TrailerClipper 2.0.0

TrailerClipper

Cuts the intro and the trailer off video and audio files, one file or a whole folder at a time, with ffmpeg. Two packages:

• tclipper, a command-line tool (TrailerClipper.Tool), for clipping from a terminal.
• TrailerClipper, the library behind it, for .NET code (netstandard2.0 and net10.0, so .NET Framework 4.6.2+ and every current .NET, on Windows, macOS and Linux).

The tool

dotnet tool install -g TrailerClipper.Tool
tclipper --install-ffmpeg        # only if ffmpeg is not installed yet
tclipper <path> <trailer_length_in_milliseconds>

<path> is a file or a folder; in a folder every m4b, wav, mp3, mp4, flv, avi, mpg and mov file is clipped. The clipped copies go to a clipped folder beside the input.

tclipper Episodes 17500                  # drop the last 17.5 s of every file in Episodes
tclipper -i 3500 Episodes 17500          # and the first 3.5 s
tclipper -i 3500 Episodes                # only the first 3.5 s
tclipper -o saved.json Episodes 17500    # clip, then save these settings
tclipper -c saved.json                   # clip again with the saved settings
tclipper -z                              # write a sample TrailerClipperConfig.json
tclipper                                 # clip with TrailerClipperConfig.json from the current folder

Options: -h help; -o <file> save the settings; -c, -config <file> read them; -i, -intro <ms> remove an intro; -cf, -consoleoff no progress lines; -d delete each original after clipping; -m, -multi clip files in parallel; -a, -allfiles try every file, whatever its extension; -z write a sample config. Options go before the path. Lengths are milliseconds with . as the decimal point.

ffmpeg

TrailerClipper needs ffmpeg and ffprobe. It looks for them in TrailerClipperOptions.FFmpegDirectory, the TRAILERCLIPPER_FFMPEG environment variable, PATH, and then the folders the usual installers use (winget, Homebrew, /usr/local/bin, /usr/bin, Chocolatey, Scoop), so a fresh install works without opening a new terminal.

When ffmpeg is missing, tclipper offers to install it, and tclipper --install-ffmpeg does so directly. Either way it runs your system's package manager, which downloads a current build and checks it:

TrailerClipper never downloads ffmpeg itself.

The library

dotnet add package TrailerClipper

using TrailerClipperLib;

var clipper = new TrailerClipper();
clipper.RemoveTrailers("Episodes", 17500m);                   // a file or a folder
clipper.RemoveIntros("Episodes", 3500m);
clipper.RemoveIntrosAndTrailers("Episodes", 3500m, 17500m);

clipper.RemoveTrailers(new TrailerClipperOptions("Episodes", 17500m)
{
    RemoveIntro = true,
    IntroLengthInMilliseconds = 3500m,
    OutputDirectoryPath = "Clipped",
    FFmpegDirectory = @"C:\tools\ffmpeg\bin",   // optional; see "ffmpeg" above
    OutputToConsole = false
});

ClipperCommandLineInterpreter turns the tool's arguments into TrailerClipperOptions; FFmpegLocator.Find() says where ffmpeg was found (or null).

What happens at the edges

• A path that does not exist throws FileNotFoundException; a negative length throws ArgumentOutOfRangeException.
• A file whose intro and trailer add up to its whole length or more is skipped, with a line on the console; nothing is written for it.
• A file ffmpeg cannot read does not stop the batch: the other files are clipped, then an InvalidOperationException names the failures.
• Missing ffmpeg throws ToolNotFoundException (an InvalidOperationException) whose message says how to install it.
• The progress lines go to the console unless OutputToConsole is false.

Upgrading from 1.x

2.0.0 gives the same answers as 1.1.0 for everything 1.1.0 did right, proven against a recording of the published 1.1.0 (tests/Golden), and fixes what it did wrong: see CHANGELOG.md. The main change: ffmpeg is no longer bundled (1.1.0 carried a 2015 build inside MediaToolkit.dll, Windows only), so install it once as above. The namespace, class and method names are unchanged.

What it is not

A video editor or an ffmpeg wrapper for general use. File names containing a double quote are refused. it cuts a fixed length off the start and the end of each file, re-encoding with ffmpeg's defaults for the file's extension. It runs only the ffmpeg and ffprobe it finds and never touches the network.

Licence

MIT. ffmpeg is a separate program under its own licence (LGPL or GPL, depending on the build you install). FFMpegCore, which runs it, is MIT.