Audio and Video Converter

This is a Python script that converts audio files and extracts audio from video files, outputting to a specified audio format. It features configurable directory paths, automated file handling, and backup options.

Features

• Converts various audio formats to a specified output format (default is MP3)
• Extracts audio from video files
• Automatically detects input file type (audio or video)
• Creates a new output folder for each run, named with the current date and time
• Handles files that are already in the target format efficiently
• Configurable through JSON configuration file
• Flexible file handling options:
  • Optional backup of original files
  • Optional deletion of processed input files
  • Configurable input and output directories

Prerequisites

• Python 3.x
• FFmpeg (must be installed and accessible from the command line)

Installation

1. Clone this repository or download the script files

git clone https://github.com/mochiron-desu/audio-converter

2. Ensure FFmpeg is installed on your system and accessible from the command line

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt-get install ffmpeg

# macOS (using Homebrew)
brew install ffmpeg

# Windows
# Download from https://ffmpeg.org/download.html

3. Create the necessary directories as specified in your config.json (or use the defaults)

mkdir input output

Configuration

The script uses a JSON configuration file (config.json) to manage settings:

{
    "directories": {
        "input": "input",
        "base_output": "output"
    },
    "conversion": {
        "output_format": "mp3"
    },
    "file_handling": {
        "backup_input_files": true,
        "delete_input_files": true
    }
}

Configuration Options

• directories

  • input: Directory where input files are located
  • base_output: Base directory for output files

• conversion

  • output_format: Target format for audio conversion (default: "mp3")

• file_handling

  • backup_input_files: Whether to backup original files (true/false)
  • delete_input_files: Whether to delete original files after processing (true/false)

File Handling Modes

1. Full Processing (default)

   • backup_input_files: true, delete_input_files: true
   • Original files are backed up and then deleted from the input directory

2. Safe Mode

   • backup_input_files: true, delete_input_files: false
   • Original files are backed up but preserved in the input directory

3. Direct Processing

   • backup_input_files: false, delete_input_files: false
   • Original files are preserved in place with no backup

4. Clean Processing

   • backup_input_files: false, delete_input_files: true
   • Original files are deleted without backup after successful conversion

Usage

1. Place your input audio and video files in the input directory
2. (Optional) Modify the config.json file to customize settings
3. Run the script:

python main.py

The script will process the files according to your configuration settings and create a new timestamped output directory containing the converted files.

Directory Structure

audio_video_converter/
│
├── input/                      # Place input files here
│   ├── song.m4a
│   └── video.mp4
│
├── output/
│   └── 20240817_220130/       # Timestamped output folder
│       ├── input/             # Backup of original files (if enabled)
│       │   ├── song.m4a
│       │   └── video.mp4
│       ├── song.mp3           # Converted audio file
│       └── video.mp3          # Extracted audio from video
│
├── config.json                 # Configuration file
└── main.py                    # Main script

How It Works

1. The script loads configuration from config.json (or uses defaults if not found)
2. Creates a new timestamped output directory
3. If backup is enabled, creates an "input" subfolder in the output directory
4. For each file in the input directory:
   • Backs up the original file (if enabled)
   • Uses FFprobe to determine if it's an audio or video file
   • Converts to the target format or extracts audio from video
   • Places the converted file in the output directory
5. If deletion is enabled, removes original files from the input directory
6. Provides detailed status messages for all operations

Error Handling

The script includes comprehensive error handling:

• Skips files that aren't recognized as audio or video
• Reports conversion errors for individual files without stopping the process
• Uses safe file operations with proper error reporting
• Provides fallback to default settings if config file is missing
• Reports but continues if file deletion fails

Examples

Basic Usage

# Place files in input directory
cp mysong.m4a input/
python main.py

Custom Configuration

{
    "directories": {
        "input": "my_music",
        "base_output": "converted_files"
    },
    "conversion": {
        "output_format": "wav"
    },
    "file_handling": {
        "backup_input_files": false,
        "delete_input_files": false
    }
}

Supported Formats

Input formats are determined by FFmpeg support, which includes:

Audio Formats

• MP3
• WAV
• M4A
• FLAC
• OGG
• WMA
• AAC

Video Formats (for audio extraction)

• MP4
• AVI
• MKV
• MOV
• WMV
• FLV

Troubleshooting

1. FFmpeg not found

   • Ensure FFmpeg is installed and in your system PATH
   • Try running ffmpeg -version in terminal/command prompt

2. Permission errors

   • Ensure you have write permissions in both input and output directories
   • Run the script with appropriate permissions

3. Config file errors

   • Verify your config.json is valid JSON
   • Use a JSON validator if necessary

License

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

Acknowledgments

• FFmpeg for media processing capabilities
• Python's standard library for file operations
• JSON for configuration management

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Commit your changes
4. Push to the branch
5. Create a Pull Request

Version History

• 1.0.0
  • Initial release
  • Basic conversion functionality
• 1.1.0
  • Added JSON configuration
  • Added flexible file handling options
  • Added backup functionality

Contact

If you have any questions or suggestions, please open an issue in the repository.