n8n-nodes-ffmpeg-studio

v1.0.0

Published

3 days ago

Production-grade n8n community nodes for FFmpeg video/audio processing. 80+ operations — far more powerful than Fal.ai FFmpeg API.

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arielletolome

n8n-community-node-package n8n ffmpeg video audio video-processing audio-processing media transcoding trim merge convert encode

n8n-nodes-ffmpeg

Production-grade n8n community nodes for FFmpeg video/audio processing. More powerful and feature-rich than Fal.ai's FFmpeg API — 80+ operations across 4 nodes.

Features

| Node | Operations | Key Capabilities | |------|-----------|-----------------| | FFmpeg Video | 28 | Trim, merge, convert, scale, crop, rotate, watermark, PiP, subtitles, GIF, slideshow, custom command | | FFmpeg Audio | 16 | Normalize, mix, compressor, equalizer, pitch shift, stereo-to-mono, channel mapping, generate tones | | FFmpeg Analyze | 10 | Metadata, scene detection, silence detection, sprite sheets, waveform video, subtitle extraction | | FFmpeg Advanced | 20 | LUT grading, chroma key, stabilize, HLS, DASH, color curves, slow motion, motion blur, smart crop |

Requirements

FFmpeg installed and in your system PATH
- macOS: brew install ffmpeg
- Ubuntu/Debian: sudo apt install ffmpeg
- Windows: download from ffmpeg.org
Node.js >= 18.0.0
n8n (self-hosted)

Optional FFmpeg features (require specific build flags):
Video stabilization → --enable-libvidstab
H.265/HEVC → --enable-libx265
AV1 encoding → --enable-libsvtav1
VP9 → --enable-libvpx

Installation

Via n8n Community Nodes UI

Open n8n → Settings → Community Nodes
Click Install a community node
Enter n8n-nodes-ffmpeg-studio
Click Install

Via npm

cd ~/.n8n/custom   # or your custom extensions path
npm install n8n-nodes-ffmpeg

Then restart n8n.

Node Reference

FFmpeg Video

The main workhorse node with 28 operations for video editing.

Trim / Cut

Cut a video to a specific time range.

| Field | Example | Notes | |-------|---------|-------| | Input Video | /home/user/input.mp4 or https://... | Path or URL | | Start Time | 00:00:10 or 10.5 | HH:MM:SS or seconds | | End Time | 00:00:30 | Leave empty to use Duration | | Duration | 20 | Only used if End Time is empty |

FFmpeg equivalent:

ffmpeg -ss 10 -i input.mp4 -to 30 -vcodec libx264 -acodec aac output.mp4

Merge / Concatenate

Join multiple videos end-to-end using concat demuxer.

| Field | Example | |-------|---------| | Input Videos (one per line) | /path/clip1.mp4/path/clip2.mp4https://cdn.example.com/clip3.mp4 |

Note: Videos should have the same codec, resolution, and framerate for best results. Use "Convert Format" on each clip first if they differ.

Convert Format

Change container or codec without changing content.

| Field | Options | |-------|---------| | Output Format | MP4, MOV, WebM, AVI, MKV | | Video Codec | H.264 (libx264), H.265 (libx265), VP9 (libvpx-vp9), AV1 (libsvtav1), Copy | | Audio Codec | AAC, MP3, Opus, Copy, None | | CRF Quality | 0–51 (18=high quality, 28=smaller file) |

Scale / Resize

Change video dimensions with common presets or custom size.

| Preset | Resolution | |--------|-----------| | 3840×2160 (4K UHD) | 3840×2160 | | 1920×1080 (Full HD) | 1920×1080 | | 1280×720 (HD) | 1280×720 | | 854×480 (SD) | 854×480 | | 1080×1920 (9:16 Portrait) | 1080×1920 | | 1080×1080 (Square) | 1080×1080 | | Custom | Enter W×H |

Use -1 for width or height to maintain aspect ratio. E.g., 1280:-1 scales width to 1280 and height proportionally.

Crop

Extract a rectangular region from the video.

| Field | Example | Description | |-------|---------|-------------| | Crop Width | 640 or iw/2 | Supports FFmpeg expressions | | Crop Height | 360 or ih/2 | | | Crop X | 320 or (iw-640)/2 | Left offset (default centers) | | Crop Y | 180 or (ih-360)/2 | Top offset |

Overlay Image (Watermark)

Overlay an image, logo, or watermark on video.

| Field | Example | |-------|---------| | Overlay Image | /path/to/logo.png | | Position | Top-Left, Top-Right, Bottom-Right, Bottom-Left, Center, Custom | | Opacity | 0.8 (0=transparent, 1=opaque) | | Scale (% of video width) | 15 (makes overlay 15% of video width) | | Start Time (s) | 5 | | End Time (s) | 25 (0 = always visible) |

FFmpeg equivalent:

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -i logo.png \
  -filter_complex "[1:v]scale=iw*0.15:-1[logo];[0:v][logo]overlay=W-w-10:H-h-10:enable='between(t,5,25)'" \
  output.mp4

Burn Text (drawtext)

Render text directly onto the video using the drawtext filter.

| Field | Example | |-------|---------| | Text | Hello World or %{pts\\:hms} (timecode) | | Font Size | 48 | | Font Color | white or #FF0000 | | Position | (W-tw)/2:(H-th)/2 (centered) | | Background Box | Enable for readability |

Common expressions:

%{pts\:hms} — current timecode
%{frame_num} — frame number
(W-tw)/2 — horizontally centered
H-th-20 — 20px from bottom

Crossfade / Xfade

Apply a transition effect between two video clips.

| Effect | Description | |--------|-------------| | fade | Simple opacity fade | | wipeleft / wiperight / wipeup / wipedown | Wipe transition | | slideleft / slideright | Slide transition | | circlecrop | Circle crop reveal | | radial | Radial wipe | | smoothleft / smoothright | Smooth slide | | hblur | Horizontal motion blur |

| Field | Example | |-------|---------| | Input Videos (2 clips) | /path/clip1.mp4/path/clip2.mp4 | | Xfade Effect | fade | | Crossfade Duration (s) | 0.5 | | Offset (s) | 3.5 (when first clip transition starts) |

Create Slideshow

Combine a set of images into a video with optional audio.

| Field | Example | |-------|---------| | Input Images (one per line) | /images/frame01.jpg/images/frame02.jpg | | Duration Per Image (s) | 3 | | Slideshow Audio | /music/background.mp3 (optional) | | Fade Between Images | Enable for smooth transitions |

FFmpeg Audio

Normalize (Loudnorm EBU R128)

Normalize audio to broadcast standards.

| Field | Default | Description | |-------|---------|-------------| | Target Integrated Loudness (I) | -16 LUFS | -23 for broadcast, -14 for streaming | | True Peak (TP) | -1.5 dBTP | Maximum true peak | | LRA Range | 11 LU | Loudness range |

Use case: Normalize podcast audio before publishing, normalize ad audio for Meta/Google Ads.

Remove Silence

Strip silent sections from audio automatically.

| Field | Example | Description | |-------|---------|-------------| | Silence Threshold (dB) | -50 | Audio below this level is silence | | Minimum Silence Duration (s) | 0.5 | Shorter gaps are kept | | Keep Edges | false | Preserve leading/trailing silence |

Use case: Remove dead air from podcast recordings, tighten interview audio.

Change Speed

Speed up or slow down audio.

| Field | Example | Notes | |-------|---------|-------| | Speed Factor | 1.5 | 1.5 = 50% faster, 0.5 = half speed |

Range: 0.125× to 8×. Automatically chains atempo filters for values outside 0.5–2.0.

Mix Audio Tracks

Combine multiple audio streams using amix.

| Field | Example | |-------|---------| | Input Files (one per line) | /audio/voice.mp3/audio/music.mp3 |

Audio levels are not normalized by default — adjust volumes first using the Adjust Volume operation.

FFmpeg Analyze

Get Metadata

Extract technical metadata from any video or audio file.

Output JSON example:

{
  "format": "mp4",
  "duration": "125.3",
  "bit_rate": "4200000",
  "video_codec": "h264",
  "width": 1920,
  "height": 1080,
  "fps": "29.97",
  "audio_codec": "aac",
  "audio_sample_rate": "44100",
  "audio_channels": 2
}

Detect Scene Changes

Find cut points in a video using the scdet filter.

| Field | Default | Description | |-------|---------|-------------| | Threshold | 10 | Lower = more sensitive (0–100) |

Output: Array of scene change timestamps in seconds.

Use case: Auto-chaptering, splitting a long video at natural cut points.

Generate Sprite Sheet

Create a thumbnail preview grid (like YouTube's scrubber preview).

| Field | Example | |-------|---------| | Frame Interval (s) | 5 (one thumb every 5 seconds) | | Tile Width (px) | 160 | | Tile Height (px) | 90 | | Columns | 10 |

FFmpeg Advanced

Apply LUT (Color Grading)

Apply a .cube color lookup table for cinematic color grading.

| Field | Example | Notes | |-------|---------|-------| | LUT File Path | /luts/cinematic.cube | Must be a .cube format file | | LUT Strength | 0.8 | 0=original, 1=full LUT |

Popular free LUT sources: Lutify.me, RocketStock, Ground Control

Chroma Key (Green Screen)

Remove a background color and optionally replace with another video/image.

| Field | Example | Description | |-------|---------|-------------| | Chroma Key Color | 0x00ff00 | Green screen | | Similarity Threshold | 0.1 | 0.01=strict, 0.3=loose | | Blend Amount | 0.05 | Edge feathering | | Background File | /bg/office.jpg | Optional replacement background |

Output format: If no background is provided, output is WebM (VP9) with transparency (YUVA420). If a background is provided, output is MP4.

Blur Region (Mosaic/Redact)

Pixelate a rectangular region for privacy/redaction.

| Field | Example | Description | |-------|---------|-------------| | Region X | 240 | Left edge of region | | Region Y | 120 | Top edge of region | | Region Width | 200 | Width of region | | Region Height | 150 | Height of region | | Blur Intensity | 15 | Higher = more pixelated |

Use case: Blur faces for GDPR compliance, redact license plates, hide UI elements.

Deinterlace

Remove interlacing from broadcast or legacy video.

| Field | Options | |-------|---------| | Mode | Send Frame (same fps), Send Field (2× fps) | | Parity | Auto-detect, Top Field First, Bottom Field First |

Use case: Processing cable TV recordings, converting interlaced broadcast footage.

Ken Burns / Zoom Pan

Create an animated zoom-and-pan effect on a still image or video.

| Field | Example | Description | |-------|---------|-------------| | Zoom Start | 1.0 | 1.0 = original size | | Zoom End | 1.5 | 1.5 = 50% zoomed in | | Pan Direction | Left to Right | 7 options | | Output Width | 1920 | | | Output Height | 1080 | | | Output FPS | 25 | |

Use case: Documentary-style animation of photos, social media content from static images.

Time-lapse

Create a time-lapse by sampling frames at regular intervals.

| Field | Example | Description | |-------|---------|-------------| | Frame Interval | 30 | Keep 1 frame every 30 → 30× speed | | Output FPS | 30 | Frame rate of output |

Examples:

interval=10, fps=30 → 10× speed (10 minutes = 1 minute output)
interval=300, fps=24 → 300× speed (5 hours = 1 minute output)

HLS Segmentation

Segment video for HTTP Live Streaming (HLS).

| Field | Example | |-------|---------| | Segment Duration (s) | 6 | | Output Directory | /var/www/html/stream/ | | Playlist Name | playlist.m3u8 |

Output: playlist.m3u8 + segment_000.ts, segment_001.ts, ...

Note: Serve the output directory via a web server (nginx, Apache, S3, Cloudflare). HLS requires HTTP/HTTPS.

DASH Packaging

Package video for MPEG-DASH adaptive streaming.

| Field | Example | |-------|---------| | Segment Duration (s) | 4 | | Output Directory | /var/www/html/dash/ | | Manifest Name | manifest.mpd |

Output: manifest.mpd + init_*.mp4 + seg_*_*.m4s segments

Both HLS and DASH are supported — use HLS for Apple/iOS, DASH for broader compatibility.

Stabilize Video

Smooth out camera shake using a two-pass vidstab process.

| Field | Default | Description | |-------|---------|-------------| | Smoothing | 10 | Window in frames. Higher = smoother but more crop | | Max Angle | -1 | Max correction angle in degrees. -1 = unlimited |

Requires: FFmpeg compiled with --enable-libvidstab. Check with ffmpeg -filters | grep vidstab.

Common Patterns

Video Processing Pipeline

HTTP Request → FFmpeg Video (Trim) → FFmpeg Advanced (Apply LUT) → FFmpeg Audio (Normalize) → S3 Upload

Batch Thumbnail Generation

List Files → Split → FFmpeg Analyze (Extract Frame) → Write Binary File → Merge

Podcast Processing

HTTP Request → FFmpeg Audio (Normalize) → FFmpeg Audio (Remove Silence) → FFmpeg Audio (Fade In/Out) → Send Email

Green Screen Replacement

Read File → FFmpeg Advanced (Chroma Key, bg=office.jpg) → FFmpeg Video (Burn Text) → Write File

HLS Streaming Prep

HTTP Request (upload) → FFmpeg Video (Scale 1080p) → FFmpeg Advanced (HLS Segmentation) → Upload Segments to S3

Troubleshooting

FFmpeg not found

Error: FFmpeg is not installed or not in PATH

Install FFmpeg for your platform:

macOS: brew install ffmpeg
Ubuntu: sudo apt install ffmpeg
Verify: ffmpeg -version

If ffmpeg is installed but n8n can't find it, set the PATH in your n8n startup script:

export PATH="/usr/local/bin:$PATH"
n8n start

Encoder not found

Error: FFmpeg encoder not found: "libx265"

Your FFmpeg build doesn't include that codec. Try a different codec or install a full-featured FFmpeg build. On Ubuntu: sudo apt install ffmpeg installs the full build. On macOS: brew install ffmpeg includes most codecs.

Input file not found

Error: Input file not found: "/path/to/file.mp4"

Check that the path is absolute, the file exists, and n8n has read permissions for that path.

Stabilization fails

Error: FFmpeg failed. Details: No such filter: vidstabdetect

Your FFmpeg build doesn't include vidstab. Compile from source or use a build that includes --enable-libvidstab.

Large files / timeouts

For large files, increase n8n's execution timeout in your n8n config or environment:

EXECUTIONS_TIMEOUT=3600

Workflow Examples

Real n8n workflow JSON files you can import directly into n8n. Find them in the examples/ directory.

| Workflow | Description | |----------|-------------| | Social Media Video Pipeline | Trim → Scale to 1080×1920 → Burn text → Export MP4 for Reels/TikTok | | Podcast Audio Pipeline | Trim → Loudnorm → Fade → Export broadcast-quality MP3 | | Thumbnail Generation | Extract frame → Add watermark → Save as 1280×720 PNG | | Green Screen Removal | Chroma key → Composite onto custom background → Export | | HLS Streaming Prep | Transcode → Segment into HLS 6-second chunks with M3U8 |

To import: In n8n, go to Workflows → Import from File and select the JSON.

Publishing to npm

Note: npm publishing requires an npm account and an NPM_TOKEN secret configured in the repository.

To publish manually:

npm login
npm publish --access public

To enable automatic publishing via GitHub Actions on each release tag, add your NPM_TOKEN to the repository secrets under Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions.

Until published, you can install directly from GitHub:

cd ~/.n8n/custom
npm install ArielleTolome/n8n-nodes-ffmpeg

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md for a full guide on:

How to add a new operation
How to run and write tests
How to build and test locally with n8n
Code style rules (TypeScript strict, path quoting)
How to submit a pull request

License

MIT — see LICENSE