Avidemux Documentation -- Scripting

Scripting

1.Foreword

In some case, you end up doing often the same kind of actions to videos. For example, applying always the same filter(s) to a captured movie. On the other hand, you can be tempted to try different settings to see the effect. In both cases, using the nice UI from avidemux does not make things easier.

Some commands are available throught command line, but that's not the easiest way.

There is an ongoing work for scripting capabilities. It means having a simple script language that you can execute to perform actions unmanned.

The objective at the end, is to be able to do everything through the script language, but we are far from it.

2.Script

A script is a simple text file. It has a syntax near C language, but much more simpler.

You can access it using either file->run script, or using the --run command from cli.

A ligne beginning by either // or # is ignored (you can make script executable and invoke avidemux that way :)

A script is a sequence of function call. A function call is function(param1,param2....);

A parameter can be a integer, a float, true/false or a string. For string, you can also use quoted string for filename ("my file.avi").

The script is parsed one time to check for grammar or syntax error, then executed. If a command fails, the script stops.

3.Commands

Here is the set of command available as of now. To get a list, do avidemux2 --list

File command	Parameter	Parameter	Parameter	Description
Load	filename			Load the file given as parameter
Append	filename			Append a file (does not work)
LoadAudio	type	filename		Load the file as external audio. The first argument is the type : mp3, ac3, wav
Process command	Parameter	Parameter	Parameter	Description
videoprocess	true/false			Set video process mode to on(process) or off (copy)
audioprocess	true/false			Same for audio
Save command	Parameter	Parameter	Parameter	Description
save	Filename			Save the file
savejpg	Filename			Save the current image as jpeg
saveaudio	Filename			Save audio track to the file given
savedvd	Filename			Save as save DVD PS, i.e. a dvd compatible program stream
scanvbr				Build the audio time map, to be able to deal with vbr mp3
saveraw	Filename			Save the raw video stream, useful to cut a mpeg for example
Audio filter	Parameter	Parameter	Parameter	Description
normalize	true/false			Set the normalize filter on/off
downsample	true/false			Set the 48 to 44.1 khz filter on/off
resample	targetfrequency			Resample to targetfrequency. Passing 0 means disabling the filter
delay	delay in ms			Apply a delay to audio (also in copy mode). Passing 0 disables the filter
film2pal	true/false			Set the film2pal audio filter on or off
Codecs	Parameter	Parameter	Parameter	Description
audiocodec	codec name	bitrate in kbps		Select the audio codec, can be lame,mp2,ac3,toolame,none
videocodec	codec name	Mode	optional: codec conf file	Select the video codec, can be xvid4,ffv1, h263...The mode is cq=qz, or cbr=bitrate in kbps, or 2pass=size in megabytes. Optionnaly, the third argument can be a file containing fine settings for the codec
Video filters	Parameter	Parameter	Parameter	Description
loadfilter	filename			Load the xml file describing the list of video filters.
Misc	Parameter	Parameter	Parameter	Description
setfps	float			Change the frame per second of the movie
exit				Exit immediately
sleep	integer			wait N seconds
goto	integer			Go to frame number N
setmarkerA	integer			Set the start marker on given frame
setmarkerB	integer			Set the end marker on given frame

4.Examples

The fist example just navigate in a file

Code listing .1

Load("/work/samples/2mn.avi");
AudioProcess(1);
videoProcess(1);
sleep(500);
goto(0);
sleep(500);
goto(10);
sleep(500);
goto(20);
sleep(500);
goto(30);
sleep(500);
goto(40);
sleep(500);
# comment
exit();

The second example encode a file and set video.

Code listing .2

Load("/work/samples/2mn.avi");
videoprocess(on);
//videocodec(xvid4,cq=5);
loadfilter("/home/fx/ep1_b.edl.flt");
videocodec(xvid4,2pass=12,"/home/fx/ep1_b.edl.flt.vcodec");
save("/tmp/plop.avi");
exit();

The third example re-encodes a file using xvid and a video filter and letting audio unchanged

Code listing .3

Load("ghost1_raw.avi");
AddVideoFilter(mphqdenoise3d,param1=4.000000,param2=3.000000,param3=6.000000);
SetFormat("AVI");
VideoProcess(1);
videocodec(XVID4,"2pass=180","/huge/ghost/dummy.prh.vcodec");
save("flt_1.avi");