mov2mp4

A command-line tool to convert .mov files to lightweight .mp4 files using H.264/AAC encoding.

Why?

macOS Screen Recording creates .mov files that are often very large. A 5-minute screen recording can easily be 500MB+. This tool compresses them to a fraction of the size while maintaining good quality, making them easier to share via email, Slack, or upload to the web.

Requirements

- Node.js 20.0.0 or higher
- FFmpeg must be installed on your system

$3

Homebrew:
``bash
brew install ffmpeg
`

MacPorts:
`bash
sudo port install ffmpeg
`

Installation

$3

`bash
brew install pleymor/mov2mp4/mov2mp4
`

This automatically installs ffmpeg as a dependency.

$3

`bash
npm install -g mov2mp4
`

Or run directly with npx:
`bash
npx mov2mp4 input.mov
`

Usage

$3

Convert a .mov file to .mp4 with default settings (medium quality):

`bash
mov2mp4 recording.mov
`

This creates recording.mp4 in the same directory.

$3

Specify where to save the output file:

`bash
mov2mp4 recording.mov -o ~/Desktop/compressed.mp4
`

$3

Choose between three quality levels:

`bash


Low quality (smallest file, CRF 28)

mov2mp4 recording.mov -q low

Medium quality (default, CRF 23)

mov2mp4 recording.mov -q medium

High quality (largest file, CRF 18)

mov2mp4 recording.mov -q high
`

$3

`bash
mov2mp4 --help
`

Example

`bash
$ mov2mp4 screen-recording.mov -q low

Converting: screen-recording.mov
Progress: 100%

Conversion complete!
Output: screen-recording.mp4
Original size: 523.4 MB
New size: 42.1 MB
Compression: 92% reduction
``

License

MIT