GitHub - dogoodbenice/onesecondvideosynthesiser: A tool to combine videos into a 1 second clip synthesis

OneSecondVideoSynthesiser

OneSecondVideoSynthesiser is a Python application that allows you to select multiple videos via a graphical user interface (GUI), extract a random one-second clip from each, and synthesise them into a single output video! The clips are combined in the order of selection, and the process can be rerun to generate new random selections. It supports over 1000 videos and various formats like MP4, MOV, AVI, and MKV.

Features

• Select individual video files or an entire directory of videos.
• Option to sort directory videos by name (alphabetical) or date modified.
• Extracts a random one-second clip from each video.
• Combines clips into a single MP4 video, maintaining the order of selection.
• Displays progress with a progress bar and status updates.
• Handles large numbers of videos efficiently (tested with over 1000).
• Supports multiple video formats via FFmpeg.

Prerequisites

• Python 3.6+: Ensure Python is installed on your system.
• FFmpeg: Required for video processing. Install it on your system:
  • Windows: Download from FFmpeg's official site and add to PATH.
  • macOS: brew install ffmpeg (with Homebrew).
  • Linux: sudo apt-get install ffmpeg (Ubuntu/Debian) or equivalent.
• Python Libraries: Install the required libraries with pip (see Installation section).

Installation

1. Clone the Repository:

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/onesecondvideosynthesiser.git
cd onesecondvideosynthesiser

2. Install Dependencies:

pip install -r requirements.txt

or install the required packages manually:

pip install moviepy==1.0.3 numpy>=1.20.0 Pillow>=9.0.0 decorator>=4.4.2 proglog>=0.1.10 requests>=2.27.0 tqdm>=4.65.0 imageio-ffmpeg>=0.4.8

Ensure FFmpeg is installed and accessible in your system PATH.

3. Save the Script: The main application script is synthesis.py, included in this repository. No additional steps are needed if cloned.

Usage

GUI Version

Follow these steps to use OneSecondVideoSynthesiser with the graphical interface:

1. Run the Application

   Launch the script from your terminal or command prompt:

   A GUI window titled "One Second Video Synthesiser" will appear.

2. Select Videos

   You have two options to add videos:

   • Select Videos:

     • Click the "Select Videos" button.
     • In the file dialog, choose one or more video files (e.g., .mp4, .mov, .avi, .mkv).
     • Selected video paths will appear in the listbox.

   • Select Directory:

     • Choose a sorting option under "Directory Sorting Options":
       • "Sort by Name" (default): Orders videos alphabetically.
       • "Sort by Date Modified": Orders videos by modification date (oldest first).
     • Click the "Select Directory" button.
     • Pick a folder containing video files. All supported videos in the folder (and subfolders) will be added to the listbox in the chosen order.

3. Review and Clear (Optional)

   Review the list of videos in the listbox.
   To start over, click "Clear List" to remove all selected videos.

4. Generate the Video

   Click the "Generate" button.
   In the save dialog, choose a location and name for the output file (e.g., output.mp4).
   Watch the progress bar and status label:

   • The progress bar fills as each video is processed.
   • Status updates show the current video number or "Writing final video...".
   • When complete, the status will read "Video generated successfully!"

5. Rerun (Optional)

   To create a new video with different random clips:

   1. Keep the same video list or modify it.
   2. Click "Generate" again and choose a new output file name.
   3. Each run generates a fresh random selection of one-second clips.

Terminal Version

You can also use OneSecondVideoSynthesiser directly from the terminal (no GUI).
This is useful for automation or running on servers.

Example Usage

python synthesis.py /path/to/video_directory -o output.mp4

• /path/to/video_directory: The directory containing your video files.
• -o output.mp4: The name of the output video file (default: saves in current directory).

Additional Options

• Specify an output directory:

  python synthesis.py /path/to/video_directory -o output.mp4 --output-dir /path/to/save

  This will save the output as /path/to/save/output.mp4.

• Sort by date modified:

  python synthesis.py /path/to/video_directory -s date -o output.mp4

• Sort by name (default):

  python synthesis.py /path/to/video_directory -s name -o output.mp4

• Show help:

  python synthesis.py --help

Example

python synthesis.py ./myvideos -s date -o montage.mp4 --output-dir ./exports

This will process all supported videos in the ./myvideos directory (and subdirectories), sort them by modification date, extract a random one-second clip from each, and combine them into ./exports/montage.mp4.

Notes

• Supported Formats: MP4, MOV, AVI, MKV, and others supported by FFmpeg.
• Video Requirements: Videos must be at least 1 second long; shorter videos are skipped.
• Resolution: The output matches the resolution of the first video, with other clips resized and centered on a black background.
• Performance: Processing time depends on video size and count, but memory usage is optimized for large batches.

Troubleshooting

• FFmpeg Not Found: Ensure FFmpeg is installed and in your PATH. Test with ffmpeg -version in your terminal.
• Errors During Processing: Check the error message in the popup or terminal. Common issues include corrupted videos or unsupported codecs.
• GUI Freezes: The app uses threading to stay responsive, but very large files may slow processing—wait for completion.

Contributing

Feel free to fork this repository, submit issues, or create pull requests with improvements!

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License—see the LICENSE file for details.