Copyright © 2021 by WebMaka
This script watches a specific directory for new files with specific file extensions, and transcodes any file with the proper extension into specific formats for purposes like importing into a NLE, uploading to Youtube, etc.
Originally built as an import/export handler for uploading Twitch streams to Youtube, this script is built to move H.264 files into Linux NLEs that may not natively support H.264, and then transcode edited videos back into H.264 for faster uploads to Youtube.
By default, this script assumes the video being input runs at 60FPS, and exports to the same. Lower-framerate video sources, or video sources with variable framerates, will have frames added to bring them up to a constant 60FPS. The input/output resolutions are left undeclared but are assumed to be 1920x1080, at least for the Youtube preset - the other presets are set to run at whatever the input resolution happens to be.
The transcode presets include:
-davinci : Transcodes into a working format for Davinci Resolve 16+ on Linux. Converts to MPEG4 video and linear PCM 16-bit (SE) audio with maxed-out quality. This can produce big video files (half a gigabyte plus per minute of runtime at 1080p60) so make sure you have a lot of storage space. The results are packed into a Quicktime MOV container.
-youtube : Transcodes into a highly compressed format that conforms to Youtube's preferred upload formatting guidelines as of 15 Dec 2020. Converts to H.264 video and AAC 320kbps audio with the "fast start" option enabled and with settings optimized for Youtube uploading and conversion. The results are packed into a MPEG4 MP4 container. This preset is preconfigured to output at 1920x1080 resolution and 60mbps bitrate as per Youtube's reccomendations.
-dnxhr : Transcodes into Avid DNxHR-HQ 4:2:2 format, which is a workhorse "intermediate" format for many NLEs. This format produces extremely high-detail working files that recompress well, albeit at the cost of enormous file sizes (multiple gigabytes per minute of runtime at 1080p60) so make sure you have a lot of storage space. The results are packed into a Quicktime MOV container.
-prores : Transcodes into Apple ProRes (4444 profile) format, which is a workhorse "intermediate" format for many NLEs. This format produces extremely high-detail working files that recompress well, albeit at the cost of enormous file sizes (multiple gigabytes per minute of runtime ato 1080p60) so make sure you have a lot of storage space. The results are packed into a Quicktime MOV container.
-plexhd/-plexsd : Transcodes into MP4 files optimized for delivery over Plex streaming servers with minimal need for server-side transcoding. These formats use MPEG4 video and AAC audio, in either 1080p (-plexhd) or 720p (-plexsd) with settings intended to work without further server-side transcoding on the vast majority of Plex clients, including game consoles. Video that is in a different aspect ratio than 16x9 is automatically letterboxed or pillarboxed as required, and the framerate is adjusted to 30FPS.
-webm : Transcodes into WebM (VP9) format, in single-pass constant-quality mode. This format lends itself well toward uploads to image hosting sites that support short animations as well as still image formats.
This script also supports the use of a configuration file for all of its commandline options, and the config file also grants the capability to use a custom ffmpeg commandline and container selection. For more info on this, see CONFIGFILE.md.
This script requires the following:
-
Python 3.8+. It may work on other (especially older) versions, but was built on version 3.8.5. NOTE: Windows users can install Python directly from the Microsoft Store, or grab it from Python's website python.org.
-
A reasonably recent installation of ffmpeg. Again, other/older versions may work, but this script was built against version 4.2.4 for Linux and 4.3.1 for Windows.
-
FOR LINUX USERS: A reasonably recent installation of fuser. Many distros include it, but if it's missing, "sudo apt install psmisc" (or whatever package manager your distro uses) will fetch and install it. NOTE: This is not needed for Windows.
-
A Linux distribution or Windows version that supports all of the above. This script was tested against Ubuntu 20.04 LTS and Windows 10 Pro version 1909. Yet again, other distros/version may work.
-
Elevated permissions on the host OS. For Linux, this script should be run via sudo (but NOT in a root shell - sudo only the script!), and for Windows, administrator rights will be required and UAC may prompt for this. This is because files are getting created/renamed and access controls or badly set permissions may interfere.
-
A ridiculous amount of very fast storage, especially if using DNxHR or ProRes transcodes. Filesizes on these can easily reach into the 250+GB per hour range at 1080p60.
If this script helps your workflow, please consider donating to help support my projects, including this one. Any amount helps and will be very much appreciated.
As a thank-you for supporting my work, donators and Patrons get early access to updates to this script, as well as having a means to directly request features.
To donate via PayPal, please follow this link:
https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=GMFCGQALGUNYG
To donate via Patreon, please follow this link: