How to Use FFmpeg on Linux for Video Conversion, Editing, and Audio Extraction

Introduction to FFmpeg

• 💡 FFmpeg is a powerful command-line tool for converting video and audio formats, changing codecs, resolutions, bitrates, and for cutting/joining video clips.

Installation and Setup

• 🛠️ Check if FFmpeg is installed by running ffmpeg --version.
• 🚀 Install FFmpeg on Debian/Ubuntu-based systems using sudo apt install ffmpeg or sudo snap install ffmpeg.
• 📁 Prepare your input video file and rename it for easier command-line use (e.g., video.mp4).

Basic Video Conversion

• 🎬 Convert a video from one format to another, such as MP4 to AVI, using the command: ffmpeg -i input.mp4 output.avi.
• 🔍 After conversion, you can open the new file with a media player like VLC.

Modifying Video Properties

• 📏 Change video resolution by using the -vf scale option, for example, to scale to 1280x720: ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -vf scale=1280:720 output_720p.mp4.
• 📊 Adjust the video bitrate using the -b:v option, e.g., ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -b:v 1M output_bitrate.mp4.

Cutting Video Segments and Extracting Audio

• ✂️ Cut a specific segment from a video by specifying start and end times. For a clip from 20 to 25 seconds: ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -ss 00:00:20 -to 00:00:25 -c copy cut_clip.mp4.
• 🎧 Extract audio from a video file and save it as an MP3 using: ffmpeg -i video.mp4 output.mp3.
• ⚠️ Note: Audio extraction will fail if the input video does not contain an audio stream.