meowgorithm/video-mute

Video Mute

Remove audio tracks from video files while preserving video quality.

Supported Formats

| Format | Extension | Notes | | ------ | --------- | -------------------------------- | | MP4 | .mp4 | Most common, widely compatible | | MOV | .mov | Apple QuickTime format | | AVI | .avi | Windows format, larger files | | MKV | .mkv | Matroska, supports many codecs | | WebM | .webm | Web-optimized format | | MPEG | .mpg, .mpeg | Older format | | FLV | .flv | Flash video format | | WMV | .wmv | Windows Media Video |

Quick Start

Remove Audio from Single File

scripts/mute.sh input.mp4 output.mp4

Or use the default naming (appends -muted):

scripts/mute.sh input.mp4
# Creates: input-muted.mp4

Batch Process Multiple Files

Remove audio from all MP4 files in current directory:

scripts/mute.sh *.mp4

Output files will be named with -muted suffix.

Copy Instead of Re-encode (Fastest)

Use copy mode to strip audio without re-encoding video (much faster):

scripts/mute.sh -c input.mp4 output.mp4

Specify Video Codec

# Re-encode with H.264 (better compatibility)
scripts/mute.sh -v libx264 input.mp4 output.mp4

# Re-encode with H.265/HEVC (smaller file size)
scripts/mute.sh -v libx265 input.mp4 output.mp4

Command Options

| Option | Description | Example | | -------------- | ---------------------------------------- | ------------------- | | -c, --copy | Copy video stream (no re-encode, fast) | -c | | -v, --vcodec | Video codec (default: copy) | -v libx264 | | -y, --yes | Overwrite output without asking | -y | | -h, --help | Show help | -h |

Tool Dependencies

Requires ffmpeg for video processing.

Install ffmpeg:

# macOS
brew install ffmpeg

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt-get install ffmpeg

# Arch
sudo pacman -S ffmpeg

# Fedora
dnf install ffmpeg

Common Workflows

Prepare Videos for Social Media

Remove original audio before adding new soundtrack:

scripts/mute.sh -c vacation.mp4
# Then add new audio with ffmpeg or video editor

Batch Process Folder

Remove audio from all videos in a folder:

for video in ~/Videos/*.mp4; do
    scripts/mute.sh -c "$video"
done

Create Preview Clips

Make short silent preview versions:

# First trim to 10 seconds, then mute
ffmpeg -i long-video.mp4 -t 10 -c copy -an preview.mp4

Strip Audio for Privacy

Remove sensitive audio before sharing:

scripts/mute.sh -c -y meeting-recording.mp4

Performance Tips

• Copy mode (-c): Fastest, no quality loss, same file size
• Re-encoding: Slower, may reduce quality, can reduce file size
• Use copy mode when you just need to remove audio without other changes
• Re-encode only if you need to change video codec or compress further

Troubleshooting

"Unknown encoder" error

Some codecs may not be available. Check available codecs:

ffmpeg -encoders | grep -i h264

Output file is larger than input

Use copy mode (-c) instead of re-encoding.

Quality looks worse

Copy mode preserves original quality. If re-encoding, try a higher bitrate:

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -an -vcodec libx264 -crf 18 output.mp4