Supported Video & Audio Formats#

Blender used FFmpeg to handle video encoding/decoding various video formats. These formats are primarily used for compressing rendered sequences into a playable movie. Video formats are composed of a container, a codec, and sometimes audio which is stored using its own codec. The roll of the container to encapsulate video and audio data that is compressed using a codec.

Codecs compress the channels of a video down to save space and enable continuous playback. Lossy codecs make smaller files at the expense of image quality, while lossless codecs compress as much as possible the video/audio, but without losing any existing data.

Manche Codecs, wie H.264, sind großartig für größere Bilder. Codecs werden zum Kodieren und Dekodieren des Films benutzt, und müssen daher sowohl im kodierenden Programm, als auch dem Zielrechner vorhanden sein. Die Ergebnisse der Kodierung werden in einer Containerdatei gespeichert.

Es gibt Dutzende, wenn nicht Hunderte von Codecs, wie Xvid, H.264, DivX, Microsoft, usw. Jeder einzelne hat seine Vorteile und Nachteile, und bietet Kompatibilität mit unterschiedlichen Videoplayern auf verschiedenen Betriebssystemen.

Bemerkung

Most codecs can only compress the RGB or YUV colors, but some support the Alpha channel as well. Codecs that support RGBA include:

FFmpeg - Container#

MPEG-1:

A standard for lossy compression of video and audio. It is designed to compress VHS-quality raw digital video and CD audio down to 1.5 Mbit/s. This container enforces the video codec, you can only define quality parameters, and the audio codec.

File Extensions: .mpg, .mpeg

MPEG-2:

A standard for „the generic coding of moving pictures and associated audio information“. It describes a combination of lossy video compression and lossy audio data compression methods which permit storage and transmission of movies using currently available storage media (notably DVDs) and transmission bandwidth. This container enforces the video codec, you can only define quality parameters, and the audio codec.

File Extensions: .dvd, .vob, .mpg, .mpeg

MPEG-4:

While being a video codec, it is also a real container, in which you can store video and audio streams using various codecs. It is widely supported by many modern software and hardware players.

File Extensions: .mp4, .mpg, .mpeg

AVI:

A derivative of the Resource Interchange File Format (RIFF). One of the first and most widely used video container format.

File Extension: .avi

QuickTime:

A multi-tracks format. QuickTime and MP4 container formats can use the same codecs. They are mostly interchangeable in a QuickTime-only environment. MP4, being an international standard, has more support.

File Extension: .mov

DV:

An intra-frame video compression scheme, used by many digital camcorders back in the days. It uses the discrete cosine transform (DCT, similar algorithm to JPEG) to compress video on a frame-by-frame basis. Audio is stored uncompressed. This container enforces the video codec, you can only define quality parameters.

File extension: .dv

Ogg:

A free open-standard container format, that can hold an unlimited number of video, audio, picture or subtitle tracks in one file.

File Extensions: .ogg, .ogv

Matroska:

A free open-standard container format, a file format that can hold an unlimited number of video, audio, picture or subtitle tracks in one file.

File Extension: .mkv

Flash:

A container file format used to deliver video over the Internet using Adobe Flash Player. This container enforces the video codec, you can only define quality parameters.

File Extension: .flv

WebM:

A free open-standard container format, designed to be used for internet streaming. Note that this container can only hold a VP9 video codec, and Vorbis or Opus audio codecs.

File Extension: .webm

FFmpeg Video Codecs#

These options are not available with all Containers.

No Video:

For audio-only encoding.

DNxHD:

Intended to be usable as both an intermediate format suitable for use while editing, and as a presentation format. It can be either lossless or lossy.

DV:

See Containers.

FFmpeg video codec #1:

FFV1 is a lossless intra-frame video codec. It can use either variable length coding or arithmetic coding for entropy coding. The encoder and decoder are part of the free, open-source library libavcodec in FFmpeg. Supports an alpha channel.

Flash Video:

See Containers.

H.264:

A modern variation of the MPEG-4 family, this lossy codec is very commonly used. It offers a very good compression/quality ratio.

HuffYUV:

Lossless video codec created by Ben Rudiak-Gould which is meant to replace uncompressed YCbCr as a video capture format.

MPEG-1:

See Containers.

MPEG-2:

See Containers.

MPEG-4(DivX):

Inherits many of the features of MPEG-1, MPEG-2 and other related standards, but also adds new features.

PNG:

Lossless, this stores each frame as an independent image in the video stream. Compression will be poor, but as every frame is fully self-contained, scrubbing and editing can be simpler. Supports an alpha channel.

QuickTime Animation:

Original format of QuickTime videos. Supports an alpha channel.

Theora:

A free open-standard lossy codec designed together with the Ogg container.

WEBM / VP9:

A free open-standard lossy video compression format. One of the most recent codecs, it is widely used for internet streaming.

AV1:

A free open-standard lossy video compression format, designed as a successor to VP9. AV1 offers great compression rates and visual quality, AV1 produces video files that are about 30% more space efficient than VP9

FFmpeg Audio Codecs#

No Audio:

Zum Kodieren von ausschließlich Videos.

AAC:

Advanced Audio Codec, ein standardisiertes, verlustbehaftetes Kompressions- und Kodierungsschema für digitales Audio. AAC erreicht bei ähnlichen Bitraten im Allgemeinen eine bessere Klangqualität als MP3.

AC3:

Audio Codec 3, eine von Dolby Laboratories entwickelte Audio-Kompressionstechnologie.

FLAC:

Free Lossless Audio Codec. Von FLAC’s Algorithmus komprimierte, digitale Audiodateien können typischerweise auf 50-60% ihrer Originalgröße reduziert werden.

MP2:

Ein verlustbehaftetes Audio-Kompressions-Format.

MP3:

Ein verlustbehaftetes Audio-Kompressions-Format, wird oft als Endformat benutzt.

Opus:

Ein verlustbehaftetes Audio-Kompressions-Format, wurde zum Kodieren von Sprache oder generell Audio kreiert und soll den Vorbis-Codec ablösen.

PCM:

Pulse Code Modulation, eine Methode, die zur digitalen Darstellung von gesampleten (abgetasteten) Analogsignalen verwendet wird. Dies ist die Standardform für digitalen Klang in Computern und verschiedensten Blu-ray-, Compact-Disc- und DVD-Formaten, wie auch für andere Zwecke wie digitale Telefonsysteme.

Vorbis:

Ein als Offener Standard (open standard) veröffentlichtes, stark komprimiertes Format, vergleichbar mit MP3 oder AAC. Vorbis erreicht generell eine bessere Klangqualität als MP3 bei ähnlichen Bitraten.

Bekannte Limitierungen#

Größe der Videoausgabe#

Manche Codecs limitieren die Ausgabegröße, H.264 beispielsweise verlangt, dass Höhe und Breite durch 2 teilbar sind.