HOW-TO create video preview thumbnails automatically

theophile · 2009-02-06 23:08

I just worked up a bash script for Linux that will generate thumbs. Let me know if it works:

Code:

#!/bin/bash

ls *.wmv *.avi *.mkv *.ogm *.mpg | while read file; do

        ffmpeg -itsoffset -5 -i $file -vcodec mjpeg -vframes 1 -an -f rawvideo ${file:0:${#file}-3}tbn </dev/null

done

It assumes the video file extension is three characters, so it won't work on, say, a *.mpeg file.

rgviewer · 2009-02-26 23:18

I have a Win MCE2005 that I record all my shows on to D:\Recorded TV (they have a .dvr-ms extension) and would like to be able to auto create thumbs to play back on xbmc. I am able to run this line in a cmd prompt to create thumbs using the following: but only by opening up a cmd prompt in the folder D:\Recorded TV and then pasting the line in.This works but I cann't run a task schedual.

"for /r %i in (*.dvr-ms) do ffmpeg -i "%i" -f mjpeg -t 0.001 -ss 5 -y "%~di%~pi%~ni.tbn"

I am able to run a batch file like this and use task schedual and it works perfect, but only if I move a recording inot a folder "C:\test" but if I subsitute "C:\test" with "D:\Recorded TV" it doesn't work. I don't want to manually move all my recording daily and plus the d:\recorded tv is where mce reads the file from.

@echo off

set FFMPEG=C:\Windows\System32\ffmpeg.exe
set THUMB="%%~di%%~pi%%~ni.tbn"
set MAKETHUMB=%FFMPEG% -i "%%i" -f mjpeg -t 0.001 -ss 5 -y %THUMB%
set FILES="*.mov" "*.dvr-ms" "*.avi" "*.flv" "*.wmv" "*.mp4"

for /r C:\test %%i in ( %FILES% ) do if not exist %THUMB% %MAKETHUMB%

Does anyone have any suggestions? Do I need to move all my recordings into another folder because of some permissions not allowing me to run a batch file into my recorded tv folder in MCE2005.
Hope this all makes sense.
Thanks Agian

LaTropa64 · 2009-04-06 00:18

jaredharley Wrote:Vista's registry is just a little bit different. Place the below code into a normal text file, and save as a .reg file (should have the little blue cube of blocks icon).

Code:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.tbn\ShellEx\{BB2E617C-0920-11d1-9A0B-00C04FC2D6C1}] @="{3F30C968-480A-4C6C-862D-EFC0897BB84B}"
This does work on Vista.

Sorry for pulling up an old thread but I can't seem to get this to work. It did add to my registry but all tbn's still show as a generic icon in explorer instead of a preview of the pic like regular jpeg's do.

edit: Nevermind. I restarted the computer and it's working now.

neal73 · 2010-07-24 10:26

Just a little bump on this thread - it works fine doing it this way, but has something been done that makes it easier yet? A nice little GUI version perhaps?

Hammi · 2011-02-24 22:03

theophile Wrote:I just worked up a bash script for Linux that will generate thumbs. Let me know if it works:

Code:

#!/bin/bash ls *.wmv *.avi *.mkv *.ogm *.mpg | while read file; do ffmpeg -itsoffset -5 -i $file -vcodec mjpeg -vframes 1 -an -f rawvideo ${file:0:${#file}-3}tbn </dev/null done

It assumes the video file extension is three characters, so it won't work on, say, a *.mpeg file.

It basically works good, except for cases where there's a space in the name of the movie. The below version fixes that:

Code:

#!/bin/bash

ls *.wmv *.avi *.mkv *.ogm *.mpg | while read file; do

        ffmpeg -itsoffset -5 -i "$file" -vcodec mjpeg -vframes 1 -an -f rawvideo "${file:0:${#file}-3}tbn" </dev/null

done

The problem I still have is that while tbns are created, XBMC seems to ignore them, and rather automatically creates its own (which are broken and just show a grey box).

I have deleted the previously auto-created tbns from the cache, but they're just recreated...

Hammi · 2011-02-27 10:46

Ok - another revision of the script, setting the time when the tbns are created to 2 mins into the movie, and checking if the tbn already exists, so that only new tbns are created.

Code:

#!/bin/bash

ls *.wmv *.avi *.mkv *.ogm *.mpg | while read file; do

if [ ! -f  "${file:0:${#file}-3}tbn" ]; then

   ffmpeg -itsoffset -120 -i "$file" -vcodec mjpeg -vframes 1 -an -f rawvideo "${file:0:${#file}-3}tbn" </dev/null

fi

chmod og+w *

done

If the movie has been stored in XBMC before, the new tbns are only used by XBMC, if the information for all episodes is updated in XBMC.

sourbob · 2011-06-28 22:55

joebrady Wrote:Yea, that's on my agenda for tonight. Too bad tvdb doesn't have a section for "Chilly Willy" cartoons tho....

It does now. Added it myself. Now if we can get someone to make some banners...

feerlessleadr · 2011-07-28 22:14

Hate resurrecting an old thread, but I am trying to use the following batch file to create my thumbnails on my windows system, and I am getting empty tbn images with mkv files and tbn images that are hundreds of mb with avi files:

Code:

setlocal

set FFMPEG=C:\Users\Kevin\Stuff\ffmpeg\ffmpeg.exe

set THUMB="%%~di%%~pi%%~ni.tbn"

set MAKETHUMB=%FFMPEG% -i "%%i" -f mjpeg -t 0.001 -ss 10 -y %THUMB%

set FILES="*.mkv" "*.avi"

for /r %1 %%i in ( %FILES% ) do if not exist %THUMB% %MAKETHUMB%

endlocal

I am passing "F:\Test" as the %1 parameter in the above file

I have even tried just using the following and I am still get empty tbn files for mkv an huge tbn files for avi:

Code:

for %i in (*.avi) do ffmpeg -i "%i" -f mjpeg -t 0.001 -ss 5 -y "%~ni.tbn"

Code:

for %i in (*.mkv) do ffmpeg -i "%i" -f mjpeg -t 0.001 -ss 5 -y "%~ni.tbn"

Any ideas?

::EDIT:: Well I just upgraded to the latest static build of ffmpeg for windows and my avi problem is fixed, but the mkv tbn is still coming up as zero.

Manta99 · 2011-07-30 10:59

Code:

set MAKETHUMB=%FFMPEG% -i "%%i" -f mjpeg -vframes 1 -ss 10 -y %THUMB%

I think this will work. Thanks for the windows port btw! I'm running the script every time my HTPC wakes op from sleep to fill in missing thumbnails.

krasymir · 2012-04-11 09:20

(2007-11-15 07:40)Calmiche Wrote: Okay, I just found out about one of these and the other one I wrote. If you have seen them before, then don't complain. They are new to me.

---------------------------------------
Creating XBMC Thumbnails Automatically
---------------------------------------

I wanted to have thumbnails for all my television episodes. (All my episodes are on my windows PC, sheared over my network.) Instead of downloading each file individually, I found a tip on the XBMC wiki page.

http://www.xboxmediacenter.com/wiki/inde...thumbnails

1. Download this file:
http://ffdshow.faireal.net/mirror/ffmpeg...ev10908.7z

2. Extract that file (Including the DLL) into your \\Windows\System32 folder.

3. Open up a command prompt window in the root folder of your television shows and then type this command

for /r %i in (*.avi) do ffmpeg -i "%i" -f mjpeg -t 0.001 -ss 5 -y "%~di%~pi%~ni.tbn"

You can replace the (*.avi) with different file formats, including mp4, divx, rmvb, ogm and rm.

This will open up your episodes, skip 5 seconds in, take a screen shot, rename it to *.tbn and then go to the next file. It will also do any sub folder.

---------------------------------------
Seeing *.tbn files in Windows Explorer
---------------------------------------

I bet that you know that you can go into a folder in Windows XP, switch to Thumbnail view, and be presented with an icon of the first screen from a movie. It works for images as well. Unfortunately, it doesn't work for *.tbn files. Until now, that is.

1. Create a new text document.

2. Paste the following block of text into it.

REGEDIT4

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.tbn\ShellEx\{BB2E617C-0920-11d1-9A0B-00C04FC2D6C1}]
@="{3F30C968-480A-4C6C-862D-EFC0897BB84B}"

3. Rename the file so that the extension is .reg (I named mine "tbn thumbnails.reg")

4. Double-click the file and you are all set. Windows XP will now see TBN thumbnails as images and create a windows thumbnail for them. You can see them in your folders on your computer.

<? php
exec ('for / r C :/ xampp / htdocs / public / uploads /% i in (*. flv, *. avi, *. mp4) do ffmpeg-i "% i"-f mjpeg-t 0.050-ss 20 -y "% ~ di% ~ pi% ~ ni.jpg" ')
?>
This record Thumbnail in C :/ xampp / htdocs / public / uploads /
Thumbnail How to write in C :/ xampp / htdocs / public / uploads / thumb /
sorry for bad English.

neal73 Senior Member Posts: 145 Joined: Apr 2008 Reputation: 12	2010-07-24 10:26 Post: #44 Just a little bump on this thread - it works fine doing it this way, but has something been done that makes it easier yet? A nice little GUI version perhaps?
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sourbob Member Posts: 67 Joined: Jun 2011 Reputation: 0	2011-06-28 22:55 Post: #47 joebrady Wrote:Yea, that's on my agenda for tonight. Too bad tvdb doesn't have a section for "Chilly Willy" cartoons tho.... It does now. Added it myself. Now if we can get someone to make some banners...
	find quote

Manta99 Junior Member Posts: 5 Joined: Jun 2009 Reputation: 0	2011-07-30 10:59 Post: #49 Code: `set MAKETHUMB=%FFMPEG% -i "%%i" -f mjpeg -vframes 1 -ss 10 -y %THUMB%` I think this will work. Thanks for the windows port btw! I'm running the script every time my HTPC wakes op from sleep to fill in missing thumbnails.
	find quote