openshot-render

Render OpenShot projects from the command line

TLDR

Render an OpenShot project to a video file

$ openshot-render [project.osp] [output.mp4]

Render with an export profile (e.g. HD 1080p 30fps)

$ openshot-render -p "[HD 1080p 30 fps]" [project.osp] [output.mp4]

Render a specific frame range

$ openshot-render -s [1] -e [300] [project.osp] [output.mp4]

Render with a custom video codec

$ openshot-render -v [libx264] -b [8000000] [project.osp] [output.mp4]

SYNOPSIS

openshot-render [options] project output

openshot-render is a command-line front-end to OpenShot's libopenshot rendering engine. It allows headless export of OpenShot project files (.osp) to video files without launching the GUI, which is useful for automated batch rendering, render farms, and CI pipelines.The tool reads the project's timeline, applies effects and transitions, and uses FFmpeg under the hood to encode the final video. Profile names and codecs must match those available in the OpenShot installation.

PARAMETERS

PROJECT

Path to an existing OpenShot project file (.osp).

OUTPUT

Path to the output video file. Container is selected from the file extension.

-p PROFILE

Export profile name (must match an installed OpenShot profile).

-s START

First frame to include in the export.

-e END

Last frame to include in the export.

-v CODEC

Video codec passed through to FFmpeg (e.g. libx264, libvpx).

-a CODEC

Audio codec.

-b BITRATE

Video bitrate in bits per second.

-h, --help

Display help information.

CAVEATS

The .osp project file references absolute paths to media; missing source files will fail the render. GPU-accelerated encoders depend on the FFmpeg build linked against libopenshot. Profile names are case-sensitive.

HISTORY

openshot-render is provided by the OpenShot project for command-line export and batch processing. It uses the same rendering engine as the OpenShot Qt GUI.