There are a few ways to convert video files on Linux. If you’re a fan of command line tools, check out our FFMPEG video conversion guide. This guide is going to focus on HandBrake, a powerful graphical video conversion tool to covert video from and to many formats such as MP4, AVI, WebM and many more.
In this tutorial you will learn:
- How to Install HandBrake
- How to Use Video Conversion Profiles
- How to Convert a Video
Software Requirements and Conventions Used
| Category | Requirements, Conventions or Software Version Used |
|---|---|
| System | Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, and Arch Linux |
| Software | HandBrake |
| Other | Privileged access to your Linux system as root or via the sudo command. |
| Conventions |
# – requires given linux commands to be executed with root privileges either directly as a root user or by use of sudo command$ – requires given linux commands to be executed as a regular non-privileged user |
Install HandBrake
HandBrake is a popular open source application that’s available for most distirbutions. The way you can get a current version of HandBrake differs by distribution, though.
Ubuntu/Mint
If you’re running the latest version of Ubuntu, there’s a good chance you’ll also have the latest version of HandBrake in your repositories. You can check for yourself or just install it with Apt.
$ sudo apt install handbrake
For anyone running Mint or an LTS version of Ubuntu, you may want to use the HandBrake PPA instead. It has newer builds of HandBrake for older Ubuntu releases.
$ sudo add-apt-repository ppa:stebbins/handbrake-releases $ sudo apt update $ sudo apt install handbrake
Debian
There is a version of HandBrake in the default Debian repositories, but it’s probably outdated. You can get the latest version of HandBrake from the deb-multimedia repository. Check out our Debian multimedia guide for the complete instructions to get set up.
Fedora
As with a lot of multimedia tools, HandBrake is available through the RPMFusion repository on Fedora. To start, enable the repository on your system.
$ sudo dnf install https://download1.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm -E %fedora).noarch.rpm https://download1.rpmfusion.org/nonfree/fedora/rpmfusion-nonfree-release-$(rpm -E %fedora).noarch.rpm
When that’s finished, you can install Fedora with its graphical front end.
$ sudo dnf install handbrake-gui
Arch Linux/Manjaro
Arch and Manjaro have the latest releases of HandBrake in their repositories. Just install it.
$ sudo pacman -S handbrake
How to Use Video Conversion Profiles
When HandBrake opens up, you’ll be greeted by a window with what looks like a lot of controls. Even though HandBrake does offer a lot of controls, it’s not complicated to usle, unless you want it to be.
To start with HandBrake, press Open Source in the upper left corner of the screen. This will allow you to browse to the source location of your original video. You can use a DVD as the source as well, to create backups of something that you’ve already burned.
Once you have your video loaded, you can choose a preset to work with. HandBrake has a ton of convenient presets that will automatically set the application up to convert your video for a certiant resoluton, framerare, or device.
Open the Preset menu. There, you can choose which preset you want to use. HandBrake has presets for various mobile devices and the Web as well as various resolutions and refresh rates.
Once you have a preset, selected, you can choose the Format under the Summary tab. There are only two options, but that’s all you’ll need for most situations.
How to Convert a Video
Once you have everything selt up the way you want it. Choose an output location and file name at the bottom of the window.
If you want to convert multiple videos using the same settings, press Add To Queue at the top, and repeat the steps to get set up. Otherwise, just press Start to begin converting the file. When HandBrake finishes, it will display a message letting you know that it’s done.
Conslusion
Those are just the basics of what HandBrake can really do. Once you’re comfortable, don’t hesitate to play around and see what other settings it has to offer. You can even make your own presets. You also don’t need to worry about destroying your files because, unless you tell it to, HandBrake won’t overwrite the original.
