Python GUI video compressor with preset profiles, batch processing, and FFmpeg-powered encoding for optimal file size reduction.
- Smart Compression — Reduce video file sizes while preserving visual quality
- Preset Profiles — Quick presets for common use cases (web upload, email, archive)
- Batch Processing — Compress multiple videos in a queue
- Format Support — MP4, MKV, AVI, MOV, and other common formats
- Quality Control — Fine-tune CRF, bitrate, resolution, and codec settings
- Quality Reports — Persist before/after thumbnail strips with SSIM, VMAF, and size deltas
- Media Utilities — Create palette-optimized GIFs, detect scene changes, and optionally use Whisper/upscalers
- Progress Tracking — Real-time progress bar with size reduction estimates
- Dark Theme — Professional dark-themed interface
python video_compressor.pyDependencies auto-install on first run. Requires FFmpeg (auto-detected).
For a portable one-file Windows build with FFmpeg and ffprobe embedded, run
pwsh -File .\build.ps1; the resulting dist\VideoCrush.exe keeps queue
state beside the executable when started with --portable.
The same encoder is available without a GUI for automation:
python videocrush_cli.py --input ./in --preset web-1080p --out ./out --recursive
videocrush --input ./in --preset email-10mb --out ./out --recursive
videocrush --watch ./in --watch-rule .mov=web-1080p --out ./out
videocrush --export-presets ./videocrush-presets.json
videocrush --input ./clip.mp4 --out ./out --quality-report --scene-detect
videocrush --input ./clip.mp4 --gif-output ./clip.gif --gif-width 480Use --mode quality --crf 24 for quality-targeted output, --dry-run to
inspect the generated FFmpeg invocation, and --export-script commands.bat
to save a reproducible command script. The CLI accepts a file or folder and
can emit JSON results with --json.
Folder jobs use four workers by default; set --workers 1 for sequential
processing. --check-update performs a read-only check of the latest public
GitHub release.
Preset JSON files can be imported with --import-presets. The watch mode
routes extensions to profiles and supports --watch-once for scheduled runs.
On Windows, --context-menu install adds a current-user Explorer action and
--schedule-name ... --schedule DAILY prints a Task Scheduler command; add
--register-schedule to register it. --after-queue sleep or shutdown is
always explicit and opt-in. Optional media adapters cover URL capture through
yt-dlp, automatic Whisper subtitles, Real-ESRGAN/Video2X pre-passes, and
pngquant/jpegoptim/gifsicle image siblings when those tools are installed.
- Python 3.8+
- FFmpeg
For the optional installed videocrush command, install the project with
pip install .; the GUI dependency remains optional via pip install .[gui].
| Tool | Best For |
|---|---|
| VideoCrush (this repo) | Compressing video files for smaller size — CRF, bitrate, and resolution controls |
| MediaForge | Converting between formats — audio, video, and image transcoding |
MIT License