How to Keep All Video Metadata with FFmpeg

Video metadata includes information such as the title, author, date, and other details about a video file. It is essential to keep this metadata intact, especially if you are working with a large collection of videos or if you need to transfer them to different devices or platforms. FFmpeg is a powerful command-line tool that allows you to manipulate video files, including preserving their metadata. In this article, we will guide you through the process of using FFmpeg to keep all video metadata.

Step 1: Installing FFmpeg

Before we can start preserving video metadata, we need to install FFmpeg on our computer. FFmpeg is available for various operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux. Here are the steps to install FFmpeg:

1. Visit the official FFmpeg website at https://ffmpeg.org/.
2. Download the appropriate version of FFmpeg for your operating system.
3. Follow the installation instructions provided for your operating system.

Once FFmpeg is successfully installed, we can proceed to the next step.

Step 2: Preserving Video Metadata

Preserving video metadata with FFmpeg is a straightforward process. Open your command-line interface (such as Command Prompt on Windows or Terminal on macOS and Linux) and navigate to the location of your video file.

Now, let's assume that your video file is named "example.mp4". To preserve the metadata, use the following FFmpeg command:

Let's break down this command:

• ffmpeg: The command to invoke FFmpeg.
• -i example.mp4: Specifies the input file (replace "example.mp4" with the name of your video file).
• -c copy: Copies the video and audio streams without re-encoding them.
• -map_metadata 0: Maps the metadata from the first input (in this case, the video file) to the output file.
• output.mp4: Specifies the name of the output file (replace "output.mp4" with your desired file name).

After executing the command, FFmpeg will create a new video file with the preserved metadata.

Step 3: Verifying Metadata Preservation

To verify that the video metadata has been preserved, we can use FFprobe, a part of the FFmpeg suite that provides detailed information about multimedia files.

Open your command-line interface and navigate to the location of the output video file (e.g., "output.mp4"). Then, run the following command:

This command will display comprehensive information about the video file, including its metadata. Look for the metadata fields such as "title," "author," or "creation_time" to ensure that the metadata has been successfully preserved.

Conclusion

Preserving video metadata is crucial for managing and sharing video files effectively. With FFmpeg, you can easily keep all video metadata intact when working with your video collection. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can ensure that your videos retain their valuable metadata throughout various processes.

References

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