Search code examples
pythonffmpegsubprocess

The system cannot find the file specified with ffmpeg

In the process of using the ffmpeg module to edit video files i used the subprocess module

The code is as follows:

#trim bit

import subprocess
import os
seconds = "4"
mypath=os.path.abspath('trial.mp4')
subprocess.call(['ffmpeg', '-i',mypath, '-ss', seconds, 'trimmed.mp4'])

Error message:

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "C:\moviepy-master\resizer.py", line 29, in <module>
    subprocess.call(['ffmpeg', '-i',mypath, '-ss', seconds, 'trimmed.mp4'])
  File "C:\Python27\lib\subprocess.py", line 168, in call
    return Popen(*popenargs, **kwargs).wait()
  File "C:\Python27\lib\subprocess.py", line 390, in __init__
    errread, errwrite)
  File "C:\Python27\lib\subprocess.py", line 640, in _execute_child
    startupinfo)
WindowsError: [Error 2] The system cannot find the file specified

After looking up similar problems i understood that the module is unable to pick the video file because it needs its path, so i took the absolute path. But in spite of that the error still shows up. The module where this code was saved and the video file trial.mp4 are in the same folder.

Solution

  • The WindowsError you see does not refer to the video file but to the ffmpeg executable itself. The call to subprocess.call has no idea that trimmed.mp4 is a filename you are passing. Windows knows that the first parameter ought to be an executable file and reports back to the interpreter that it can't find it.

    Double-check that ffmpeg can be executed in the environment your interpreter is running in. You may either add it to your PATH or specify the full path to ffmpeg.exe.