Converting MOV to MP4 on a Mac using FFMPEG is a powerful and efficient way to manage your video files. MOV files, commonly used by Apple devices, can sometimes pose compatibility issues on other platforms, whereas MP4 is widely supported across all devices and applications. FFMPEG, a versatile open-source command-line tool, allows you to seamlessly convert MOV to MP4 with ease. In this guide, we'll walk you through the steps to use FFMPEG on your Mac for a smooth conversion process, ensuring you maintain high-quality video output in the MP4 format.
Step 1: If you don’t have FFMPEG installed, use Homebrew to install it. Open Terminal and run:
Step 2: Once FFMPEG is installed, you can convert a MOV file to MP4 using a simple command. In Terminal, navigate to the folder containing your MOV file or use the full file path:
Replace input.mov with the name of your MOV file and output.mp4 with the desired name for the MP4 file.
Additional Options (Optional):
To retain the best quality, you can specify additional parameters. For example:
The '-crf 20' controls video quality (lower is better but results in larger files), and -preset fast optimizes encoding speed and compression balance.
The conversion will begin, and once finished, your MP4 file will be saved in the specified output path.