Not finding sample-video-h264.mp

That post is 9 years old and some things have changed since then. You can use any video as a source for your test.

Got it. I’m able to create a thumbnail jpg now using the ffmpeg command, so I know I have the correct path to ffmpeg. But when I ‘Generate Thumbnails’ for previously uploaded videos, it looks like it’s working (for 21 videos) but completes a few seconds later and there is nothing new in my Media Library.
My WP install is a little unusual though. Probably ffmpeg isn’t finding the path to my Media folder. I have my WP files in mysite.com/blog/ and keep my media files at mysite.com/media
The ffmpeg command looks like…
/usr/bin/ffmpeg -i mysite.com/blog/../media/test.mp4 -vframes 1 -f mjpeg mysite.com/blog/../media/test.jpg
Any suggestions? Thanks!

Does WordPress know where your Media Library is? It doesn’t really matter what the folders are as long as you’re using a plugin to filter the location of the uploads directory. Can you post the FFMPEG test command and test output from the bottom of the FFMPEG Settings tab of the Videopack Settings page?

My WP knows where my Media folder is and works fine otherwise. I don’t use a plugin for that.
I slightly modified (for posting) the test command in/output, replacing my actual server user name with ‘user’ and my site with ‘mysite.com’ (user/mysite.com). The test seems to complete, but I can’t find the output file anywhere. Feels a little ‘permissiony’ which isn’t my forte.

ffmpeg version 3.4.11-0ubuntu0.1 Copyright (c) 2000-2022 the FFmpeg developers
built with gcc 7 (Ubuntu 7.5.0-3ubuntu1~18.04)
configuration: --prefix=/usr --extra-version=0ubuntu0.1 --toolchain=hardened --libdir=/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu --incdir=/usr/include/x86_64-linux-gnu --enable-gpl --disable-stripping --enable-avresample --enable-avisynth --enable-gnutls --enable-ladspa --enable-libass --enable-libbluray --enable-libbs2b --enable-libcaca --enable-libcdio --enable-libflite --enable-libfontconfig --enable-libfreetype --enable-libfribidi --enable-libgme --enable-libgsm --enable-libmp3lame --enable-libmysofa --enable-libopenjpeg --enable-libopenmpt --enable-libopus --enable-libpulse --enable-librubberband --enable-librsvg --enable-libshine --enable-libsnappy --enable-libsoxr --enable-libspeex --enable-libssh --enable-libtheora --enable-libtwolame --enable-libvorbis --enable-libvpx --enable-libwavpack --enable-libwebp --enable-libx265 --enable-libxml2 --enable-libxvid --enable-libzmq --enable-libzvbi --enable-omx --enable-openal --enable-opengl --enable-sdl2 --enable-libdc1394 --enable-libdrm --enable-libiec61883 --enable-chromaprint --enable-frei0r --enable-libopencv --enable-libx264 --enable-shared
libavutil 55. 78.100 / 55. 78.100
libavcodec 57.107.100 / 57.107.100
libavformat 57. 83.100 / 57. 83.100
libavdevice 57. 10.100 / 57. 10.100
libavfilter 6.107.100 / 6.107.100
libavresample 3. 7. 0 / 3. 7. 0
libswscale 4. 8.100 / 4. 8.100
libswresample 2. 9.100 / 2. 9.100
libpostproc 54. 7.100 / 54. 7.100
Input #0, mov,mp4,m4a,3gp,3g2,mj2, from '/home/user/mysite.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/video-embed-thumbnail-generator/src/images/Adobestock_469037984.mp4':
Metadata:
major_brand : mp42
minor_version : 0
compatible_brands: mp42mp41
creation_time : 2023-08-02T18:57:59.000000Z
Duration: 00:00:01.94, start: 0.000000, bitrate: 2454 kb/s
Stream #0:0(eng): Video: h264 (Main) (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p, 3840x2160 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], 1930 kb/s, 29.97 fps, 29.97 tbr, 30k tbn, 59.94 tbc (default)
Metadata:
creation_time : 2023-08-02T18:57:59.000000Z
handler_name : Alias Data Handler
encoder : AVC Coding
Stream #0:1(eng): Audio: aac (LC) (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 48000 Hz, stereo, fltp, 314 kb/s (default)
Metadata:
creation_time : 2023-08-02T18:57:59.000000Z
handler_name : Alias Data Handler
Stream mapping:
Stream #0:0 (h264) -> scale (graph 0)
scale (graph 0) -> Stream #0:0 (libx264)
Stream #0:1 -> #0:1 (aac (native) -> aac (native))
Press [q] to stop, [?] for help
[libx264 @ 0x12b059a57060] using SAR=1/1
[libx264 @ 0x12b059a57060] using cpu capabilities: MMX2 SSE2Fast LZCNT
[libx264 @ 0x12b059a57060] profile Constrained Baseline, level 3.0
[libx264 @ 0x12b059a57060] 264 - core 152 r2854 e9a5903 - H.264/MPEG-4 AVC codec - Copyleft 2003-2017 - https://www.videolan.org/x264.html - options: cabac=0 ref=3 deblock=1:0:0 analyse=0x1:0x111 me=hex subme=7 psy=1 psy_rd=1.00:0.00 mixed_ref=1 me_range=16 chroma_me=1 trellis=1 8x8dct=0 cqm=0 deadzone=21,11 fast_pskip=1 chroma_qp_offset=-2 threads=1 lookahead_threads=1 sliced_threads=0 nr=0 decimate=1 interlaced=0 bluray_compat=0 constrained_intra=0 bframes=0 weightp=0 keyint=250 keyint_min=25 scenecut=40 intra_refresh=0 rc_lookahead=40 rc=crf mbtree=1 crf=23.0 qcomp=0.60 qpmin=0 qpmax=69 qpstep=4 ip_ratio=1.40 aq=1:1.00
Output #0, mp4, to '/home/user/mysite.com/blog/../media/Adobestock_469037984-360.mp4':
Metadata:
major_brand : mp42
minor_version : 0
compatible_brands: mp42mp41
encoder : Lavf57.83.100
Stream #0:0: Video: h264 (libx264) (avc1 / 0x31637661), yuv420p(progressive), 640x360 [SAR 1:1 DAR 16:9], q=-1--1, 29.97 fps, 30k tbn, 29.97 tbc (default)
Metadata:
encoder : Lavc57.107.100 libx264
Side data:
cpb: bitrate max/min/avg: 0/0/0 buffer size: 0 vbv_delay: -1
Stream #0:1(eng): Audio: aac (LC) (mp4a / 0x6134706D), 48000 Hz, stereo, fltp, 160 kb/s (default)
Metadata:
creation_time : 2023-08-02T18:57:59.000000Z
handler_name : Alias Data Handler
encoder : Lavc57.107.100 aac
frame= 24 fps=0.0 q=0.0 size= 0kB time=00:00:00.96 bitrate= 0.0kbits/s speed=1.91x
frame= 52 fps= 51 q=29.0 size= 0kB time=00:00:01.87 bitrate= 0.2kbits/s speed=1.84x
[mp4 @ 0x12b059a24580] Starting second pass: moving the moov atom to the beginning of the file
frame= 57 fps= 39 q=29.0 Lsize= 25kB time=00:00:01.92 bitrate= 104.8kbits/s speed=1.31x
video:21kB audio:1kB subtitle:0kB other streams:0kB global headers:0kB muxing overhead: 13.584821%
[libx264 @ 0x12b059a57060] frame I:1 Avg QP:13.21 size: 906
[libx264 @ 0x12b059a57060] frame P:56 Avg QP:23.22 size: 358
[libx264 @ 0x12b059a57060] mb I I16..4: 99.8% 0.0% 0.2%
[libx264 @ 0x12b059a57060] mb P I16..4: 5.1% 0.0% 0.4% P16..4: 2.2% 0.6% 0.2% 0.0% 0.0% skip:91.5%
[libx264 @ 0x12b059a57060] coded y,uvDC,uvAC intra: 2.9% 12.1% 7.7% inter: 0.4% 1.0% 0.6%
[libx264 @ 0x12b059a57060] i16 v,h,dc,p: 70% 30% 0% 0%
[libx264 @ 0x12b059a57060] i4 v,h,dc,ddl,ddr,vr,hd,vl,hu: 23% 31% 32% 1% 3% 3% 4% 1% 2%
[libx264 @ 0x12b059a57060] i8c dc,h,v,p: 57% 33% 10% 0%
[libx264 @ 0x12b059a57060] ref P L0: 72.3% 15.2% 12.5%
[libx264 @ 0x12b059a57060] kb/s:88.09
[aac @ 0x12b059a48320] Qavg: 65536.000

Thanks!

The test output file is always deleted after the test completes. It’s only there to generate the output text for the test. It looks like the FFMPEG test is working fine. Have you tried making any individual video thumbnails rather than the button to generate thumbnails for all existing videos? Turn off the setting in the FFMPEG Settings tab “When possible, use the browser’s built-in video capabilities to make thumbnails instead of FFMPEG.” then go to a video in your media library and click Generate or Randomize to make an array of thumbnails, then select one to save it.

Thanks! When I go to generate the thumbnails, it looks like it’s working but the little imgs are broken. (Using a link from within my Media Library to the screen capture img I just took)
https://www.squeezehorns.com/blog/../media/videopackGenerate.png
(same image can also be reached https://www.squeezehorns.com/media/videopackGenerate.png ). When I ‘choose from video’, it stalls at ‘saving’ https://www.squeezehorns.com/blog/../media/videopackSaving.png

If this helps, for example, when I generate 4, I can watch them be created, but the thumbnail of the thumbnail image is broken. Right click/link is https://www.squeezehorns.com/media/thumb_tmp/20230929twotone2_thumb1.jpg?2126224182

Sometimes the media path in your posts is /blog/../media which I think is the root of the problem. Are you setting your Media Library location using wp-config.php with a line like define( 'UPLOADS', '../media' ); ?

I guess that works for regular Media Library use, but it appears that it doesn’t work for the complicated file work FFMPEG does with my plugin. When building the uploads path in wp_upload_dir(), WordPress just combines ABSPATH (/home/user/mysite.com/blog/) with UPLOADS (../media) so you get /home/user/mysite.com/blog/../media

I found some discussion of the problem here https://core.trac.www.ads-software.com/ticket/48316

The main recommendation is to create a symlink in the /blog folder that links to the /media folder and changing the UPLOADS content to that folder. I don’t know enough about the process to say exactly how you should do it, but that should point you in the right direction.

Got it. That makes sense and I will look into the link you provided. In fact there was no define( 'UPLOADS', '../media' );in my config file! Maybe my install is that old? (It was set in Settings > Media.) Anyway I added it and it doesn’t seem to have made a difference (tho could be caching issues). I will look into the symlink solution. Thanks for all your help!

That is old. The option to set the uploads folder in Settings > Media was removed way back in WordPress 3.5, I think. To be clear, I do not recommend setting your uploads directory to ‘../media’ using wp-config or any other method because it will lead to weird results like this.

Got it. I will try to find the right way to do this. Again, thanks for your help.