LinuxCommandLibrary

ffmpeg-utils

utility functions for ffmpeg processing

TLDR

Get media information
$ ffprobe [input.mp4]
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Show stream details
$ ffprobe -show_streams [input.mp4]
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Output as JSON
$ ffprobe -print_format json -show_format [input.mp4]
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Analyze frames
$ ffprobe -show_frames [input.mp4]
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Get duration only
$ ffprobe -show_entries format=duration -of csv=p=0 [input.mp4]
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SYNOPSIS

ffprobe [options] input

DESCRIPTION

ffprobe (part of ffmpeg utils) gathers information from multimedia streams and prints it in human or machine-readable formats. It reveals codec details, duration, bitrate, resolution, and metadata.
The tool is essential for scripting video workflows, checking file properties before processing, and debugging encoding issues. Structured output formats enable parsing by other tools.
ffprobe provides detailed stream analysis without modifying files, making it safe for inspection tasks.

PARAMETERS

INPUT

Media file to analyze.
-show_format
Display container format info.
-show_streams
Display stream information.
-show_frames
Display frame information.
-print_format FORMAT
Output format: json, xml, csv, flat.
-show_entries ENTRIES
Select specific entries to show.
-of FORMAT
Output format (alias for print_format).
--help
Display help information.

CAVEATS

Full frame analysis can be slow. Some formats have incomplete metadata. Output format varies by file type.

HISTORY

ffprobe was added to ffmpeg to provide dedicated media analysis functionality, separating inspection from processing. It's become the standard tool for programmatic media file analysis.

SEE ALSO

ffmpeg(1), mediainfo(1), exiftool(1)

> TERMINAL_GEAR

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