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

• GPU acceleration - FFmpeg uses hardware encoding when available (NVENC, VideoToolbox)

• CRF values - Lower = better quality, larger file. 18-28 typical range

• Preset selection - ultrafast for drafts, slow for final exports

• 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