ffmpeg
ffmpeg python package url [https://github.com/jiashaokun/ffmpeg]
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
No. The package is abandoned (last release October 2018) and has no Python runtime dependencies to insulate it from FFmpeg API drift. Unless you are working with an old, fixed FFmpeg version and can patch the package yourself, you should use a maintained FFmpeg wrapper or call FFmpeg directly via subprocess. The high install friction combined with zero maintenance makes this a liability rather than a convenience.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- FFmpeg 3.0+ and FFprobe 3.0+ must be installed as system binaries and available in PATH before this package can function.
- Installation requires FFmpeg 3.0+ and FFprobe 3.0+ as system dependencies before the package can be used.
- The package has been abandoned since October 2018 with no maintenance for an extended period, so expect no bug fixes or compatibility updates for modern Python or FFmpeg versions.
License · maintenance · safety
MIT Licence (permissive) — Licensed under MIT Licence (permissive), allowing free use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions.
last release 2018-10-08 (2867 days) · last repo commit 2022-07-28 · 119 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 454,903 downloads/mo, #6,564 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
# Install: requires FFmpeg 3.0+ and FFprobe 3.0+ system binaries first
pip install ffmpeg
from ffmpeg import video
input_file = "demo.mp4"
out_file = "demo_out.mp4"
img_data = [{"img": "demo1.png", "x": "", "y": "", "str_time": "5", "end_time": "15"}]
video.ins_img(input_file, img_data, out_file)- Whether the package actually works with FFmpeg versions significantly newer than 3.0, given the long abandonment period
- Compatibility with Python versions beyond 3.0, since the fact sheet does not specify which modern versions are tested
- Whether GPU acceleration features (mentioned for Mac and NVIDIA) remain functional or require additional setup
What it is and what it does
This package provides a Python interface to FFmpeg and FFprobe, letting you programmatically perform video and image operations without writing raw command-line calls. It handles tasks like inserting static images or animated GIFs into videos at specific timestamps and coordinates, converting image sequences into video files, and overlaying text watermarks. The package offers both simple function calls for common operations and a fluent Stream API for chaining multiple transformations together.
The package depends entirely on external FFmpeg and FFprobe binaries installed on your system—it has no Python runtime dependencies. However, it has been unmaintained since October 2018, meaning it may not work reliably with current FFmpeg versions, modern Python releases, or GPU acceleration features without manual fixes.
Use it for
- Insert multiple images or GIFs into a video at specific times and screen positions
- Convert a numbered sequence of image files into a video file with a specified duration
- Add text watermarks to videos with custom fonts, colors, and time ranges
- Chain multiple video transformations (images, animations, subtitles, watermarks) in one operation
- Enable GPU-accelerated video encoding on Mac or NVIDIA systems to speed up processing
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
No.
The package is abandoned (last release October 2018) and has no Python runtime dependencies to insulate it from FFmpeg API drift. Unless you are working with an old, fixed FFmpeg version and can patch the package yourself, you should use a maintained FFmpeg wrapper or call FFmpeg directly via subprocess. The high install friction combined with zero maintenance makes this a liability rather than a convenience.
Install
ffmpeg on PyPI
Before you install
Installation requires FFmpeg 3.0+ and FFprobe 3.0+ as system dependencies before the package can be used. The package has been abandoned since October 2018 with no maintenance for an extended period, so expect no bug fixes or compatibility updates for modern Python or FFmpeg versions.
FFmpeg 3.0+ and FFprobe 3.0+ must be installed as system binaries and available in PATH before this package can function.
License in practice
Licensed under MIT Licence (permissive), allowing free use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions.
Quickstart
# Install: requires FFmpeg 3.0+ and FFprobe 3.0+ system binaries first
pip install ffmpeg
from ffmpeg import video
input_file = "demo.mp4"
out_file = "demo_out.mp4"
img_data = [{"img": "demo1.png", "x": "", "y": "", "str_time": "5", "end_time": "15"}]
video.ins_img(input_file, img_data, out_file)Verify before relying
- Whether the package actually works with FFmpeg versions significantly newer than 3.0, given the long abandonment period
- Compatibility with Python versions beyond 3.0, since the fact sheet does not specify which modern versions are tested
- Whether GPU acceleration features (mentioned for Mac and NVIDIA) remain functional or require additional setup
Package facts
| License | MIT Licence permissive |
| Python support | Not specified |
| Install friction | High. Source build required |
| Runtime dependencies | None |
| Maintenance | Abandoned 2,867 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 454,903 / month, #6,564 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
Evidence: ffmpeg-1.4.tar.gz
Tags
Let your AI agent find packages like this
Example. Real query, live index.
You found this page by searching. An agent finds it by wishing: SkillFed indexes 14,416 PyPI packages by what they can do, searchable in plain language.
wish › “insert images into video”
- ffmpegWraps FFmpeg and FFprobe command-line tools to programmatically…
- moviepyMoviePy is a Python library for video editing that reads, processes,…
- fillpdfFills, flattens, and manipulates PDF forms by reading form fields,…
Give your agent the search over MCP, or paste the wish link into any chat.
More Graphics packages
Pillow adds image processing capabilities to Python, providing file format support, efficient pixel data handling, and image manipulation operations.
Install it if you need to work with images in Python—it is the de facto standard for this task.
fonttools manipulates font files in multiple formats (TrueType, OpenType, AFM, Type 1, Mac-specific) and includes TTX, a tool to convert fonts to and from XML text format.
Install it if you need to read, write, or manipulate fonts programmatically or via the TTX command-line tool.
Enables matplotlib figures to display inline directly within Jupyter notebooks and IPython environments instead of in separate windows.
PyMuPDF extracts, renders, converts, and manipulates PDF and other document formats (XPS, EPUB, images, Office files via Pro) with high performance, providing text, tables, images, and metadata with precise layout information.
The AGPL license requires careful review if you are building proprietary software—commercial licensing is available from Artifex.
pypdfium2 is a Python binding to PDFium that enables PDF rendering, inspection, manipulation, and creation through a ctypes interface to Google's PDFium library.
Install it if you need PDF rendering, inspection, or manipulation in Python; the medium install friction is offset by comprehensive platform support.
Altair is a declarative Python library for creating interactive statistical visualizations by writing simple, readable code that compiles to Vega-Lite specifications.
See also ffmpy · static-ffmpeg · ffmpeg-python · moviepy · ha-ffmpeg · imageio-ffmpeg · typed-ffmpeg · torchcodec · knowit · mediapy