View Full Version : Visually edit your FFmpeg command-line


TomV
17th June 2026, 17:58
FFmpeg is the undisputed king of media processing frameworks, but the command-line syntax can be complicated and difficult for humans to understand. All FFmpeg jobs are really a graph, connecting nodes that are the libraries that do the actual work (open source files, demux, decode, filter, encode, etc.). Until now, you would have to visualize how that graph is constructed in your head.
I redesigned the interface and media orchestration layers of FFmpeg in a new open-source project (same LGPL license) called MediaMolder. I can't offer binary builds (for obvious reasons), but it's relatively easy to clone and build (especially on MacOS). It runs the same libav* libraries that FFmpeg runs. It has a GUI that launches from the binary build into your default browser. You can import your FFmpeg command-line string, visualizing the media processing graph. You can build a graph, dragging nodes (inputs, encoders, filters, etc.) from a pallet. Click on a node to edit its properties. Nodes are "wired" from output of an upstream node to the input of the next node by dragging from audio, video, subtitle or data pads on the nodes. Mouse over this wire (edge) to see the format of the content flowing across that edge. Validate your job, and run it in the GUI. When you're happy with it, you can export it to the equivalent FFmpeg command line. Note that MediaMolder jobs are defined in JSON files, which will also store media file properties and your graph layout (if you used the GUI to create them).
https://github.com/MediaMolder/mediamolder

Feedback and contributions are welcomed.

Z2697
19th June 2026, 18:26
This looks interesting, but I have a question, is the browser GUI like electron, or a web UI (the kind that binds a port and can be accessed via regular browser)?
I'd assume (and prefer) the latter?

TomV
19th June 2026, 22:12
This looks interesting, but I have a question, is the browser GUI like electron, or a web UI (the kind that binds a port and can be accessed via regular browser)?
I'd assume (and prefer) the latter?
It's Go code, so it compiles to a local binary. You can build it with or without the front-end GUI code. See https://github.com/MediaMolder/mediamolder/blob/main/docs/build-and-packaging.md

If you've built the binary with the front-end, you can then launch the binary with...
./mediamolder gui (on a Mac)
and the binary becomes a web server that launches a web page in your default browser (127.0.0.1:8080/ by default). It's a React GUI that communicates with the binary through a REST API.

v0lt
21st June 2026, 06:35
Is there a ready-made solution? So the user can simply download, unzip the archive (or install the app using the installer), and launch MediaMolder.

TomV
22nd June 2026, 20:03
Is there a ready-made solution? So the user can simply download, unzip the archive (or install the app using the installer), and launch MediaMolder.

Not at this time, due to patent licensing issues. To offer a ready-made application, I would have to sign up for a number of patent licenses, and I would have to replace some of the open-source codec libraries that power MediaMolder with licensed, commercial versions.

Z2697
23rd June 2026, 04:52
Wait, why?
Pre-built FFmpeg(-related) binaries are like everywhere.

Or you can dynamically link to FFmpeg, and provide the core (shell?) only.

TomV
23rd June 2026, 05:40
Wait, why?
Pre-built FFmpeg(-related) binaries are like everywhere.

Or you can dynamically link to FFmpeg, and provide the core (shell?) only.

MediaMolder is a replacement for FFmpeg. MediaMolder links to the same libav libraries that FFmpeg uses.

People who host binary builds of FFmpeg risk patent infringement lawsuits, depending on where they host these builds. I live in the US, and I'm well aware of the issues. They were the bane of my existence when I was running the x265 project. I spent years working to convince patent pools to bring sanity to their license terms, and I was partially successful.

MediaMolder is very easy to build on a Mac. It's a bit more work on Windows, but if you're patient and you follow the Windows build instructions, you can do it.

MediaMolder has a ton of features that go far beyond what FFmpeg offers...

Pre-run validation - Static + probe-assisted, one-click auto-fix
Live observability - Per-node metrics, Prometheus, OTEL, live terminal
Real-time adaptive controller - Full adaptive loop (threads + presets + frame drop + jitter buffers)
Extensibility - Pure Go Processor interface
Video sequence editor - Multi-track timeline node — cuts, transitions, audio crossfades
Hardware acceleration - Probed, auto-mapped, safe across platforms Remote & distributed execution - Same JSON runs locally, on a remote GPU server, or across a fault-tolerant cluster

Plus, integration with...
Whisper AI speech to text
YOLOv8 AI object detection and classification
Vidi 2.5 AI video understanding
TwelveLabs AI video understanding


https://github.com/MediaMolder/mediamolder/blob/main/docs/images/real-time-controller.png

Blue_MiSfit
7th July 2026, 04:40
Thanks for sharing, Tom!