K cameras, etc. Transcode HEVC, MKV, AVCHD, M2TS, MP4, AVI, MOV and almost any format to desired format.
How to Extract Subtitles from MKV with VideoProc
Free download and install the best subtitle extractor – VideoProc – on Windows 10/8/7 or Mac computer, etc. and follow the easy 3 steps below to extract subtitles from MKV, MP4, etc.
Step 1. Add the video with subtitle
Run VideoProc and click the Video button on the main interface. Click the +Video button to import source video with subtitle.
Step 2. Select output subtitle format
Tap the Toolbox icon in the lower area. Find the Export Subtitle option and double click it. Then select an output subtitle file format. You can also extract a part of subtitles using trimming. Click Done.
Note: If there is no Export Subtitle option in the Toolbox, you can head to Target Format at the lower left corner and search for Export Subtitle in the field. Then, the subtitle extractor will be available.
Step 3. Extract subtitle from video
Hit RUN button to start extracting subtitle from MKV, MP4 or any other video as SRT or ASS subtitle file at ultrafast speed.
Besides VideoProc, you can use other tools to extract subtitles. Here we recommend Subtitle Edit and MKVToolNix. See how to extract subtitles from MKV with these two programs below.
How to Extract Subtitles from MKV with Subtitle Edit
Subtitle Edit is a free and open source software dedicated to helping people create, edit, translate, sync, convert, as well as extract subtitles from MKV and other video formats. It's available in 34 languages and is capable of reading and transcoding between 280+ subtitle formats, such as SubRip, ABC iView, Adobe Encore, Avid, Sony DVD Architect and many more. More so, you are allowed to synchronize subtitles with your movie with its waveform controls and visual sync. You’re able to rip or extract subtitles from videos so that you can modify, archive or even share.
Step 1. Navigate to SubtitleEdit at GitHub and download its latest version to your computer. It runs on both Windows and Linux computers.
Step 2. Open Subtitle Edit when it is good to go.
Step 3. Head to where your video is located, then drag and drop it to the subtitle editing area. Subtitle Edit will read all subtitle tracks embedded in the video. Choose the one you want to extract.
Step 4. Go to File >Save as > name your file, select a subtitle format and a location when the box prompting > Click Save to confirm your changes.
How to Extract Subtitles from MKV with MKVToolNix
MKVToolNix is a robust tool package to create, merge, view, and alter Matroska files under Windows, macOS and Linux. It supports the encapsulation of a variety of videos, audio tracks and subtitles, and other files into an MKV file. In this way, you don't have to jump back and forth between files. Besides, you can use it to extract videos, music and subtitle files from MKV files if you need to make some adjustments to the files. To extract subtitles from MKV using MKVToolNix, go through the tutorials in the following.
Step 1. Download MKVToolNix and gMKVExtractGUI to your computer at the same time. Because they're a set of tools and gMKVExtractGUI won't run without MKVToolNix.
Step 2. Launch gMKVExtractGUI and import your MKV video to the program.
Step 3. Tick the subtitle track you will separate.
Step 4. Set an output directory to store subtitle files.
Step 5. Click Extract in the lower right corner.
Video Subtitles FAQs
1. How to Delete SRT/ASS Subtitle from MKV/MP4/AVI/VOB Videos?
Subtitles help us understand foreign movies and allow people who are hard of hearing to better comprehend the plots. But there are times we don't want to remain any subtitles on the source video for the aim to add the new, further study the language, etc. Follow below 2 steps to remove subtitles from MKV, MP4, AVI, VOB, etc.
Step 1. After we import the video file to VideoProc, Click Subtitle >Disable.
Step 2. Hit Run to export the video.
2. How to Add SRT/ASS Subtitle Files to a Video?
VideoProc allows users to add subtitles to a video, such as to import external SRT subtitles to videos. Let's have a few clicks to get the things done:
Step 1. Click the Subtitle drop-down menu in the source video column, and click Load Subtitle.
Step 2. Select the SRT/ASS subtitle file from your computer and add it to the video.
Or you can have some advanced setting to change the fonts, position, and color of subtitles by following steps.
Ffmpeg Extract Dvd_subtitle From Mkv Media Player
Step 1. Click the Subtitle icon in the Edit column.
Step 2. Click Add Subtitle File to choose and import SRT/ASS subtitle file from the computer.
You can choose Burn-In to add hardcode subtitles or select Softcode to add captions to video. The later one allows you to turn on/off in playback, while the former one does not.
There are settings about subtitle size, position, color, and others for you to make adjustments to the displayed subtitles.
Ffmpeg Extract Dvd_subtitle From Mkv File
3. How to Download SRT Subtitle from Online Sites and Import to videos?
VideoProc also enables users to search subtitles, download subtitles online and import to video.
Step 1. Click the Subtitle icon to open the subtitle editing window.
Step 2. Click the Search Subtitle File. Then choose either Movie or TV Episode, type movie name in the field, and choose movie language.
Extract Vobsub From Mkv
Step 3. Click the Search button. Choose a preferred subtitle file and click Download.