Post-Processing Basics

yt-dlp provides extensive post-processing capabilities to convert, enhance, and modify downloaded content automatically.

Basic Post-Processing

Audio Extraction and Conversion

Extract audio to MP3

yt-dlp -x --audio-format mp3 "VIDEO_URL"

Extract audio with quality setting

yt-dlp -x --audio-format mp3 --audio-quality 0 "VIDEO_URL"

Convert to different audio formats

yt-dlp -x --audio-format aac "VIDEO_URL"

yt-dlp -x --audio-format flac "VIDEO_URL"

yt-dlp -x --audio-format wav "VIDEO_URL"

Video Format Conversion

Convert to MP4

yt-dlp --remux-video mp4 "VIDEO_URL"

Merge video and audio to specific format

yt-dlp -f "bestvideo+bestaudio" --merge-output-format mp4 "VIDEO_URL"

Convert to different video formats

yt-dlp --remux-video mkv "VIDEO_URL"

yt-dlp --remux-video avi "VIDEO_URL"

Metadata Processing

Adding Metadata

Add basic metadata

yt-dlp --add-metadata "VIDEO_URL"

Add metadata to audio files

yt-dlp -x --add-metadata "VIDEO_URL"

Write metadata to external file

yt-dlp --write-info-json "VIDEO_URL"

Thumbnail Processing

Embed thumbnail in video

yt-dlp --embed-thumbnail "VIDEO_URL"

Embed thumbnail in audio

yt-dlp -x --embed-thumbnail "VIDEO_URL"

Write thumbnail as separate file

yt-dlp --write-thumbnail "VIDEO_URL"

Convert thumbnail format

yt-dlp --convert-thumbnails jpg "VIDEO_URL"

Subtitle Processing

Subtitle Embedding

Embed subtitles in video

yt-dlp --embed-subs "VIDEO_URL"

Embed specific language subtitles

yt-dlp --embed-subs --sub-lang en "VIDEO_URL"

Embed all available subtitles

yt-dlp --embed-subs --sub-lang all "VIDEO_URL"

Subtitle Conversion

Convert subtitle format

yt-dlp --convert-subs srt "VIDEO_URL"

Convert to multiple formats

yt-dlp --convert-subs "srt,vtt,ass" "VIDEO_URL"

Write and convert subtitles

yt-dlp --write-sub --convert-subs srt "VIDEO_URL"

Advanced FFmpeg Processing

Custom FFmpeg Arguments

Apply video filters

yt-dlp --postprocessor-args "ffmpeg:-vf scale=1280:720" "VIDEO_URL"

Audio processing

yt-dlp --postprocessor-args "ffmpeg:-af loudnorm" "VIDEO_URL"

Multiple filters

yt-dlp --postprocessor-args "ffmpeg:-vf scale=1280:720,fps=30 -af loudnorm" "VIDEO_URL"

Video Processing Examples

Resize video

yt-dlp --postprocessor-args "ffmpeg:-vf scale=1920:1080" "VIDEO_URL"

Change frame rate

yt-dlp --postprocessor-args "ffmpeg:-vf fps=30" "VIDEO_URL"

Apply video filters

yt-dlp --postprocessor-args "ffmpeg:-vf brightness=0.1,contrast=1.1" "VIDEO_URL"

Crop video

yt-dlp --postprocessor-args "ffmpeg:-vf crop=1280:720:0:0" "VIDEO_URL"

Audio Processing Examples

Normalize audio

yt-dlp --postprocessor-args "ffmpeg:-af loudnorm" "VIDEO_URL"

Change audio bitrate

yt-dlp --postprocessor-args "ffmpeg:-b:a 192k" "VIDEO_URL"

Apply audio filters

yt-dlp --postprocessor-args "ffmpeg:-af highpass=f=200,lowpass=f=3000" "VIDEO_URL"

Audio fade effects

yt-dlp --postprocessor-args "ffmpeg:-af afade=t=in:d=2,afade=t=out:st=28:d=2" "VIDEO_URL"

File Organization Post-Processing

Custom Execution Scripts

Execute script after download

yt-dlp --exec "custom_script.sh {}" "VIDEO_URL"

Execute before download

yt-dlp --exec-before-download "prepare_script.sh {}" "VIDEO_URL"

Multiple execution points

yt-dlp --exec-before-download "pre_script.sh {}" --exec "post_script.sh {}" "VIDEO_URL"

File Movement and Organization

Move files after processing

yt-dlp --exec "mv {} /final/destination/" "VIDEO_URL"

Organize by date

yt-dlp --exec "mkdir -p $(date +%Y/%m) && mv {} $(date +%Y/%m)/" "VIDEO_URL"

Custom organization script

yt-dlp --exec "organize_files.py {}" "VIDEO_URL"

Platform-Specific Post-Processing

YouTube-Specific

Process YouTube videos with chapters

yt-dlp --add-metadata --embed-chapters "YOUTUBE_URL"

Extract YouTube comments

yt-dlp --write-comments --embed-comments "YOUTUBE_URL"

YouTube Music processing

yt-dlp -x --add-metadata --embed-thumbnail --parse-metadata "title:%(artist)s - %(title)s" "YOUTUBE_MUSIC_URL"

Twitch-Specific

Process Twitch VODs with chat

yt-dlp --write-comments "TWITCH_VOD_URL"

Twitch highlights extraction

yt-dlp --download-sections "*highlights*" "TWITCH_URL"

Batch Post-Processing

Processing Multiple Files

Batch processing with same options

yt-dlp -x --add-metadata --batch-file urls.txt

Different processing per URL

yt-dlp --batch-file batch_config.txt

Post-Processing Archives

Process only new downloads

yt-dlp --download-archive processed.txt --add-metadata "VIDEO_URL"

Reprocess existing files

yt-dlp --force-overwrites --remux-video mp4 "VIDEO_URL"

Quality Control Post-Processing

Video Quality Enhancement

Upscale video (requires appropriate ffmpeg build)

yt-dlp --postprocessor-args "ffmpeg:-vf scale=1920:1080:flags=lanczos" "VIDEO_URL"

Deinterlace video

yt-dlp --postprocessor-args "ffmpeg:-vf yadif" "VIDEO_URL"

Stabilize video

yt-dlp --postprocessor-args "ffmpeg:-vf deshake" "VIDEO_URL"

Audio Quality Enhancement

Audio normalization

yt-dlp --postprocessor-args "ffmpeg:-af loudnorm=I=-23:LRA=7:TP=-2" "VIDEO_URL"

Noise reduction

yt-dlp --postprocessor-args "ffmpeg:-af highpass=f=200" "VIDEO_URL"

Dynamic range compression

yt-dlp --postprocessor-args "ffmpeg:-af compand" "VIDEO_URL"

Custom Post-Processors

Writing Custom Post-Processors

# Example custom post-processor
from yt_dlp.postprocessor import PostProcessor

class CustomPostProcessor(PostProcessor):
    def run(self, info):
        filepath = info['filepath']
        # Custom processing logic here
        return [], info

# Usage in configuration
--use-postprocessor CustomPostProcessor

Plugin-Based Post-Processing

Use external post-processor plugins

yt-dlp --use-postprocessor ExternalPlugin "VIDEO_URL"

Plugin with arguments

yt-dlp --use-postprocessor "ExternalPlugin:arg1=value1,arg2=value2" "VIDEO_URL"

Error Handling in Post-Processing

Handling Post-Processing Failures

Continue on post-processing errors

yt-dlp --ignore-errors --add-metadata "VIDEO_URL"

Skip post-processing if it fails

yt-dlp --no-post-overwrites --remux-video mp4 "VIDEO_URL"

Verbose post-processing debugging

yt-dlp --verbose --add-metadata "VIDEO_URL"

Recovery and Retry

Retry post-processing

yt-dlp --force-overwrites --add-metadata "VIDEO_URL"

Post-process existing files

yt-dlp --skip-download --add-metadata "VIDEO_URL"

Performance Optimization

Parallel Post-Processing

Process multiple files simultaneously

parallel -j 4 "yt-dlp --add-metadata {}" ::: url1 url2 url3 url4

Batch processing with GNU parallel

yt-dlp --batch-file urls.txt --exec "echo {} >> completed.txt"

Resource Management

Limit FFmpeg threads

yt-dlp --postprocessor-args "ffmpeg:-threads 2" "VIDEO_URL"

Memory-efficient processing

yt-dlp --postprocessor-args "ffmpeg:-preset ultrafast" "VIDEO_URL"

Configuration Examples

Audio-Focused Configuration

# Configuration for audio extraction
--extract-audio
--audio-format mp3
--audio-quality 0
--add-metadata
--embed-thumbnail

Video Archive Configuration

# Configuration for video archiving
--add-metadata
--embed-subs
--embed-thumbnail
--write-info-json
--write-description
--write-comments

Streaming-Optimized Configuration

# Configuration for streaming-friendly output
--merge-output-format mp4
--postprocessor-args "ffmpeg:-movflags +faststart"
--embed-subs
--embed-thumbnail

Troubleshooting Post-Processing

Common Issues

Debug post-processing issues

yt-dlp --verbose --debug --add-metadata "VIDEO_URL"

Check FFmpeg installation

ffmpeg -version

Test post-processing without download

yt-dlp --skip-download --add-metadata "VIDEO_URL"

Format Compatibility

Check supported formats

ffmpeg -formats

Test format conversion

yt-dlp --remux-video mp4 --verbose "VIDEO_URL"

Force format even if incompatible

yt-dlp --force-overwrites --merge-output-format mp4 "VIDEO_URL"

Best Practices

1. Test First: Try post-processing on single files before batch operations
2. Use Appropriate Formats: Choose formats compatible with your use case
3. Monitor Quality: Check output quality after processing
4. Handle Errors: Use error handling options for batch processing
5. Backup Originals: Keep original files when experimenting
6. Optimize Performance: Use appropriate FFmpeg presets for speed/quality balance
7. Document Settings: Save working configurations for reuse
8. Update Tools: Keep FFmpeg and yt-dlp updated for best compatibility

Post-processing in yt-dlp provides powerful capabilities for automatically transforming downloaded content to meet specific requirements, from simple format conversion to complex audio/video enhancement workflows.