<p>As for FFmpeg see <a href="http://ffmpeg.org/faq.html#How-do-I-encode-single-pictures-into-movies_003f" rel="nofollow noreferrer">How do I encode single pictures into movies?</a> Additional info:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>Use a recent ffmpeg build. Development is very active and <a href="http://ffmpeg.org/ffmpeg.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">online
documentation</a> corresponds to recent FFmpeg code. Windows users
can acquire it from <a href="http://ffmpeg.zeranoe.com/builds/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Zeranoe FFmpeg builds</a>.</p></li>
<li><p>Declare your frame rate (<code>-framerate</code> option) as an input option. The output
will then use this same frame rate, or you can declare both an input
and output frame rate with <code>-r</code>; for example if you need to read the input
frames at a certain fps and need a standard output rate. Note that
frames will simply be dropped or duplicated for non-matching input
and output frame rates. Default is <code>-framerate 25</code> if you do omit this option.</p></li>
<li><p>Additional streams (audio, video, subtitle, etc) are easy to add, and a complete command may look like:</p>

<pre><code>ffmpeg -framerate 24 -pattern_type glob -i 'frames*.png' -i audio.aac -c:v libx264 -c:a copy -preset slower -crf 23 -movflags +faststart output.mp4
</code></pre></li>
<li><p>See <a href="https://superuser.com/a/523164/110524">Using ffmpeg with decimal wildcard</a> for additional image to video examples, and <a href="https://ffmpeg.org/trac/ffmpeg/wiki/x264EncodingGuide" rel="nofollow noreferrer">FFmpeg Wiki: H.264 Encoding Guide</a> and <a href="https://ffmpeg.org/trac/ffmpeg/wiki/AACEncodingGuide" rel="nofollow noreferrer">FFmpeg Wiki: AAC Encoding Guide</a> to get a good quality output.</p></li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-01-15T10:25:51.997Z
Probably good to use much higher than default quality for temp files you're going to feed to a NLE before making a final encode to publish.
Peter Cordes
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-01-15T17:28:48.157Z
@PeterCordes Good point, but I didn't see a reference to a NLE in the question, but if that's what the file is going to be used in then I recommend a compressed lossless format such as [UT Video](http://umezawa.dyndns.info/archive/utvideo/?C=M;O=D). `ffmpeg` can natively decode and encode it, and Premiere can after UT Video is installed.
llogan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-01-15T18:29:47.070Z
How's support for lossless h.264 in the non-ffmpeg world of commercial software?  I'm working on a question+answer about good lossless formats for this job, with some benchmark tests.  So far lossless x264 and utvideo are the two good choices, as I suggested in my answer to this question.
Peter Cordes
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-01-15T18:48:26.817Z
@PeterCordes I'm not sure about the current situation. I haven't tested it in a NLE for ages and will be unable to do so for at least 10 days because of travel.
llogan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-01-16T20:08:57.743Z
2015-01-15T18:54:22.240Z
2017-03-20T10:04:28.637Z
llogan
<p>Here are some options:</p>

<ul>
<li><strong>VirtualDub</strong> can join still images to videos. Just select the first
image, choose a compression, and save the video. That's some mouse
clicks per folder, but no automatic batch procession. </li>
<li><strong>FFmpeg</strong> can do the same, but you need to write a command line for
each folder, which can then be automatically batch processed.</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-01-16T14:31:32.837Z
2013-01-16T14:31:32.837Z
Fred42vid
<p>In the special case of jpeg input, you can do it losslessly by just muxing the data into an MJPEG stream, saving huge amounts of CPU time.</p>

<p><a href="https://video.stackexchange.com/questions/7903/ffmpeg-how-to-losslessly-encode-many-jpg-images-to-a-video/14575#14575">How to losslessly encode a jpg image sequence to a video in ffmpeg?</a></p>

<p>You're probably doing some kind of video editting on the results, so don't skimp on the quality of the files you make.  Prob. best to use lossless x264 (<code>ffmpeg -i input -c:v libx264rgb -preset ultrafast -qp 0</code>), or utvideo, for your non-jpeg inputs.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-01-15T10:25:05.330Z
2015-01-15T10:25:05.330Z
2017-04-13T12:46:08.110Z
Peter Cordes
<p>To expand upon Fred42vid's answer (I won't go into VirtualDub since 1. I don't know it and 2. it's a GUI tool, and so should be relatively easy to use): if the images are named image001.jpg, image002.jpg, etc, you can use ffmpeg like so:</p>

<pre><code>ffmpeg -f image2 -r 16 -i image%03d.jpg -c:v libx264 output.mp4
</code></pre>

<p>Control the number of images per second by changing <code>-r 16</code>: as it is, that will give you 16 images per second (film uses 24 fps, PAL video uses 25, NTSC uses 29.97).</p>

<p><code>%03d</code>means that ffmpeg will look for incremental images, starting at 001 and going up to 999. <code>%02d</code> would get you 01-99.</p>

<p>If you don't have the files named in this way, you can use the following:</p>

<pre><code>ffmpeg -f image2 -pattern_type glob -r 16 -i '*.jpg' -c:v libx264 output.mp4
</code></pre>

<p>This will input the jpg files in alphanumeric order.</p>

<p>For information about encoding the video with x264, <a href="https://ffmpeg.org/trac/ffmpeg/wiki/x264EncodingGuide" rel="nofollow">see this guide</a>.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-01-16T22:15:55.033Z
2013-01-16T22:15:55.033Z
evilsoup
<p>I’m new at video editing… and hoping someone can direct me to the best software for my needs.</p>

<p>Running on windows OS. I need to build a video from frames in tga format, convert them in different formats like .mov or .avi and sometimes with different compressions types (none, animation, jpeg). </p>

<p>I also need to be able to set the frame rate and add an audio track.</p>

<p>The software I’m looking for should be able to batch process the jobs as I have many frames in different scenes/folders.</p>

<p>From the reading I’ve been doing I would say virtualdub is the way to go but would like to know what other alternatives are out there.</p>

<p>Hoping I can gain I little more insight here.</p>

<p>Thanks. </p>

<video><editing>
Batch processing individual frames into video
Matthieu
# Batch processing individual frames into video

(Asked by: username_0 on 2012-08-28)

I’m new at video editing… and hoping someone can direct me to the best software for my needs.

Running on windows OS. I need to build a video from frames in tga format, convert them in different formats like .mov or .avi and sometimes with different compressions types (none, animation, jpeg).

I also need to be able to set the frame rate and add an audio track.

The software I’m looking for should be able to batch process the jobs as I have many frames in different scenes/folders.

From the reading I’ve been doing I would say virtualdub is the way to go but would like to know what other alternatives are out there.

Hoping I can gain I little more insight here.

Thanks.

**Tags:** video, editing


---

## 4 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2013-01-16. Score: 3

As for FFmpeg see How do I encode single pictures into movies? Additional info:

Use a recent ffmpeg build. Development is very active and online
documentation corresponds to recent FFmpeg code. Windows users
can acquire it from Zeranoe FFmpeg builds.
Declare your frame rate (-framerate option) as an input option. The output
will then use this same frame rate, or you can declare both an input
and output frame rate with -r; for example if you need to read the input
frames at a certain fps and need a standard output rate. Note that
frames will simply be dropped or duplicated for non-matching input
and output frame rates. Default is -framerate 25 if you do omit this option.
Additional streams (audio, video, subtitle, etc) are easy to add, and a complete command may look like:
ffmpeg -framerate 24 -pattern_type glob -i 'frames*.png' -i audio.aac -c:v libx264 -c:a copy -preset slower -crf 23 -movflags +faststart output.mp4

See Using ffmpeg with decimal wildcard for additional image to video examples, and FFmpeg Wiki: H.264 Encoding Guide and FFmpeg Wiki: AAC Encoding Guide to get a good quality output.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: Probably good to use much higher than default quality for temp files you're going to feed to a NLE before making a final encode to publish.  
> **username_1**: @PeterCordes Good point, but I didn't see a reference to a NLE in the question, but if that's what the file is going to be used in then I recommend a compressed lossless format such as [UT Video](http://umezawa.dyndns.info/archive/utvideo/?C=M;O=D). `ffmpeg` can natively decode and encode it, and Premiere can after UT Video is installed.  
> **username_2**: How's support for lossless h.264 in the non-ffmpeg world of commercial software?  I'm working on a question+answer about good lossless formats for this job, with some benchmark tests.  So far lossless x264 and utvideo are the two good choices, as I suggested in my answer to this question.  
> **username_1**: @PeterCordes I'm not sure about the current situation. I haven't tested it in a NLE for ages and will be unable to do so for at least 10 days because of travel.  

---

### Answer by username_3 on 2013-01-16. Score: 3

Here are some options:

* **VirtualDub** can join still images to videos. Just select the first
  image, choose a compression, and save the video. That's some mouse
  clicks per folder, but no automatic batch procession.
* **FFmpeg** can do the same, but you need to write a command line for
  each folder, which can then be automatically batch processed.


---

### Answer by username_2 on 2015-01-15. Score: 2

In the special case of jpeg input, you can do it losslessly by just muxing the data into an MJPEG stream, saving huge amounts of CPU time.

[How to losslessly encode a jpg image sequence to a video in ffmpeg?](https://video.stackexchange.com/questions/7903/ffmpeg-how-to-losslessly-encode-many-jpg-images-to-a-video/14575#14575)

You're probably doing some kind of video editting on the results, so don't skimp on the quality of the files you make. Prob. best to use lossless x264 (`ffmpeg -i input -c:v libx264rgb -preset ultrafast -qp 0`), or utvideo, for your non-jpeg inputs.


---

### Answer by username_4 on 2013-01-16. Score: 1

To expand upon username_3's answer (I won't go into VirtualDub since 1. I don't know it and 2. it's a GUI tool, and so should be relatively easy to use): if the images are named image001.jpg, image002.jpg, etc, you can use ffmpeg like so:
ffmpeg -f image2 -r 16 -i image%03d.jpg -c:v libx264 output.mp4

Control the number of images per second by changing -r 16: as it is, that will give you 16 images per second (film uses 24 fps, PAL video uses 25, NTSC uses 29.97).
%03dmeans that ffmpeg will look for incremental images, starting at 001 and going up to 999. %02d would get you 01-99.
If you don't have the files named in this way, you can use the following:
ffmpeg -f image2 -pattern_type glob -r 16 -i '*.jpg' -c:v libx264 output.mp4

This will input the jpg files in alphanumeric order.
For information about encoding the video with x264, see this guide.


---

