[FFmpeg-user] ffmpeg on OS X / timelapse creates invalid video in one resolution and valid in another

[Matt Krass]

Hello all,

I am trying to use ffmpeg to stitch a series of JPGs together in to a short timelapse clip (about 8 seconds). I have all of my jpegs (237 frames) in a directory named frame0001.jpg through frame 0237.jpg, at a resolution of 1280x720 pixels each. I also have another directory with the exact same images with the same names but at 960x540 pixels. The command I am using is:

ffmpeg -f image2 -r 24 -i frame-%04d.jpg -vcodec libx264 test.mp4

If I do this in the directory with the 960x540 images, it creates a perfect little 2.5MB mp4 file that will play in Quicktime no problem. If I run the exact same command in the 1280x720 directory, I get a 2.8MB mp4 file that will only play in VLC and throws errors in Quicktime. Can someone explain to me why this is and what I am doing wrong? (I assume it’s my fault!)

Thanks,
Matt