Supported formats
FrameTrellis reads media through FFmpeg (video and audio) and Qt (still images), and exports MP4 files with H.264 video and AAC audio.
Importing
Every file is decoded once in the background before it is added, so a file is only accepted if FrameTrellis can actually read it. Files that cannot be decoded are reported and left out.
| Kind | File types offered by the import dialog | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Video | .mp4 .m4v .mov .mkv .webm .avi .mts .m2ts .mpg .mpeg .ts .mxf .ogv .wmv .flv .3gp | Any codec the bundled FFmpeg decodes, for example H.264, H.265/HEVC, VP8, VP9, AV1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, ProRes and DNxHD. Clips with sound can be placed on video and audio tracks. |
| Audio | .wav .mp3 .m4a .aac .flac .ogg .opus .aiff .aif .wma | Sources are converted to the project's sample rate and channel count. |
| Still image | .png .jpg .jpeg .bmp .gif .tif .tiff .webp .tga | Read with Qt's image plug-ins; TIFF, WebP and TGA need the Qt Image Formats module, which the Windows packages include. EXIF rotation is applied. Animated GIFs are treated as video. |
The automated tests check H.264/AAC MP4, WAV and PNG files on every change. Other formats depend
on the FFmpeg and Qt libraries in use: the Windows packages include FFmpeg and Qt built by
MSYS2 (see BUNDLED_COMPONENTS.txt in the package for the exact
versions). On Linux, the system's FFmpeg and Qt are used.
Footage whose frame rate differs from the project's is played at the project frame rate: frames are repeated or skipped as needed, and the clip keeps its real-time duration.
Exporting
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Container | MP4 (.mp4), with the index at the start of the file for fast playback start (+faststart) |
| Video | H.264 (libx264 when available, otherwise another H.264 or MPEG-4 encoder FFmpeg provides), 8-bit 4:2:0 (yuv420p) |
| Audio | AAC at the project's sample rate (48 kHz by default) and channel count, 32–512 kbit/s, or no audio |
| Resolution | The project's size, or scaled so the shorter side is 720, 1080 or 2160 pixels |
| Frame rate | The project's frame rate |
| Quality | Constant quality (CRF 0–51) with encoder speed presets from ultrafast to veryslow |
Presets: Match project, 1080p, 720p, 2160p (4K) and Fast draft (720p, quick, lower quality). Other containers and codecs (WebM/VP9, ProRes, image sequences, audio only) are planned; see the roadmap.
Project files
Projects are saved as .ftproj files: UTF-8 JSON in a versioned format that is documented in
the project file format. Project files reference media by
path and never contain the media itself.
Patents
H.264, H.265 and AAC may be covered by patents in some countries. FrameTrellis is distributed free of charge and does not include a patent license; see Licensing.
This page is generated from docs/user-guide/formats.md in the repository. Found a mistake? Open an issue.