VideoTools/docs/QUICKSTART.md

VideoTools - Quick Start Guide

Get VideoTools running in minutes!

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Windows Users

Super Simple Setup (Recommended)

1. Download the repository or clone it:

   git clone <repository-url>
   cd VideoTools
   

2. Run the setup script:

   • Double-click setup-windows.bat
   • OR run in PowerShell:

     .\scripts\setup-windows.ps1 -Portable
     

3. Done! FFmpeg will be downloaded automatically and VideoTools will be ready to run.

4. Launch VideoTools:

   • Navigate to dist/windows/
   • Double-click VideoTools.exe

If You Need to Build

If VideoTools.exe doesn't exist yet:

Option A - Get Pre-built Binary (easiest):

• Check the Releases page for pre-built Windows binaries
• Download and extract
• Run setup-windows.bat

Option B - Build from Source:

1. Install Go 1.21+ from https://go.dev/dl/
2. Install MinGW-w64 from https://www.mingw-w64.org/
3. Run:

   set CGO_ENABLED=1
   go build -ldflags="-H windowsgui" -o VideoTools.exe
   

4. Run setup-windows.bat to get FFmpeg

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Linux Users

Simple Setup

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone <repository-url>
   cd VideoTools
   

2. Install FFmpeg (if not already installed):

   # Fedora/RHEL
   sudo dnf install ffmpeg
   
   # Ubuntu/Debian
   sudo apt install ffmpeg
   
   # Arch Linux
   sudo pacman -S ffmpeg
   

3. Build VideoTools:

   ./scripts/build.sh
   

4. Run:

   ./VideoTools
   

Cross-Compile for Windows from Linux

Want to build Windows version on Linux?

# Install MinGW cross-compiler
sudo dnf install mingw64-gcc mingw64-winpthreads-static  # Fedora/RHEL
# OR
sudo apt install gcc-mingw-w64  # Ubuntu/Debian

# Build for Windows (will auto-download FFmpeg)
./scripts/build-windows.sh

# Output will be in dist/windows/

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macOS Users

Simple Setup

1. Install Homebrew (if not installed):

   /bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
   

2. Install FFmpeg:

   brew install ffmpeg
   

3. Clone and build:

   git clone <repository-url>
   cd VideoTools
   go build -o VideoTools
   

4. Run:

   ./VideoTools
   

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Verify Installation

After setup, you can verify everything is working:

Check FFmpeg

Windows:

ffmpeg -version

Linux/macOS:

ffmpeg -version

Check VideoTools

Enable debug mode to see what's detected:

Windows:

VideoTools.exe -debug

Linux/macOS:

./VideoTools -debug

You should see output like:

[SYS] Platform detected: windows/amd64
[SYS] FFmpeg path: C:\...\ffmpeg.exe
[SYS] Hardware encoders: [nvenc]

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What Gets Installed?

Portable Installation (Windows Default)

VideoTools/
└── dist/
    └── windows/
        ├── VideoTools.exe     ← Main application
        ├── ffmpeg.exe         ← Video processing
        └── ffprobe.exe        ← Video analysis

All files in one folder - can run from USB stick!

System Installation (Optional)

• FFmpeg installed to: C:\Program Files\ffmpeg\bin
• Added to Windows PATH
• VideoTools can run from anywhere

Linux/macOS

• FFmpeg: System package manager
• VideoTools: Built in project directory
• No installation required

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Troubleshooting

Windows: "FFmpeg not found"

• Run setup-windows.bat again
• Or manually download from: https://github.com/BtbN/FFmpeg-Builds/releases
• Place ffmpeg.exe next to VideoTools.exe

Windows: SmartScreen Warning

• Click "More info" → "Run anyway"
• This is normal for unsigned applications

Linux: "cannot open display"

• Make sure you're in a graphical environment (not SSH without X11)
• Install required packages: sudo dnf install libX11-devel libXrandr-devel libXcursor-devel libXinerama-devel libXi-devel mesa-libGL-devel

macOS: "Application is damaged"

• Run: xattr -cr VideoTools
• This removes quarantine attribute

Build Errors

• Make sure Go 1.21+ is installed: go version
• Make sure CGO is enabled: export CGO_ENABLED=1
• On Windows: Make sure MinGW is in PATH

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Next Steps

Once VideoTools is running:

1. Load a video: Drag and drop any video file
2. Choose a module:
   • Convert: Change format, codec, resolution
   • Compare: Side-by-side comparison
   • Inspect: View video properties
3. Start processing: Click "Convert Now" or "Add to Queue"

See the full README.md for detailed features and documentation.

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Getting Help

• Issues: Report at /issues
• Debug Mode: Run with -debug flag for detailed logs
• Documentation: See docs/ folder for guides

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Enjoy VideoTools! 🎬