Video Splitting Support Requirements

PySceneDetect can use either ffmpeg or mkvmerge to split videos automatically.

By default, when specifying the split-video command, ffmpeg will be used to split the video. If the -c/--copy option is also set (e.g. split-video --copy), mkvmerge will be used to split the video instead.

FFmpeg

You can download ffmpeg from: https://ffmpeg.org/download.html

Note that Linux users should use a package manager (e.g. sudo apt-get install ffmpeg). Windows users may require additional steps in order for PySceneDetect to detect ffmpeg - see the section Manually Enabling split-video Support below for details.

mkvmerge

You can download and install mkvmerge as part of the mkvtoolnix package from: https://mkvtoolnix.download/downloads.html

Note that Windows users should use the installer/setup, and Linux users should use their system package manager, otherwise PySceneDetect may not be able to find mkvmerge. If this is the case, see the section below to enable support for the split-video --copy command manually.

Manually Enabling split-video Support

If PySceneDetect cannot find the respective tool installed on your system, you have three options:

  1. Place the tool in the same location that PySceneDetect is installed (e.g. copy and paste mkvmerge.exe into the same place scenedetect.exe is located). This is the easiest solution for most users.

  2. Add the directory where you installed ffmpeg/mkvmerge to your system's PATH environment variable, ensuring that you can use the ffmpeg/mkvmerge command from any terminal/command prompt. This is the best solution for advanced users.

  3. Place the tool in a location already in your system's PATH variable (e.g. C:/Windows). This is not recommended, but may be the only solution on systems without administrative rights.