Japanatron Logo

I wanted to figure out a way to quickly and easily combine an image file (jpg) and audio file (mp3) into a video file (mov) using the free media converter tool ffmpeg.  This would allow me to upload my podcast episodes and songs to YouTube.  After extensive googling and testing I found the combination that finally worked.  And since I'm such a nice dude, I'll share it with you:

ffmpeg -loop 1 -i image-file.jpg -i audio-file.mp3 -shortest -acodec copy -f mov video-file.mov

Notes
* The above is on Ubuntu Server 12.04 LTS.  Other ffmpeg versions may require tweaking of command options, hence the reason this took me extensive research and testing.
* Ffmpeg accepts a very wide range of file formats, so png, aif, wav, etc. can also be used.

UPDATE
* On Ubuntu at least, ffmpeg has been replaced by the avconv command; however, the exact same command format above works with avconv.  Here it is again for copy/paste convenience:

avconv -loop 1 -i image-file.jpg -i audio-file.mp3 -shortest -acodec copy -f mov video-file.mov

* Here's how to install avconv:

apt-get install libav-tools

* Working fine on Ubuntu 14.04 LTS

Related Articles

Joomla - How to Modify RSSocia...

RSSocial is an awesome free Joomla extension I use to display social media icons on my site.  Since it uses the Fontello Zocial font kit, I figured out how to m...

Batocera - How To Pair 8BitDo ...

I struggled a bit with getting my new 8BitDo M30 controller to pair properly with Batocera.  Before we begin, please make sure the controller is on the latest f...

The Hunt for the Ultimate Blue...

I'm obsessed with bluetooth.  So much so that I've been hunting for heaven's own pair of bluetooth headphones for my Tokyo subway commutes.  I'm already on my 5...

How To Build an Ubuntu Web Ser...

The following is a task outline for building an Ubuntu-based web-server to run Joomla and JomSocial.  I created this for my own notes, so apologies if it's...