FFmpeg filters

FFmpeg filters provide audio and video filters that can be used to transform content using the ffmpeg library. They are enabled in liquidsoap when compiled with the optional ffmpeg-avfilter.

Filter as operators

If enabled, the filters should appear as operators, prefixed with ffmpeg.filter. For instance:

Ffmpeg filter: Add echoing to the audio.

  Type: (?in_gain : float?, ?out_gain : float?,
   ?delays : string?, ?decays : string?,
   ffmpeg.filter.graph, ffmpeg.filter.audio) ->
  ffmpeg.filter.audio

  Category: Liquidsoap

  Parameters:

   * in_gain : float? (default: null)
       set signal input gain. (default: 0.6)

   * out_gain : float? (default: null)
       set signal output gain. (default: 0.3)

   * delays : string? (default: null)
       set list of signal delays. (default: "1000")

   * decays : string? (default: null)
       set list of signal decays. (default: "0.5")

   * (unlabeled) : ffmpeg.filter.graph (default: None)

   * (unlabeled) : ffmpeg.filter.audio (default: None)

Filters input and output are abstract values of type ffmpeg.filter.audio and ffmpeg.filter.video. They can be created using ffmpeg.filter.audio.input, ffmpeg.filter.video.input. Conversely, sources can be created from them using ffmpeg.filter.audio.output and ffmpeg.filter.video.output.

Filters are configured within the closure of a function. Here’s an example:

def flanger_highpass(s) =
    def mkfilter(graph) =
      s = ffmpeg.filter.audio.input(graph, s)
      s = ffmpeg.filter.flanger(graph, s, delay=10.)
      s = ffmpeg.filter.highpass(graph, s, frequency=4000.)
      ffmpeg.filter.audio.output(graph, s)
    end
  
    ffmpeg.filter.create(mkfilter)
  end

This filter receives an audio input, creates a ffmpeg.filter.audio.input with it that can be passed to filters, applies a flanger effect and then a high pass effect, creates an audio output from it and returns it.

Here’s another example for video:

def hflip(s) =
    def mkfilter(graph) =
      s = ffmpeg.filter.video.input(graph, s)
      s = ffmpeg.filter.hflip(graph, s)
      ffmpeg.filter.video.output(graph, s)
    end
  
    ffmpeg.filter.create(mkfilter)
  end

This filter receives a video input, creates a ffmpeg.filter.video.input with it that can be passed to filters, applies a hflip filter (flips the video vertically), creates a video output from it and returns it.

FFmpeg filters are very powerful, they can also convert audio to video, for instance displaying information about the stream, and they can combined into powerful graph processing filters.

Filter commands

Some filters support changing options at runtime with a command. These are also supported in liquidsoap.

In order to do so, you have to use a slightly different API:

def dynamic_volume(s) =
    def mkfilter(graph) =
      filter = ffmpeg.filter.volume.create(graph)
  
      def set_volume(v) =
        ignore(filter.process_command("volume", "#{v}"))
      end
  
      s = ffmpeg.filter.audio.input(graph, s)
      filter.set_input(s)
      s = filter.output
      s = ffmpeg.filter.audio.output(graph, s)
  
      (s, set_volume)
    end
  
    ffmpeg.filter.create(mkfilter)
  end
  
  let (s, set_volume) = dynamic_volume(s)

First, we instantiate a volume filter via ffmpeg.filter.volume.create. The filter instance has a process_command, which we use to create the set_volume function. Then, we apply the expected input to the filter and return the pair (s, set_volume) of source and function.

The ffmpeg.filter.<filter>.create API is intended for advanced use if you want to use filter commands. Otherwise, ffmpeg.filter.<filter> provides a more straight forward API to filters.

Filters with dynamic inputs or outputs

Filters with dynamic inputs or outputs can have multiple inputs or outputs, decided at run-time. Typically, ffmpeg.filter.split splits a video stream into multiple streams and ffmpeg.filter.merge merges multiple video streams into a single one.

For these filters, the operators’ signature is a little different. Here’s an example for dynamic outputs:

% liquidsoap -h ffmpeg.filter.asplit

  Ffmpeg filter: Pass on the audio input to N audio outputs. This filter has
  dynamic outputs: returned value is a tuple of audio and video outputs. Total
  number of outputs is determined at runtime.

  Type: (?outputs : int?, ffmpeg.filter.graph,
   ffmpeg.filter.audio) ->
  [ffmpeg.filter.audio] * [ffmpeg.filter.video]

  Category: Liquidsoap
  Flag: extra

  Parameters:

   * outputs : int? (default: null)
       set number of outputs. (default: 2)

   * (unlabeled) : ffmpeg.filter.graph (default: None)

   * (unlabeled) : ffmpeg.filter.audio (default: None)

This filter returns a tuple (audio, video) of possible dynamic outputs.

Likewise, with dynamic inputs:

% liquidsoap -h ffmpeg.filter.amerge

  Ffmpeg filter: Merge two or more audio streams into a single multi-channel
  stream. This filter has dynamic inputs: last two arguments are lists of audio
  and video inputs. Total number of inputs is determined at runtime.

  Type: (?inputs : int?, ffmpeg.filter.graph,
   [ffmpeg.filter.audio], [ffmpeg.filter.video]) ->
  ffmpeg.filter.audio

  Category: Liquidsoap
  Flag: extra

  Parameters:

   * inputs : int? (default: null)
       specify the number of inputs. (default: 2)

   * (unlabeled) : ffmpeg.filter.graph (default: None)

   * (unlabeled) : [ffmpeg.filter.audio] (default: None)

   * (unlabeled) : [ffmpeg.filter.video] (default: None)

This filter receives an array of possible audio inputs as well as an array of possible video inputs.

Put together, this can be used as such:

def parallel_flanger_highpass(s) =
    def mkfilter(graph) =
      s = ffmpeg.filter.audio.input(graph, s)
  
      let (audio, _) = ffmpeg.filter.asplit(outputs=2, graph, s)
  
      let [s1, s2] = audio
  
      s1 = ffmpeg.filter.flanger(graph, s1, delay=10.)
      s2 = ffmpeg.filter.highpass(graph, s2, frequency=4000.)
  
      # For some reason, we need to enforce the format here.
      s1 = ffmpeg.filter.aformat(sample_fmts="s16", sample_rates="44100", channel_layouts="stereo", graph, s1)
      s2 = ffmpeg.filter.aformat(sample_fmts="s16", sample_rates="44100", channel_layouts="stereo", graph, s2)
  
      s = ffmpeg.filter.amerge(inputs=2, graph, [s1, s2], [])
  
      ffmpeg.filter.audio.output(graph, s)
    end
  
    ffmpeg.filter.create(mkfilter)
  end