ffmpeg -i input.mkv -ss 00:12:30 -vframes 1 scene_Lois_inverse.png ffmpeg -i input.mkv -ss 00:38:15 -vframes 1 scene_Clark_vision.png For a study of the episode’s visual style (dark Inverse Society scenes vs. sunny Smallville), apply a histogram filter:
ffmpeg -i input.mkv -map 0:s:0 -c:s srt subtitles.srt Assuming the episode is ~2.5 GB, we can reduce to 1 GB with minimal perceptual loss using HEVC.
ffprobe -v error -select_streams s -show_entries stream=index,codec_name input.mkv superman & lois s02e02 ffmpeg
ffmpeg -i input.mkv -map 0:v -map 0:a -c:v copy -c:a aac -ac 2 -b:a 128k output_stereo.mkv To quickly review episode content (e.g., key moments: Lois’s hospital scene, Jordan’s football moment, Tag Harris attack).
ffmpeg -i S02E02.mkv -vf "drawtext=text='The Ties That Bind':x=10:y=10:fontsize=24:fontcolor=white" -frames:v 1 title_card.png && ffprobe S02E02.mkv FFmpeg Engineering Division Appendix: Full FFmpeg log available upon request. Disclaimer: Use only on content you own or have license to process. ffmpeg -i input
ffmpeg -i input.mkv -map 0:s:0 subtitles.srt If subtitles are in MOV_TEXT or WebVTT, convert to SRT:
ffmpeg -i input.mkv -filter:v "select='gt(scene,0.4)',showinfo" -f null - 2>&1 | grep scene This identifies cuts in the editing – valuable for splitting clips (e.g., separating Kent farm scenes from Metropolis B-roll). Superman & Lois includes burned-in English SDH on broadcast versions, but streaming versions often have separate subtitle streams. ffmpeg -i S02E02
ffmpeg -i input.mkv -vf "histogram=level_height=200:scale=log" -f null - To (e.g., Lois & Chrissy at the Gazette) using silence removal: