ffmpeg error: Unable to find a suitable output format for 'scale=1500:1000'

Question

I am trying to convert a bunch of images into a video. The original image resolution is 6000x4000, but if I use ffmpeg to create a video with that resolution, no player can even play it because it's way to huge.

I tried to set the output resolution as such, dividing the input resolution by 4:

ffmpeg -r 60 -s 1500x1000 -start_number 3790 -i DSC_%04d.jpg -vcodec libx264 -crf 25  -pix_fmt yuv420p ../video_lowres.mp4

This had no effect and still produced 6000x4000 video. So instead, I tried this parameter: scale=1500:1000 The full command I ran:

ffmpeg -r 60 scale=1500:1000 -start_number 3790 -i DSC_%04d.jpg -vcodec libx264 -crf 25  -pix_fmt yuv420p ../video_lowres.mp4

But I got this error:

[NULL @ 000002ad897bd9c0] Unable to find a suitable output format for 'scale=1500:1000'
scale=1500:1000: Invalid argument

How can I create a downscaled video from photos using ffmpeg?

Answer 1

You need to enter -vf before scale to tell FFmpeg that you want to use a video filter. Also, it should be specified after the filename of the image as it's an output option, not an input option. You can put it just before the output name:

ffmpeg -r 60 -start_number 3790 -i DSC_%04d.jpg -vcodec libx264 -crf 25 -pix_fmt yuv420p -vf scale=1500:1000 ../video_lowres.mp4