Converting WebM to MP4 with FFmpeg – Easy Guide!

In today’s tutorial, we will understand how to convert WebM to MP4 using FFmpeg. WebM and MP4 are video container formats and the underlying audio, video, and metadata can be transferred from one container format to the other (also known as transmuting).

If you want to learn more, go here to read about video codecs and containers.

For now, let’s learn about converting webm to mp4 using a simple FFmpeg command.

The FFmpeg Convert WebM to MP4 Command

To convert WebM to MP4 using FFmpeg, use the command:

ffmpeg -i input.webm -c:v libx264 -c:a aac output.mp4

• The -i flag denotes the input file, followed by the name of the output file. In this case, input.webm is the WebM file you want to convert, and output.mp4 is the name you want for the converted MP4 file.
• The -c:v libx264 and -c:a aac options are used to set the codecs for video and audio respectively. Here, libx264 is a popular choice for video due to its efficiency, while aac is a widely supported audio codec.

Quality and Bitrate Control for WebM to MP4 Conversion

ffmpeg -i input.webm -c:v libx264 -b:v 1M -c:a aac -b:a 128k output.mp4

Here, -b:v 1M sets the video bitrate to 1 Mbit/s, while -b:a 128k sets the audio bitrate to 128 Kbit/s. These parameters dictate the quality and size of the output file. Higher values result in better quality but larger files, and vice versa.

Frame Rate Adjustment

ffmpeg -i input.webm -c:v libx264 -r 24 -c:a aac output.mp4

The -r option lets you set the frame rate. Here, -r 24 sets the frame rate to 24 frames per second. This setting can help synchronize video and audio streams, especially in files where the frame rate differs.

FFmpeg Preset Usage for Efficiency

ffmpeg -i input.webm -c:v libx264 -preset veryfast -c:a aac output.mp4

The -preset option relates to the speed of the conversion process. Presets range from ‘ultrafast’ to ‘veryslow’. The faster the preset, the quicker the conversion but at the expense of file size. Go here to learn more about FFmpeg’s presets.

Conversion with Stream Mapping

In cases where a WebM file has multiple audio or subtitle streams, FFmpeg allows you to map these streams to your MP4 file. Here’s how to convert a WebM file to MP4 while mapping streams:

ffmpeg -i input.webm -map 0:v -map 0:a -c:v libx264 -c:a aac output.mp4

The -map option selects which streams to include in the output file. -map 0:v maps all video streams, and -map 0:a maps all audio streams from the first input file (specified by 0 before :).

Batch Conversion with FFmpeg

If you need to convert multiple files, you can use a simple loop. For instance, in a Unix-like system, the following command can be used:

for i in *.webm; do ffmpeg -i "$i" "${i%.*}.mp4"; done

In this loop, ${i%.*}.mp4 generates the output filename by stripping the input file’s extension and appending .mp4.

Conclusion

I hope this tutorial helped you in converting WebM files to MP4 files. By the way, we have a lot of conversion-style posts on OTTVerse. Go here to learn how to convert FLAC To MP3, or MKV to MP4.