Batch Processing in Avidemux with the Job List and Scripting

Once you have found settings that work, you rarely want to click through them again for each file. Avidemux offers three levels of automation: the Job list inside the program, project scripts, and the command-line interface.

The Job list

1. Open a file and configure the output as usual (encoders, filters, muxer).
2. Choose File > Queue instead of Save. Give the job a name and an output file.
3. Repeat for the next file. The settings stay as they were, so only the input and output names change.
4. Open File > Job list (or the avidemux_jobs tool) and press Run all jobs.

Jobs run one after another and the program can be closed while they encode. The list keeps finished jobs with their status, so a failed job is easy to spot and rerun.

Project scripts

File > Project Script > Save as Project writes a small Python script (.py) that records the loaded file, cuts, filters and output settings. Loading the script restores the whole state. Edit the script in a text editor to change the input path and you have a reusable template.

adm = Avidemux()
adm.loadVideo("/videos/input.mkv")
adm.clearSegments()
adm.addSegment(0, 0, 90000000)   # keep the first 90 seconds
adm.videoCodec("x264", "useAdvancedConfiguration=False", "general.params=CRF=23")
adm.audioCodec(0, "Faac")
adm.setContainer("MP4", "muxerType=0")
adm.save("/videos/output.mp4")

Command line

The avidemux3_cli binary accepts the same options and runs without a window, which suits servers and scheduled tasks. A shell loop processes a folder:

for f in *.mkv; do
  avidemux3_cli --load "$f" --video-codec x264 --audio-codec Faac \
    --output-format MP4 --save "${f%.mkv}.mp4" --quit
done

On Windows the same loop works in PowerShell with avidemux_cli.exe. Use --run script.py to apply a saved project to a different file.

Tips for long batches

• Test the settings on one short file before queuing fifty.
• Write output to a different folder so a failed run never overwrites a source.
• Hardware encoders (NVENC, QSV) are a good match for large batches where speed matters more than size.