
media-processing
Video/audio/image processing with FFmpeg and ImageMagick. Tools: FFmpeg (video/audio), ImageMagick (images). Capabilities: format conversion, encoding (H.264/H.265/VP9/AV1), streaming (HLS/DASH), filters, effects, thumbnails, watermarks, batch processing, hardware acceleration (NVENC/QSV). Actions: convert, encode, resize, crop, compress, extract, merge, stream, transcode media. Keywords: FFmpeg, ImageMagick, video encoding, audio extraction, image resize, thumbnail, watermark, HLS, DASH, H.264, H.265, VP9, AV1, codec, bitrate, framerate, resolution, aspect ratio, filter, overlay, concat, trim, fade, batch processing. Use when: converting video/audio formats, encoding with specific codecs, generating thumbnails, creating streaming manifests, extracting audio from video, batch processing images, adding watermarks, optimizing file sizes.
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Install
Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.
npx skills add https://github.com/samhvw8/dotfiles --skill media-processing- 01
Install
Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.
- 02
Describe the task
Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads media-processing automatically when relevant.
- 03
Review the result
The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.
SKILL.md
The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.
Media Processing Skill
Process video, audio, and images using FFmpeg and ImageMagick command-line tools for conversion, optimization, streaming, and manipulation tasks.
When to Use This Skill
Use when:
- Converting media formats (video, audio, images)
- Encoding video with codecs (H.264, H.265, VP9, AV1)
- Processing images (resize, crop, effects, watermarks)
- Extracting audio from video
- Creating streaming manifests (HLS/DASH)
- Generating thumbnails and previews
- Batch processing media files
- Optimizing file sizes and quality
- Applying filters and effects
- Creating composite images or videos
Tool Selection Guide
FFmpeg: Video/Audio Processing
Use FFmpeg for:
- Video encoding, conversion, transcoding
- Audio extraction, conversion, mixing
- Live streaming (RTMP, HLS, DASH)
- Video filters (scale, crop, rotate, overlay)
- Hardware-accelerated encoding
- Media file inspection (ffprobe)
- Frame extraction, concatenation
- Codec selection and optimization
ImageMagick: Image Processing
Use ImageMagick for:
- Image format conversion (PNG, JPEG, WebP, GIF)
- Resizing, cropping, transformations
- Batch image processing (mogrify)
- Visual effects (blur, sharpen, sepia)
- Text overlays and watermarks
- Image composition and montages
- Color adjustments, filters
- Thumbnail generation
Decision Matrix
| Task | Tool | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Video encoding | FFmpeg | Native video codec support |
| Audio extraction | FFmpeg | Direct stream manipulation |
| Image resize | ImageMagick | Optimized for still images |
| Batch images | ImageMagick | mogrify for in-place edits |
| Video thumbnails | FFmpeg | Frame extraction built-in |
| GIF creation | FFmpeg or ImageMagick | FFmpeg for video source, ImageMagick for images |
| Streaming | FFmpeg | Live streaming protocols |
| Image effects | ImageMagick | Rich filter library |
Installation
macOS
brew install ffmpeg imagemagick
Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt-get install ffmpeg imagemagick
Windows
# Using winget
winget install ffmpeg
winget install ImageMagick.ImageMagick
# Or download binaries
# FFmpeg: https://ffmpeg.org/download.html
# ImageMagick: https://imagemagick.org/script/download.php
Verify Installation
ffmpeg -version
ffprobe -version
magick -version
# or
convert -version
Quick Start Examples
Video Conversion
# Convert format (copy streams, fast)
ffmpeg -i input.mkv -c copy output.mp4
# Re-encode with H.264
ffmpeg -i input.avi -c:v libx264 -crf 22 -c:a aac output.mp4
# Resize video to 720p
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vf scale=-1:720 -c:a copy output.mp4
Audio Extraction
# Extract audio (no re-encoding)
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -vn -c:a copy audio.m4a
# Convert to MP3
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -vn -q:a 0 audio.mp3
Image Processing
# Convert format
magick input.png output.jpg
# Resize maintaining aspect ratio
magick input.jpg -resize 800x600 output.jpg
# Create square thumbnail
magick input.jpg -resize 200x200^ -gravity center -extent 200x200 thumb.jpg
Batch Image Resize
# Resize all JPEGs to 800px width
mogrify -resize 800x -quality 85 *.jpg
# Output to separate directory
mogrify -path ./output -resize 800x600 *.jpg
Video Thumbnail
# Extract frame at 5 seconds
ffmpeg -ss 00:00:05 -i video.mp4 -vframes 1 -vf scale=320:-1 thumb.jpg
HLS Streaming
# Generate HLS playlist
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 \
-c:v libx264 -preset fast -crf 22 -g 48 \
-c:a aac -b:a 128k \
-f hls -hls_time 6 -hls_playlist_type vod \
playlist.m3u8
Image Watermark
# Add watermark to corner
magick input.jpg watermark.png -gravity southeast \
-geometry +10+10 -composite output.jpg
Common Workflows
Optimize Video for Web
# H.264 with good compression
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 \
-c:v libx264 -preset slow -crf 23 \
-c:a aac -b:a 128k \
-movflags +faststart \
output.mp4
Create Responsive Images
# Generate multiple sizes
for size in 320 640 1024 1920; do
magick input.jpg -resize ${size}x -quality 85 "output-${size}w.jpg"
done
Extract Video Segment
# From 1:30 to 3:00 (re-encode for precision)
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -ss 00:01:30 -to 00:03:00 \
-c:v libx264 -c:a aac output.mp4
Batch Image Optimization
# Convert PNG to optimized JPEG
mogrify -path ./optimized -format jpg -quality 85 -strip *.png
Video GIF Creation
# High quality GIF with palette
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vf "fps=15,scale=640:-1:flags=lanczos,split[s0][s1];[s0]palettegen[p];[s1][p]paletteuse" output.gif
Image Blur Effect
# Gaussian blur
magick input.jpg -gaussian-blur 0x8 output.jpg
Advanced Techniques
Multi-Pass Video Encoding
# Pass 1 (analysis)
ffmpeg -y -i input.mkv -c:v libx264 -b:v 2600k -pass 1 -an -f null /dev/null
# Pass 2 (encoding)
ffmpeg -i input.mkv -c:v libx264 -b:v 2600k -pass 2 -c:a aac output.mp4
Hardware-Accelerated Encoding
# NVIDIA NVENC
ffmpeg -hwaccel cuda -i input.mp4 -c:v h264_nvenc -preset fast -crf 22 output.mp4
# Intel QuickSync
ffmpeg -hwaccel qsv -c:v h264_qsv -i input.mp4 -c:v h264_qsv output.mp4
Complex Image Pipeline
# Resize, crop, border, adjust
magick input.jpg \
-resize 1000x1000^ \
-gravity center \
-crop 1000x1000+0+0 +repage \
-bordercolor black -border 5x5 \
-brightness-contrast 5x10 \
-quality 90 \
output.jpg
Video Filter Chains
# Scale, denoise, watermark
ffmpeg -i video.mp4 -i logo.png \
-filter_complex "[0:v]scale=1280:720,hqdn3d[v];[v][1:v]overlay=10:10" \
-c:a copy output.mp4
Animated GIF from Images
# Create with delay
magick -delay 100 -loop 0 frame*.png animated.gif
# Optimize size
magick animated.gif -fuzz 5% -layers Optimize optimized.gif
Media Analysis
Inspect Video Properties
# Detailed JSON output
ffprobe -v quiet -print_format json -show_format -show_streams input.mp4
# Get resolution
ffprobe -v error -select_streams v:0 \
-show_entries stream=width,height \
-of csv=s=x:p=0 input.mp4
Image Information
# Basic info
identify image.jpg
# Detailed format
identify -verbose image.jpg
# Custom format
identify -format "%f: %wx%h %b\n" image.jpg
Performance Tips
- Use CRF for quality control - Better than bitrate for video
- Copy streams when possible - Avoid re-encoding with
-c copy - Hardware acceleration - GPU encoding 5-10x faster
- Appropriate presets - Balance speed vs compression
- Batch with mogrify - In-place image processing
- Strip metadata - Reduce file size with
-strip - Progressive JPEG - Better web loading with
-interlace Plane - Limit memory - Prevent crashes on large batches
- Test on samples - Verify settings before batch
- Parallel processing - Use GNU Parallel for multiple files
Reference Documentation
Detailed guides in references/:
- ffmpeg-encoding.md - Video/audio codecs, quality optimization, hardware acceleration
- ffmpeg-streaming.md - HLS/DASH, live streaming, adaptive bitrate
- ffmpeg-filters.md - Video/audio filters, complex filtergraphs
- imagemagick-editing.md - Format conversion, effects, transformations
- imagemagick-batch.md - Batch processing, mogrify, parallel operations
- format-compatibility.md - Format support, codec recommendations
Common Parameters
FFmpeg Video
-c:v- Video codec (libx264, libx265, libvpx-vp9)-crf- Quality (0-51, lower=better, 23=default)-preset- Speed/compression (ultrafast to veryslow)-b:v- Video bitrate (e.g., 2M, 2500k)-vf- Video filters
FFmpeg Audio
-c:a- Audio codec (aac, mp3, opus)-b:a- Audio bitrate (e.g., 128k, 192k)-ar- Sample rate (44100, 48000)
ImageMagick Geometry
800x600- Fit within (maintains aspect)800x600!- Force exact size800x600^- Fill (may crop)800x- Width onlyx600- Height only50%- Scale percentage
Troubleshooting
FFmpeg "Unknown encoder"
# Check available encoders
ffmpeg -encoders | grep h264
# Install codec libraries
sudo apt-get install libx264-dev libx265-dev
ImageMagick "not authorized"
# Edit policy file
sudo nano /etc/ImageMagick-7/policy.xml
# Change <policy domain="coder" rights="none" pattern="PDF" />
# to <policy domain="coder" rights="read|write" pattern="PDF" />
Memory errors
# Limit memory usage
ffmpeg -threads 4 input.mp4 output.mp4
magick -limit memory 2GB -limit map 4GB input.jpg output.jpg
Resources
- FFmpeg: https://ffmpeg.org/documentation.html
- FFmpeg Wiki: https://trac.ffmpeg.org/
- ImageMagick: https://imagemagick.org/
- ImageMagick Usage: https://imagemagick.org/Usage/
FAQ
What does the media-processing skill do?
Video/audio/image processing with FFmpeg and ImageMagick. Tools: FFmpeg (video/audio), ImageMagick (images). Capabilities: format conversion, encoding (H.264/H.265/VP9/AV1), streaming (HLS/DASH), filters, effects, thumbnails, watermarks, batch processing, hardware acceleration (NVENC/QSV). Actions: convert, encode, resize, crop, compress, extract, merge, stream, transcode media. Keywords: FFmpeg, ImageMagick, video encoding, audio extraction, image resize, thumbnail, watermark, HLS, DASH, H.264, H.265, VP9, AV1, codec, bitrate, framerate, resolution, aspect ratio, filter, overlay, concat, trim, fade, batch processing. Use when: converting video/audio formats, encoding with specific codecs, generating thumbnails, creating streaming manifests, extracting audio from video, batch processing images, adding watermarks, optimizing file sizes.
How do I install media-processing?
Run npx skills add https://github.com/samhvw8/dotfiles --skill media-processing in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/media-processing/ (personal) or .claude/skills/media-processing/ (project).
Which AI agents can use media-processing?
Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.
Is media-processing safe to install?
No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.
Who maintains media-processing?
It is published by samhvw8 in samhvw8/dotfiles. It has 49 recorded installs.
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