FFmpeg is one of those tools everyone knows is powerful, but can be complicated to use. It can do almost anything with video, but the learning curve is steep, and the syntax is unforgiving. Even after years of using it, I still find myself searching for examples or reusing old commands.
Recently, I experimented with using Claude as a kind of “translator” between what I want to do in plain English and what FFmpeg actually needs. The result was surprisingly effective.
The Problem
I had a simple goal, at least conceptually:
- Take a screen recording of my iOS app
- Turn it into a square video for Instagram
- Use a slow-moving 4K cloud video as a background
- Speed up both videos
- Center the app video with padding
- Add a QR code in the bottom corner linking to the App Store
- Output a single, Instagram-ready MP4
The Approach
Instead of building the FFmpeg command myself, I described the entire process in plain English to Claude and let it handle the mechanics:
- Trim the background video to skip the black frames at the start
- Resize it slightly larger than the app video to allow padding
- Match its duration to the foreground video
- Speed everything up 2×
- Center the app video both vertically and horizontally
- Overlay a QR code in the bottom-right corner with padding
- Name the output file
What stood out immediately was that Claude didn’t just generate a command—it ran and verified the output. If multiple steps were needed, it handled them without me having to reason about intermediate files or filter chains.
The Result
Less than a minute later, I had exactly what I wanted:
- A square video
- Animated cloud background
- App video perfectly centered
- QR code placed cleanly with spacing
- Ready to upload to Instagram
I previewed it in VLC, and everything matched the mental image I had when I wrote the prompt.
Why This Matters
I’ve tried doing this same task in traditional video editors like iMovie, and ironically, it was harder. Tools with visual timelines can struggle once you step outside their expected workflows.
What made this interesting wasn’t just that AI “saved time.” It removed friction from a task that usually discourages experimentation. I didn’t have to remember FFmpeg syntax or worry about getting one parameter wrong—I could focus entirely on the outcome.
This also wasn’t really “programming” in the traditional sense. It was intent-driven tooling: describing a result and letting the system figure out the steps.
Takeaway
If you already know what FFmpeg can do but avoid it because of complexity, pairing it with an AI assistant like Claude is a game changer. It lowers the barrier without limiting capability—and it encourages you to try things you might otherwise skip.
Hopefully this opens up a few ideas for how you might use AI tools in your own workflows, even outside of coding.