# Chunk Encoder

> **Note:** This project is a work in progress. The scripts, their features, and command-line arguments are subject to change.

A collection of Python scripts to automate a video encoding workflow. The process involves detecting scenes, cutting the source video into smaller segments, encoding each segment individually, and muxing them back into a final file.

## Prerequisites

Ensure the following command-line tools are installed and available in your system's PATH:
- `ffmpeg`
- `ffprobe`
- `SvtAv1EncApp.exe` (from the SVT-AV1 project)
- `mkvmerge` (from the MKVToolNix package)

## Workflow

The scripts are designed to be run in sequence. They create and use local directories (`cuts`, `segments`, `temp`) to store intermediate files.

### 1. (Optional) Detect Crop
If your video has black bars, you can use `cropdetect.py` to find the correct crop values.

```bash
python cropdetect.py "path/to/your/video.mkv"
```

### 2. Cut Video into Scenes
Use [`scene_cutter.py`](scene_cutter.py) to analyze the video, detect scene changes, and split the source into lossless segments in the `cuts/` directory.

```bash
python scene_cutter.py "path/to/your/video.mkv"
```

### 3. Encode Segments
Choose one of the encoder scripts to process the files from the `cuts/` directory. Encoded files will be placed in the `segments/` directory.

**Option A: VMAF-based Encoding (Recommended)**
Use [`vmaf_encoder.py`](vmaf_encoder.py) to encode each segment to a target VMAF quality level.

```bash
python vmaf_encoder.py --target-vmaf 96.0
```

**Option B: Static CRF Encoding**
Use [`static_encoder.py`](static_encoder.py) to encode all segments with a single, fixed CRF value.

```bash
python static_encoder.py --crf 27
```

### 4. Mux Final Video
Use [`segment_muxer.py`](segment_muxer.py) to combine all the encoded `.mkv` files from the `segments/` directory into a single output file.

```bash
python segment_muxer.py --cleanup
```
Using the `--cleanup` flag will automatically remove the `cuts/` and `segments/` directories