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ffmpeg-montage-maker

Concatenate video clips from one or more directories into a single sequential montage using ffmpeg. Supports hard cut, crossfade, and fade-to-black transitions. Videos only (images skipped). Use when combining multiple video clips into a single output file.

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SKILL.md
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FFmpeg Montage Maker

Concatenate video clips into a single montage with configurable transitions.

Prerequisites

  • ffmpeg and ffprobe must be installed and in PATH: 
    # Windows (winget)
winget install Gyan.FFmpeg

# Windows (choco)
choco install ffmpeg

# Verify
ffmpeg -version
ffprobe -version

Quick Start

# Simple hard cut montage from one directory
python scripts/montage_maker.py ./clips

# Combine clips from multiple directories with crossfade
python scripts/montage_maker.py ./intro ./main ./outro -t crossfade -d 1.0

# Fade-to-black between clips, custom output path
python scripts/montage_maker.py ./clips -t fade-to-black -d 0.5 -o final_montage.mp4

# Sort by modification date, force 1920x1080
python scripts/montage_maker.py ./clips --sort modified -r 1920x1080

# Random order montage
python scripts/montage_maker.py ./clips --sort random -o shuffled.mp4

# Preview ffmpeg command without executing
python scripts/montage_maker.py ./clips -t crossfade --dry-run

# JSON output for pipeline integration
python scripts/montage_maker.py ./clips -j

Output

Human-readable:

Montage Maker
=============
Scanning 1 directory...
Found 4 video clips

Clips:
  1. intro.mp4 (5.2s, 1920x1080)
  2. scene1.mp4 (12.4s, 1920x1080)
  3. scene2.mp4 (8.7s, 1920x1080)
  4. outro.mp4 (3.1s, 1920x1080)

Transition: crossfade (1.0s)
Target resolution: 1920x1080
Output: ./montage.mp4

Building montage... done (14.3s)
Output: montage.mp4 (26.4s, 15.2 MB)

JSON:

{
  "status": "success",
  "output": "montage.mp4",
  "clip_count": 4,
  "duration": 26.4,
  "file_size": 15938470,
  "transition": "crossfade",
  "transition_duration": 1.0,
  "resolution": "1920x1080",
  "clips": [
    {"path": "clips/intro.mp4", "duration": 5.2},
    {"path": "clips/scene1.mp4", "duration": 12.4},
    {"path": "clips/scene2.mp4", "duration": 8.7},
    {"path": "clips/outro.mp4", "duration": 3.1}
  ]
}

Supported Formats

FormatExtensionsNotes
MP4.mp4, .m4vMost common, recommended output
MKV.mkvMatroska container
AVI.aviLegacy format
MOV.movApple QuickTime
WebM.webmWeb-optimized
FLV.flvFlash video
WMV.wmvWindows Media

Transition Modes

ModeFlagDescription
Hard cut-t noneDirect concatenation, no transition (default). Uses fast copy-mode when all clips share codec/resolution
Crossfade-t crossfadeSmooth blend between clips. Clips overlap by transition duration
Fade-to-black-t fade-to-blackEach clip fades out then next fades in through black. No overlap between clips

CLI Reference

python scripts/montage_maker.py DIRECTORIES... [OPTIONS]

Positional:
  directories              One or more directories containing video files

Options:
  -o, --output FILE        Output file path (default: ./montage.mp4)
  -t, --transition TYPE    none|crossfade|fade-to-black (default: none)
  -d, --duration SECS      Transition duration in seconds (default: 1.0)
  -r, --resolution WxH     Force output resolution (default: auto-detect most common)
  --sort ORDER             alphabetical|modified|random (default: alphabetical)
  -j, --json               Output result as JSON
  -q, --quiet              Suppress progress output
  --dry-run                Show ffmpeg command without executing

Behavior Notes

  • Resolution normalization: When clips have mixed resolutions, the most common resolution is used as target. All clips are scaled with aspect ratio preservation and letterboxed/pillarboxed as needed.
  • Fast concat: When all clips share the same codec, resolution, and container format, hard cut mode uses stream copy (no re-encoding) for speed.
  • Audio handling: Clips without audio get silent audio generated automatically. If no clips have audio, the output is video-only.
  • Single video: If only one video is found, it is copied or re-encoded directly without concat logic.
  • Sort order: alphabetical sorts by filename, modified sorts by file modification time, random shuffles.
  • Transition duration: Must be shorter than the shortest clip. The tool validates this before running ffmpeg.
  • Frame rate: Output is normalized to 30fps for consistency across mixed-source clips.
Repository

KennethJefferson/ccg_ccSkill_ffmpegMontageMaker

Path

SKILL.md

Revision

3a1988d

Last updated
First committed

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