Video Processing

Automate repetitive video editing tasks using FFmpeg - the industry-standard tool powering YouTube, Netflix, and most video platforms.

When to Use This Skill

• Social media optimization - Resize videos for Instagram (9:16), TikTok, LinkedIn
• Upload preparation - Compress large videos to meet platform limits
• Audio extraction - Pull audio from webinars, interviews for podcasts
• Content clipping - Extract highlights, quotes, or segments
• Batch processing - Apply same operations to multiple videos

What Claude Does vs What You Decide

Claude Does	You Decide
Structures production workflow	Final creative direction
Suggests technical approaches	Equipment and tool choices
Creates templates and checklists	Quality standards
Identifies best practices	Brand/voice decisions
Generates script outlines	Final script approval

Dependencies

pip install ffmpeg-python moviepy click
# Also requires ffmpeg installed on system
# macOS: brew install ffmpeg
# Ubuntu: sudo apt install ffmpeg

Commands

Compress Video

python scripts/main.py compress video.mp4 --target-mb 10
python scripts/main.py compress video.mp4 --crf 28 --output compressed.mp4

Extract Audio

python scripts/main.py extract-audio video.mp4 --format mp3
python scripts/main.py extract-audio video.mp4 --format wav --output audio.wav

Resize for Social

python scripts/main.py resize video.mp4 --format instagram  # 1080x1920 (9:16)
python scripts/main.py resize video.mp4 --format youtube    # 1920x1080 (16:9)
python scripts/main.py resize video.mp4 --format square     # 1080x1080 (1:1)
python scripts/main.py resize video.mp4 --width 1280 --height 720

Clip Segment

python scripts/main.py clip video.mp4 --start 00:30 --end 01:45
python scripts/main.py clip video.mp4 --start 00:30 --duration 60

Merge Videos

python scripts/main.py concat video1.mp4 video2.mp4 --output merged.mp4
python scripts/main.py concat ./clips/ --output compilation.mp4

Generate Thumbnail

python scripts/main.py thumbnail video.mp4 --time 00:30
python scripts/main.py thumbnail video.mp4 --best  # Auto-select best frame

Examples

Example 1: Prepare Video for Instagram Reels

# Original: 4K horizontal video, 500MB
python scripts/main.py resize long-video.mp4 --format instagram
python scripts/main.py compress long-video_instagram.mp4 --target-mb 50

# Output: long-video_instagram_compressed.mp4 (1080x1920, <50MB)

Example 2: Extract Podcast from Webinar

# Extract audio track
python scripts/main.py extract-audio webinar-recording.mp4 --format mp3 --bitrate 192k

# Output: webinar-recording.mp3 (ready for podcast hosting)

Example 3: Create Highlight Reel

# Extract multiple clips
python scripts/main.py clip interview.mp4 --start 05:30 --end 06:15 --output clip1.mp4
python scripts/main.py clip interview.mp4 --start 12:00 --end 12:45 --output clip2.mp4
python scripts/main.py clip interview.mp4 --start 28:30 --end 29:00 --output clip3.mp4

# Merge into highlight reel
python scripts/main.py concat clip1.mp4 clip2.mp4 clip3.mp4 --output highlights.mp4

Social Media Format Reference

Platform	Format	Resolution	Max Size	Max Duration
Instagram Reels	9:16	1080x1920	4GB	90s
Instagram Feed	1:1	1080x1080	4GB	60s
TikTok	9:16	1080x1920	287MB	10min
YouTube Shorts	9:16	1080x1920	-	60s
YouTube	16:9	1920x1080	256GB	12h
LinkedIn	1:1/16:9	1920x1080	5GB	10min
Twitter/X	16:9	1920x1080	512MB	2:20

Performance Tips

1. GPU acceleration - FFmpeg uses hardware encoding when available (NVENC, VideoToolbox)
2. CRF values - Lower = better quality, larger file. 18-28 typical range
3. Preset selection - ultrafast for drafts, slow for final exports
4. Two-pass encoding - Better quality for target bitrate

Skill Boundaries

What This Skill Does Well

• Structuring audio production workflows
• Providing technical guidance
• Creating quality checklists
• Suggesting creative approaches

What This Skill Cannot Do

• Replace audio engineering expertise
• Make subjective creative decisions
• Access or edit audio files directly
• Guarantee commercial success

Related Skills

• whisper-transcription - Transcribe video audio
• youtube-downloader - Download videos to process
• image-batch - Process video thumbnails

Skill Metadata

• Mode: cyborg

category: automation
subcategory: video-processing
dependencies: [ffmpeg-python, moviepy]
difficulty: beginner
time_saved: 5+ hours/week