{ "schemaVersion": 1, "contentVersion": "ca42e61ede0a24f789d7287a0001244ad22f4abf", "id": "docs/reference/encoder-parameters", "collection": "docs", "title": "Reading option tables", "description": "Where each tool's full option table lives, what the Default column means, and which FFmpeg options apply to every encoder.", "canonicalUrl": "https://encode.wiki/reference/encoder-parameters/", "apiUrl": "https://encode.wiki/api/v1/documents/docs/reference/encoder-parameters.json", "markdownUrl": "https://encode.wiki/api/v1/markdown/docs/reference/encoder-parameters.md", "status": "current", "tags": [], "license": "CC BY-SA 4.0", "dates": { "lastVerified": "2026-10-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "authors": [], "sources": [ { "title": "FFmpeg codec options and encoder interfaces", "url": "https://ffmpeg.org/ffmpeg-codecs.html", "accessedAt": "2026-10-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "title": "FFmpeg 9.0.2 generic codec option declarations", "url": "https://github.com/FFmpeg/FFmpeg/blob/n9.0.2/libavcodec/options_table.h", "accessedAt": "2026-10-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, { "title": "Gifsicle manual", "url": "https://www.lcdf.org/gifsicle/man.html", "accessedAt": "2026-10-08T00:00:00.000Z" } ], "headings": [ { "depth": 2, "text": "Where the tables are", "anchor": "where-the-tables-are" }, { "depth": 2, "text": "What the Default column means", "anchor": "what-the-default-column-means" }, { "depth": 2, "text": "FFmpeg options that apply to every encoder", "anchor": "ffmpeg-options-that-apply-to-every-encoder" } ], "sections": [ { "id": "_preamble", "title": "Page introduction", "depth": 0, "canonicalUrl": "https://encode.wiki/reference/encoder-parameters/", "apiUrl": "https://encode.wiki/api/v1/sections/docs/reference/encoder-parameters/_preamble.json", "markdownUrl": "https://encode.wiki/api/v1/sections/docs/reference/encoder-parameters/_preamble.md", "checksum": "32acee2d5ad077d33523010472d8dd512c9cdeaa3b5876a9d4626ff740a66bde", "bytes": 279 }, { "id": "where-the-tables-are", "title": "Where the tables are", "depth": 2, "anchor": "where-the-tables-are", "canonicalUrl": "https://encode.wiki/reference/encoder-parameters/#where-the-tables-are", "apiUrl": "https://encode.wiki/api/v1/sections/docs/reference/encoder-parameters/where-the-tables-are.json", "markdownUrl": "https://encode.wiki/api/v1/sections/docs/reference/encoder-parameters/where-the-tables-are.md", "checksum": "20ae4623d97b2ddf0f361fb4c03d710275e4821a71065fe6218866cb035f28ce", "bytes": 5109 }, { "id": "what-the-default-column-means", "title": "What the Default column means", "depth": 2, "anchor": "what-the-default-column-means", "canonicalUrl": "https://encode.wiki/reference/encoder-parameters/#what-the-default-column-means", "apiUrl": "https://encode.wiki/api/v1/sections/docs/reference/encoder-parameters/what-the-default-column-means.json", "markdownUrl": "https://encode.wiki/api/v1/sections/docs/reference/encoder-parameters/what-the-default-column-means.md", "checksum": "21690ecc5e24c70063a0a25f15f8a8aa8d4afc6a2eba68aa2c5ccdca4f93518a", "bytes": 1799 }, { "id": "ffmpeg-options-that-apply-to-every-encoder", "title": "FFmpeg options that apply to every encoder", "depth": 2, "anchor": "ffmpeg-options-that-apply-to-every-encoder", "canonicalUrl": "https://encode.wiki/reference/encoder-parameters/#ffmpeg-options-that-apply-to-every-encoder", "apiUrl": "https://encode.wiki/api/v1/sections/docs/reference/encoder-parameters/ffmpeg-options-that-apply-to-every-encoder.json", "markdownUrl": "https://encode.wiki/api/v1/sections/docs/reference/encoder-parameters/ffmpeg-options-that-apply-to-every-encoder.md", "checksum": "dec609989dbc7146135cb103817d154d84be750aab313e89d352856fd6d689e1", "bytes": 1883 } ], "outboundReferences": [ "/codecs/audio/aac/", "/codecs/audio/opus/", "/codecs/images/avif/", "/codecs/images/gif/", "/codecs/images/heic/", "/codecs/images/jpeg/", "/codecs/images/jpeg2000/", "/codecs/images/jxl/", "/codecs/images/png/", "/codecs/images/qoi/", "/codecs/images/webp/", "/tools/hardware-encoders/amf/", "/tools/hardware-encoders/mediacodec/", "/tools/hardware-encoders/nvenc/", "/tools/hardware-encoders/qsv/", "/tools/hardware-encoders/vaapi/", "/tools/hardware-encoders/vulkan/", "/tools/software-encoders/aom-av1-lavish/", "/tools/software-encoders/aom-psy101/", "/tools/software-encoders/aomenc/", "/tools/software-encoders/aurora1/", "/tools/software-encoders/avm/", "/tools/software-encoders/eve-av1/", "/tools/software-encoders/exhale/", "/tools/software-encoders/qaac/", "/tools/software-encoders/rav1e/", "/tools/software-encoders/svt-av1-5fish/", "/tools/software-encoders/svt-av1-essential/", "/tools/software-encoders/svt-av1-hdr/", "/tools/software-encoders/svt-av1-psy/", "/tools/software-encoders/svt-av1-psyex/", "/tools/software-encoders/svt-av1/", "/tools/software-encoders/vpxenc/", "/tools/software-encoders/vvenc/", "/tools/software-encoders/x264/", "/tools/software-encoders/x265/", "/tools/utilities/av1an/", "/tools/utilities/dav1d/", "/tools/utilities/dovi_tool/", "/tools/utilities/ffmpeg/", "/tools/utilities/hdr10plus_tool/", "/tools/utilities/mkvtoolnix/", "/tools/utilities/mp4box/" ], "checksum": "7a411c4a1947a1befb07a0e5ae92638c42d6b1a55dcb8f267899fb0bd0793198", "contentFormat": "markdown", "markdown": "Each encoder and image-format page ends with a **Full option reference**: every option of one named\nrelease, with its default and what it does. The practical guidance is at the top of each page; the\ntables are for looking up a specific flag. This page explains how to read them.\n\n## Where the tables are\n\n| Area | Pages |\n| -------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |\n| AV1 encoders | [SVT-AV1](/tools/software-encoders/svt-av1/) and its forks ([HDR](/tools/software-encoders/svt-av1-hdr/), [PSY](/tools/software-encoders/svt-av1-psy/), [PSYEX](/tools/software-encoders/svt-av1-psyex/), [Essential](/tools/software-encoders/svt-av1-essential/), [5fish](/tools/software-encoders/svt-av1-5fish/)), [aomenc](/tools/software-encoders/aomenc/) and its forks ([AV1-lavish](/tools/software-encoders/aom-av1-lavish/), [aom-psy101](/tools/software-encoders/aom-psy101/)), [rav1e](/tools/software-encoders/rav1e/), [AVM](/tools/software-encoders/avm/) (AV2) |\n| Other video | [x264](/tools/software-encoders/x264/), [x265](/tools/software-encoders/x265/), [vpxenc](/tools/software-encoders/vpxenc/), [VVenC](/tools/software-encoders/vvenc/) |\n| Hardware | [NVENC](/tools/hardware-encoders/nvenc/), [QSV](/tools/hardware-encoders/qsv/), [AMF](/tools/hardware-encoders/amf/), [VAAPI](/tools/hardware-encoders/vaapi/), [Vulkan](/tools/hardware-encoders/vulkan/), [MediaCodec](/tools/hardware-encoders/mediacodec/) (FFmpeg wrapper options) |\n| Audio | [Opus](/codecs/audio/opus/) (`opusenc`, `libopus`), [AAC](/codecs/audio/aac/) (FFmpeg `aac`, `libfdk_aac`, `fdkaac`), [qaac](/tools/software-encoders/qaac/), [exhale](/tools/software-encoders/exhale/) |\n| Images | [AVIF](/codecs/images/avif/), [HEIC](/codecs/images/heic/), [JPEG XL](/codecs/images/jxl/), [WebP](/codecs/images/webp/), [JPEG](/codecs/images/jpeg/), [JPEG 2000](/codecs/images/jpeg2000/), [PNG](/codecs/images/png/), [GIF](/codecs/images/gif/), [QOI](/codecs/images/qoi/) |\n| Pipeline tools | [FFmpeg](/tools/utilities/ffmpeg/), [Av1an](/tools/utilities/av1an/), [MKVToolNix](/tools/utilities/mkvtoolnix/), [MP4Box](/tools/utilities/mp4box/), [dav1d](/tools/utilities/dav1d/), [dovi_tool](/tools/utilities/dovi_tool/), [hdr10plus_tool](/tools/utilities/hdr10plus_tool/) — the options that matter, not full inventories |\n\nCommercial SDKs such as [Eve-AV1](/tools/software-encoders/eve-av1/) and [Aurora1](/tools/software-encoders/aurora1/) publish no option reference.\n\nA table covers one interface at one release. `aomenc`, `SvtAv1EncApp`, FFmpeg's `libsvtav1` wrapper\nand a GPU driver accept different flags with different defaults, and a fork can change both, so check\nthe version named above the table against the one you run.\n\n## What the Default column means\n\nThe Default column says what happens when you **omit** the option.\n\n| Default shown | Meaning |\n| ------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |\n| A value | The interface uses this value unless you override it. |\n| Automatic / sentinel | A value is chosen later from the input, preset or hardware. `-1`, `0` and `auto` mean different things in different tools. |\n| Preset- or tune-dependent | The preset or tune sets it; the row gives the value for the default preset where it matters. |\n| Input- or mode-dependent | Picture size, channel count, sample rate or rate-control mode changes it. |\n| Unset | Nothing is passed, so the library's own behaviour applies. Not the same as zero. |\n| Required | You must supply it. |\n\nA displayed range can include sentinel values, so read the description before using an endpoint: `0`\noften means \"automatic\" rather than \"minimum\". An option with an optional value can behave differently\nwhen written bare — Gifsicle's omitted `--lossy` is 0, a bare `--lossy` means 20. Quality scales are\nprivate to each encoder: CRF 30 in x264, SVT-AV1 and libvpx are three unrelated settings, and \"quality\n90\" in two image encoders are not comparable.\n\n## FFmpeg options that apply to every encoder\n\n`ffmpeg -h encoder=` lists only an encoder wrapper's private options. These generic options\napply to every encoder and are not repeated in the per-encoder tables:\n\n| Option | What it sets |\n| ----------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |\n| `-b:v`, `-b:a` | Target bitrate in bits/s (`5M`, `160k`). |\n| `-maxrate`, `-minrate`, `-bufsize` | Rate-control limits in bits/s and the VBV buffer in bits, for encoders and modes that honour them. |\n| `-g`, `-bf`, `-refs` | Maximum GOP length in frames, consecutive B-frames and reference frames. |\n| `-q:v`, `-global_quality`, `-crf`, `-cq`, `-qp` | Quality controls. Which one an encoder uses, and its scale, is encoder-specific. |\n| `-preset`, `-tune`, `-profile:v`, `-level:v` | Encoder-specific names. A profile or level constrains compatibility; it is not a quality setting. |\n| `-pix_fmt`, `-ar`, `-ac` | Pixel format, audio sample rate in Hz and channel count. Setting them converts if the input differs. |\n| `-threads` | Requested threads; encoders may cap or ignore it. |\n\nUse stream specifiers (`-b:v:0`, `-c:a:1`) when an option could match several streams. Library\npass-through strings such as `-svtav1-params`, `-x264-params` and `-x265-params` use the library's own\n`key=value:key=value` syntax, not the standalone command-line spelling.\n" }