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PHP Video Editing Functions Explained: How to Use ffmpeg for Video Editing

gitbox 2025-06-14

1. Video Editing Functions in PHP

PHP is a widely used programming language that not only plays a key role in web development but can also handle video files. This article will explain the most commonly used video editing functions in PHP to help you easily cut, transcode, and convert videos.

1.1. Introduction to ffmpeg

ffmpeg is an open-source multimedia framework that supports processing audio, video files, and streams. It provides powerful video editing functions for PHP, making it easy to manipulate video files. After installing ffmpeg, you can start using PHP to perform various video editing tasks.

1.2. PHP Functions for Video Processing

PHP uses several functions for video processing. Below are the most commonly used functions.

1.2.1. ffmpeg_open()

The ffmpeg_open() function is used to open a video file and return a handle to the video. Here is an example:


$ffmpeg = ffmpeg_open('video.mp4');

1.2.2. ffmpeg_seek()

The ffmpeg_seek() function is used to seek to a specific position in the video file. For example, to move the pointer to the 30-second mark:


ffmpeg_seek($ffmpeg, 30); // Move the video pointer to the 30-second mark

1.2.3. ffmpeg_frame_to_png()

The ffmpeg_frame_to_png() function is used to save a video frame as a PNG image file. Example code:


ffmpeg_frame_to_png($ffmpeg, 'output.png');

2. Practical Example: Converting Video to GIF Animation

In this section, we'll convert a video file to a GIF animation using PHP. Before starting, you need to install the ffphp extension for PHP. Use the following command to install it:


sudo pecl install ffphp

Once installed, here's the full code for converting a video to a GIF animation:


$ffmpeg = ffmpeg_open('video.mp4');
$frames = 30; // 30 frames per second
$width = 240;  // Width of the GIF
$height = 180; // Height of the GIF

$gif = new GifEncoder();

for ($i = 0; $i < $frames; $i++) {
    ffmpeg_seek($ffmpeg, $i * 1 / $frames * $duration); // Calculate the time for each frame
    $tmp_file = tempnam(sys_get_temp_dir(), 'movie_frame');
    ffmpeg_frame_to_png($ffmpeg, $tmp_file); // Convert the current frame to PNG

    $im = imagecreatefrompng($tmp_file); // Convert the PNG to a GD image
    imagedestroy($im); // Free up memory

    $gif->addFrame($im); // Add the current frame to the GIF animation
    unlink($tmp_file); // Delete the temporary file
}

$gif->finish(); // Generate the final GIF

In the above code, we used the GifEncoder class to create the GIF animation. You can download this class from GitHub, as it is a pure PHP implementation of a GIF encoder.

3. Conclusion

PHP provides powerful built-in functions that make it easy to process video files. In this article, we demonstrated how to use some of the most common video processing functions and provided a practical example of converting a video file to a GIF animation. We hope this guide helps you get started with video editing in PHP.

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