Guide #2

Compress video with FFmpeg

Compression is a tradeoff between size, quality, speed, and compatibility. CRF is usually the best first control for stored video.

Copy + paste this:

Create a smaller MP4 while keeping good playback support.

ffmpeg -i input -c:v libx264 -crf 24 -preset medium -c:a aac -b:a 128k -movflags +faststart compressed.mp4

When this is the right tool

Start by checking whether this operation matches the job you actually need.

Use this when

3 Good fit

Uploads are too large to store, send, or stream.
You need a smaller preview, social export, or web playback copy.
You want consistent quality without guessing a fixed bitrate.

Be careful when

2 Watch out

The file is already heavily compressed and visual quality matters.
You need exact broadcast bitrate rules. Use a bitrate ladder instead.

Examples

Use these as starting points, then tune quality, size, and timing on real input files.

General compression

Create a smaller MP4 while keeping good playback support.

ffmpeg -i input -c:v libx264 -crf 24 -preset medium -c:a aac -b:a 128k -movflags +faststart compressed.mp4

Command breakdown

input input: Reads this input file.
-c:v libx264: Sets the video codec.
-crf 24: Controls visual quality. Lower values make larger, higher-quality files.
-preset medium: Controls encode speed and compression efficiency.
-c:a aac: Sets the audio codec.
-b:a 128k: Sets the audio bitrate.
-movflags +faststart: Moves MP4 metadata to the front so web playback can start sooner.
output compressed.mp4: Writes this output file.

720p compressed copy

Downscale and compress for smaller web previews.

ffmpeg -i input -vf scale=-2:720 -c:v libx264 -crf 24 -preset medium -c:a aac -b:a 128k preview.mp4

Command breakdown

input input: Reads this input file.
-vf scale=-2:720: Applies a video filter chain.
-c:v libx264: Sets the video codec.
-crf 24: Controls visual quality. Lower values make larger, higher-quality files.
-preset medium: Controls encode speed and compression efficiency.
-c:a aac: Sets the audio codec.
-b:a 128k: Sets the audio bitrate.
output preview.mp4: Writes this output file.

Helpful tips

These details prevent most bad outputs and confusing FFmpeg results.

CRF controls quality

For x264, lower CRF means higher quality and larger files. A range of 18-28 is common.

Preset controls speed

Slower presets usually compress better, but take longer. `medium` is a sensible default.

Scale before encoding

A 720p copy can be much smaller than 4K, even at similar perceived quality on small screens.

Related guides

Useful next steps when this operation is part of a larger workflow.

Convert video format with FFmpeg

Learn how to convert MOV, MKV, WebM, and AVI files to MP4 with FFmpeg, when to copy streams, and when to re-encode.

Resize video with FFmpeg

Learn how to resize video with FFmpeg while keeping aspect ratio, avoiding odd dimensions, and padding when needed.

Need to run this at scale?

Run the same FFmpeg commands through a hosted API.

Keep the FFmpeg command surface. Very Good FFmpeg handles machines, logs, long jobs, outputs, and webhooks.

Try free Read API docs

Guide #2

Compress video with FFmpeg

Compression is a tradeoff between size, quality, speed, and compatibility. CRF is usually the best first control for stored video.

Copy + paste this:

Create a smaller MP4 while keeping good playback support.

ffmpeg -i input -c:v libx264 -crf 24 -preset medium -c:a aac -b:a 128k -movflags +faststart compressed.mp4

When this is the right tool

Start by checking whether this operation matches the job you actually need.

Use this when

3 Good fit

Uploads are too large to store, send, or stream.
You need a smaller preview, social export, or web playback copy.
You want consistent quality without guessing a fixed bitrate.

Be careful when

2 Watch out

The file is already heavily compressed and visual quality matters.
You need exact broadcast bitrate rules. Use a bitrate ladder instead.

Examples

Use these as starting points, then tune quality, size, and timing on real input files.

General compression

Create a smaller MP4 while keeping good playback support.

ffmpeg -i input -c:v libx264 -crf 24 -preset medium -c:a aac -b:a 128k -movflags +faststart compressed.mp4

Command breakdown

input input: Reads this input file.
-c:v libx264: Sets the video codec.
-crf 24: Controls visual quality. Lower values make larger, higher-quality files.
-preset medium: Controls encode speed and compression efficiency.
-c:a aac: Sets the audio codec.
-b:a 128k: Sets the audio bitrate.
-movflags +faststart: Moves MP4 metadata to the front so web playback can start sooner.
output compressed.mp4: Writes this output file.

720p compressed copy

Downscale and compress for smaller web previews.

ffmpeg -i input -vf scale=-2:720 -c:v libx264 -crf 24 -preset medium -c:a aac -b:a 128k preview.mp4

Command breakdown

input input: Reads this input file.
-vf scale=-2:720: Applies a video filter chain.
-c:v libx264: Sets the video codec.
-crf 24: Controls visual quality. Lower values make larger, higher-quality files.
-preset medium: Controls encode speed and compression efficiency.
-c:a aac: Sets the audio codec.
-b:a 128k: Sets the audio bitrate.
output preview.mp4: Writes this output file.

Helpful tips

These details prevent most bad outputs and confusing FFmpeg results.

CRF controls quality

For x264, lower CRF means higher quality and larger files. A range of 18-28 is common.

Preset controls speed

Slower presets usually compress better, but take longer. `medium` is a sensible default.

Scale before encoding

A 720p copy can be much smaller than 4K, even at similar perceived quality on small screens.

Related guides

Useful next steps when this operation is part of a larger workflow.

Convert video format with FFmpeg

Learn how to convert MOV, MKV, WebM, and AVI files to MP4 with FFmpeg, when to copy streams, and when to re-encode.

Resize video with FFmpeg

Learn how to resize video with FFmpeg while keeping aspect ratio, avoiding odd dimensions, and padding when needed.

Need to run this at scale?

Run the same FFmpeg commands through a hosted API.

Keep the FFmpeg command surface. Very Good FFmpeg handles machines, logs, long jobs, outputs, and webhooks.

Try free Read API docs