Video editing can be a time-consuming process, especially when you have a large collection of videos to edit. Whether you’re resizing videos, adding watermarks, or applying the same effects to multiple files, these tasks can become repetitive. Thankfully, with MoviePy, a Python library for video editing, you can automate the entire process. This is where batch processing comes into play—saving you hours of manual labor by applying changes to multiple video files in one go.
In this blog post, we’ll walk you through how to use MoviePy to batch process multiple videos. We’ll explore how to apply common video editing tasks like resizing, watermarking, and adding effects across a collection of videos, all with just a few lines of code.
1. What is Batch Processing in Video Editing?
Batch processing refers to the ability to automate repetitive tasks and apply them to a batch of video files in one go. Instead of manually editing each video file, you can automate actions like:
- Resizing videos
- Watermarking
- Adding transitions or effects
- Changing file formats
With MoviePy, you can process a batch of videos using the same settings, which not only speeds up your workflow but also ensures consistency across all videos.
2. Setting Up MoviePy for Batch Processing
Before diving into batch processing, make sure you have MoviePy installed. You can install it using pip:
pip install moviepy
Additionally, if you want to process multiple videos in a folder, you’ll need to use Python’s os library to list all video files in the directory.
Here’s how to get started by importing the necessary libraries:
import os
from moviepy.editor import VideoFileClip
3. Resizing Videos in Batch
Resizing is one of the most common tasks in video editing. You may want to resize all your videos to a specific resolution, such as 1080p or 720p. MoviePy makes it easy to resize multiple videos using the resize() method.
Here’s how you can batch resize videos:
def resize_videos(input_folder, output_folder, new_height=720):
# List all files in the input folder
for filename in os.listdir(input_folder):
if filename.endswith(".mp4"): # Process only .mp4 files
video_path = os.path.join(input_folder, filename)
output_path = os.path.join(output_folder, f"resized_{filename}")
# Load the video
video = VideoFileClip(video_path)
# Resize the video
resized_video = video.resize(height=new_height)
# Export the resized video
resized_video.write_videofile(output_path, codec="libx264")
print(f"Resized {filename} to {new_height}p")
# Example usage:
resize_videos("input_folder", "output_folder", new_height=720)
This script will go through every .mp4 file in the input_folder, resize it to a new height (720p in this example), and save it to the output_folder with the filename prefixed by "resized_".
4. Watermarking Multiple Videos
Watermarking is another common task, especially for branding or protecting content. MoviePy allows you to overlay an image (such as a logo) onto your video.
Here’s how you can add a watermark to all videos in a folder:
from moviepy.editor import ImageClip
def add_watermark(input_folder, output_folder, watermark_image_path):
# Load the watermark image
watermark = ImageClip(watermark_image_path).set_duration(10).resize(width=100) # Resize the watermark
# Set the position of the watermark (e.g., bottom-right corner)
watermark = watermark.set_position(("right", "bottom")).set_opacity(0.5)
# Process each video
for filename in os.listdir(input_folder):
if filename.endswith(".mp4"):
video_path = os.path.join(input_folder, filename)
output_path = os.path.join(output_folder, f"watermarked_{filename}")
# Load the video
video = VideoFileClip(video_path)
# Overlay the watermark
video_with_watermark = video.set_duration(video.duration).fx(vfx.composite, watermark)
# Export the video with watermark
video_with_watermark.write_videofile(output_path, codec="libx264")
print(f"Added watermark to {filename}")
# Example usage:
add_watermark("input_folder", "output_folder", "watermark.png")
This code will overlay a watermark onto each video in the input_folder, adjust the watermark’s size, set its opacity, and position it at the bottom right. The processed videos will be saved with a "watermarked_" prefix in the output_folder.
5. Applying Effects Across Multiple Videos
Another great feature of MoviePy is the ability to apply various effects to videos, such as color filters or transitions. Let's say you want to apply a simple fade-in effect to every video in your batch. Here’s how you can do it:
from moviepy.editor import vfx
def apply_fade_effect(input_folder, output_folder, fade_duration=2):
# Process each video
for filename in os.listdir(input_folder):
if filename.endswith(".mp4"):
video_path = os.path.join(input_folder, filename)
output_path = os.path.join(output_folder, f"faded_{filename}")
# Load the video
video = VideoFileClip(video_path)
# Apply the fade-in effect
faded_video = video.fadein(fade_duration)
# Export the video with the fade effect
faded_video.write_videofile(output_path, codec="libx264")
print(f"Applied fade effect to {filename}")
# Example usage:
apply_fade_effect("input_folder", "output_folder", fade_duration=2)
This will apply a 2-second fade-in effect to every .mp4 file in the input folder and export the result to the output folder.
6. Converting Multiple Videos to a Different Format
Sometimes you might need to convert all your videos to a different file format. MoviePy can easily help you convert videos from one format to another. For example, let’s say you want to convert all .avi files into .mp4:
def convert_video_format(input_folder, output_folder, new_format="mp4"):
for filename in os.listdir(input_folder):
if filename.endswith(".avi"): # Process only .avi files
video_path = os.path.join(input_folder, filename)
output_path = os.path.join(output_folder, f"{os.path.splitext(filename)[0]}.{new_format}")
# Load the video
video = VideoFileClip(video_path)
# Export the video in a new format
video.write_videofile(output_path, codec="libx264")
print(f"Converted {filename} to {new_format}")
# Example usage:
convert_video_format("input_folder", "output_folder", new_format="mp4")
This will convert every .avi file in the input_folder to .mp4 format and save it to the output_folder.
Conclusion
Batch processing videos with MoviePy allows you to automate repetitive editing tasks, such as resizing, watermarking, applying effects, and format conversion. By leveraging Python and MoviePy, you can save time and ensure consistency across large collections of videos. Whether you’re working on a YouTube channel, a marketing campaign, or simply organizing personal video projects, batch processing is a powerful way to streamline your workflow.
With the examples above, you can now apply these techniques to your own projects, automate video editing tasks, and focus more on creative aspects of your work rather than repetitive actions.
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