VideoTools - Video Processing Suite

What is VideoTools?

VideoTools is a desktop video processing application built on FFmpeg. It provides a graphical interface for converting, inspecting, and preparing video.

It includes tools for video conversion, batch processing, media inspection, merging, filtering, audio extraction, thumbnail generation, ripping, DVD-compliant output, and upscaling where supported.

Project Status

This project is under active development, and many documented features are not yet implemented.

For a clear, up-to-date overview of what is complete, in progress, and planned, please see our Project Status Page. This document provides the most accurate reflection of the project's current state.

Builds

• Daily (dev): https://git.leaktechnologies.dev/Leak_Technologies/VideoTools
• Stable (public): https://github.com/LeakTechnologies/VideoTools

Capabilities

• Video conversion via FFmpeg
• Queue-based batch processing
• Media inspection and analysis
• Merge, filters, and audio extraction
• Thumbnail generation
• Compare playback
• DVD authoring, encoding, and ripping tools
• Settings for language and hardware acceleration
• Optional AI-assisted upscaling (where supported)

Codecs and Frame Rates

Preset output formats:

• MP4: H.264, H.265, AV1
• MOV: H.264, H.265, ProRes
• MKV: Remux (copy), H.265, AV1
• WebM: VP9, AV1
• DVD: NTSC/PAL (MPEG-2)

Frame rate targets:

• Source, 23.976, 24, 25, 29.97, 30, 50, 59.94, 60
• Optional motion interpolation for frame-rate changes
• DVD presets lock to NTSC (29.97) or PAL (25) frame rates

Quick Start

Installation (One Command)

bash scripts/linux/install.sh

The installer will build, install, and set up shell aliases.

After installation:

source ~/.bashrc    # (or ~/.zshrc, or ~/.config/fish/config.fish)
VideoTools

Alternative: Developer Setup

If you already have the repo cloned (dev workflow):

cd /path/to/VideoTools
bash scripts/linux/build.sh
bash scripts/linux/run.sh

For detailed installation options, troubleshooting, and platform-specific notes, see INSTALLATION.md. For upcoming work and priorities, see docs/ROADMAP.md.

DVD Workflow (Optional)

1. Start VideoTools → VideoTools
2. Load a video → Drag & drop into Convert module
3. Select format → Choose "DVD-NTSC (MPEG-2)" or "DVD-PAL (MPEG-2)"
4. Choose aspect → Select 4:3 or 16:9
5. Name output → Enter filename (without .mpg)
6. Queue → Click "Add to Queue"
7. Encode → Click "View Queue" → "Start Queue"
8. Export → Use the .mpg file in DVDStyler

Documentation

Getting Started:

• PROJECT_STATUS.md - Current implementation status
• INSTALLATION.md - Comprehensive installation guide (read this first!)
• docs/README.md - Documentation index
• Forgejo Wiki - https://git.leaktechnologies.dev/leak_technologies/VideoTools/wiki

For Users:

• BUILD_AND_RUN.md - How to build and run VideoTools
• DVD_USER_GUIDE.md - Complete guide to DVD encoding

For Developers:

• DVD_IMPLEMENTATION_SUMMARY.md - Technical specifications
• INTEGRATION_GUIDE.md - System architecture and integration
• QUEUE_SYSTEM_GUIDE.md - Queue system reference
• localization-policy.md - Localization strategy and implementation guide

Localization

VideoTools ships with built-in support for multiple languages. Switch language in Settings → General. Aboriginal Sans is embedded for proper rendering of Unified Canadian Aboriginal Syllabics (Inuktitut).

Language	Code	Script	Coverage
English (Canada)	en-CA	Latin	100% — source of truth
French (Canada)	fr-CA	Latin	98%
Inuktitut	iu	Syllabics + Latin toggle	11% — in progress

Coverage is measured against the en-CA field count. The iu translation is an ongoing community effort; untranslated strings fall back to English automatically.

Requirements

• Go 1.21+ (for building)
• FFmpeg (for video encoding)
• X11 or Wayland display server (for GUI)

System Architecture

VideoTools has a modular architecture:

• internal/convert/ - DVD and video encoding
• internal/queue/ - Job queue system
• internal/ui/ - User interface components
• internal/player/ - Media playback
• scripts/ - Build and run automation

Commands

Build & Run

# One-time setup
source scripts/alias.sh    # bash
# source scripts/alias.zsh  # zsh
# source scripts/alias.fish # fish

# Run the application
VideoTools

# Force rebuild
VideoToolsRebuild

# Clean build artifacts
VideoToolsClean

Legacy (Direct commands)

# Build
go build -o VideoTools .

# Run
./VideoTools

# Run with debug logging
VIDEOTOOLS_DEBUG=1 ./VideoTools

# View logs
go run . logs

Troubleshooting

• See BUILD_AND_RUN.md for detailed troubleshooting
• Check videotools.log for detailed error messages
• Use VIDEOTOOLS_DEBUG=1 for verbose logging

Getting Help

1. Read BUILD_AND_RUN.md for setup issues
2. Read docs/README.md for module and guide links
3. Read DVD_USER_GUIDE.md for DVD-specific workflows
4. Check videotools.log for error details
5. Review documentation in project root