Editing FFmpeg (section)

== Applications ==

=== Legal aspects ===
FFmpeg contains more than 100 codecs,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ffmpeg.org/general.html#Supported-File-Formats_002c-Codecs-or-Features |title=Codecs list |publisher=ffmpeg.org |access-date=2012-01-01 |archive-date=2012-01-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120106131336/http://ffmpeg.org/general.html#Supported-File-Formats_002c-Codecs-or-Features |url-status=live }}</ref> most of which use compression techniques of one kind or another. Many such compression techniques may be subject to legal claims relating to [[software patent]]s.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ffmpeg.org/legal.html |title=Legal information on FFmpeg's website |publisher=ffmpeg.org |access-date=2012-01-04 |archive-date=2012-01-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120103190924/http://ffmpeg.org/legal.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Such claims may be enforceable in countries like the United States which have implemented software patents, but are considered unenforceable or void in member countries of the [[European Union]], for example.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-11-29|title=The European Patent Convention|url=https://www.epo.org/en/legal/epc/2020/a52.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119121958/https://www.epo.org/law-practice/legal-texts/html/epc/2020/e/ar52.html|archive-date=2021-11-19|access-date=2021-11-24|website=www.epo.org|publisher=[[European Patent Office]]|language=en}}</ref>{{Original research inline|date=November 2021|certain=y}} Patents for many older codecs, including AC3 and all MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 codecs, have expired.{{Citation needed|date=October 2017}}

FFmpeg is licensed under the LGPL license, but if a particular build of FFmpeg is linked against any GPL libraries (notably [[x264]]), then the entire binary is licensed under the GPL.

=== Projects using FFmpeg ===
{{main category|Software that uses FFmpeg}}
FFmpeg is used by software such as [[Blender (software)|Blender]], [[Cinelerra-GG Infinity]], [[HandBrake]], [[Kodi (software)|Kodi]], [[MPC-HC]], [[Plex (software)|Plex]], [[Shotcut]], [[VirtualDub|VirtualDub2]] (a [[VirtualDub]] fork),<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://sourceforge.net/p/vdfiltermod/wiki/Home/ | title=VirtualDub2 | access-date=2020-08-15 | archive-date=2020-08-07 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807134046/https://sourceforge.net/p/vdfiltermod/wiki/Home/ | url-status=live }}</ref> [[VLC media player]], [[xine]] and [[YouTube]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://multimedia.cx/eggs/googles-youtube-uses-ffmpeg/ | title=Google's YouTube Uses FFmpeg {{pipe}} Breaking Eggs And Making Omelettes | date=2011-02-08 | publisher=Multimedia.cx | access-date=2012-08-06 | archive-date=2012-08-14 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120814124110/http://multimedia.cx/eggs/googles-youtube-uses-ffmpeg/ | url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="projects">{{cite web | url=https://trac.ffmpeg.org/wiki/Projects | title=FFmpeg-based Projects | publisher=ffmpeg.org | access-date=2012-01-04 | archive-date=2016-02-20 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160220104135/https://trac.ffmpeg.org/wiki/Projects | url-status=live}}.</ref> It handles video and audio playback in [[Google Chrome]]<ref name=projects /> and the Linux version of Firefox.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.phoronix.com/news/Firefox-FFmpeg-Default | title=Firefox Enables FFmpeg Support By Default | publisher=Phoronix | date=2015-11-15 | access-date=2015-11-18 | archive-date=2017-09-25 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170925225920/https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=Firefox-FFmpeg-Default | url-status=live }}</ref> [[Graphical user interface|GUI]] [[front-end (computing)|front-ends]] for FFmpeg have been developed, including Multimedia Xpert<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.atlas-informatik.ch/multimediaXpert/ | title=Multimedia Xpert | publisher=Atlas Informatik | access-date=2022-05-26 | archive-date=2023-04-04 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404142511/https://www.atlas-informatik.ch/multimediaXpert/ | url-status=live }}</ref> and XMedia Recode.

FFmpeg is used by [[ffdshow]], FFmpegInterop, the [[GStreamer FFmpeg plug-in]], LAV Filters and [[OpenMAX#Layers|OpenMAX IL]] to expand the encoding and decoding capabilities of their respective multimedia platforms.

As part of [[NASA]]'s [[Mars 2020]] mission, FFmpeg is used by the [[Perseverance (rover)|Perseverance rover]] on Mars for image and video compression before footage is sent to Earth.<ref>{{cite journal |title=The Mars 2020 Engineering Cameras and Microphone on the Perseverance Rover: A Next-Generation Imaging System for Mars Exploration |year=2020 |publisher=Springer Nature Switzerland AG. |doi=10.1007/s11214-020-00765-9 |last1=Maki |first1=J. N. |last2=Gruel |first2=D. |last3=McKinney |first3=C. |last4=Ravine |first4=M. A. |last5=Morales |first5=M. |last6=Lee |first6=D. |last7=Willson |first7=R. |last8=Copley-Woods |first8=D. |last9=Valvo |first9=M. |last10=Goodsall |first10=T. |last11=McGuire |first11=J. |last12=Sellar |first12=R. G. |last13=Schaffner |first13=J. A. |last14=Caplinger |first14=M. A. |last15=Shamah |first15=J. M. |last16=Johnson |first16=A. E. |last17=Ansari |first17=H. |last18=Singh |first18=K. |last19=Litwin |first19=T. |last20=Deen |first20=R. |last21=Culver |first21=A. |last22=Ruoff |first22=N. |last23=Petrizzo |first23=D. |last24=Kessler |first24=D. |last25=Basset |first25=C. |last26=Estlin |first26=T. |last27=Alibay |first27=F. |last28=Nelessen |first28=A. |last29=Algermissen |first29=S. |journal=Space Science Reviews |volume=216 |issue=8 |page=137 |pmid=33268910 |pmc=7686239 |bibcode=2020SSRv..216..137M }}</ref>