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Convert Video to 4K

Upscale a video to 4K resolution using FFmpeg, enhancing its visual quality for displays supporting 4K resolution.

VideoAlchemy Compose File

version: 1  # Schema version of viddo-compose

generate_path: "./generated"  # Directory of log and command files

tasks:
  - name: Convert Video to 4K
    command: ffmpeg
    inputs:
      - id: input_10
        source: 'input.mp4'
    outputs:
      - id: output_10
        overwrite: true
        source: 'output.mp4'
    codecs:
      - video_filters:
          - name: scale
            value: 3840:2160

Command

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vf "scale=3840:2160" output.mp4

Parameters

  • -i input.mp4: Specifies the input video file. Replace input.mp4 with the path to your source video file.
  • -vf "scale=3840:2160": Applies the scale video filter to resize the video to 4K resolution, which is 3840 by 2160 pixels.

Possible Errors

  • File not found: Occurs if FFmpeg cannot locate the input file. Ensure the file path is correct.
  • Invalid scale settings: Happens if the specified resolution does not match the input video's aspect ratio. Adjust the scale parameters or consider adding padding to maintain the aspect ratio.
  • Permission denied: Arises if FFmpeg does not have the necessary permissions to read the input file or write to the output file. Check that the files and directories have the correct permissions.

Additional Information

  • Aspect Ratio Preservation: To maintain the original aspect ratio while scaling, use -1 for one of the dimensions (e.g., scale=3840:-1 or scale=-1:2160). FFmpeg will automatically calculate the other dimension.
  • Quality Consideration: Upscaling to 4K may introduce visual artifacts or blur due to the increase in resolution. Consider using additional filters like unsharp for sharpening or zscale for high-quality scaling.
  • Encoding Settings: To ensure high quality for the upscaled 4K video, use high-quality encoding settings, such as -c:v libx264 -preset slow -crf 18 for H.264 encoding.
  • Performance and File Size: Upscaling and encoding to 4K are resource-intensive processes and can result in large file sizes. Make sure your system has adequate processing power and disk space. Adjust encoding settings to find a balance between quality and file size.
  • Audio Handling: This command focuses on video upscaling, and the audio stream will be copied without changes. If necessary, audio parameters can be adjusted with -c:a for codec and -b:a for bitrate.