Convert an HEVC (H.265) video to H.264
Recent phones and cameras shoot in HEVC (H.265): the file is small, but it doesn't always play on Windows, on older TVs or in some editing programs. H.264 is less efficient but universally compatible.
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The lower the number, the better the picture and the larger the file.
How to use it
- Install ffmpeg if you haven't already.
- Open a terminal in the folder containing your file.
- Copy the generated command, adjust the file names if needed, then run it.
- Open the resulting file to check the result.
How can you tell if a video is HEVC?
Run ffprobe on the file: the line "Video: hevc" indicates H.265, and "Video: h264" indicates H.264. On Windows, an HEVC video that won't open in the Photos app is another sign.
ffprobe "video.mp4"
Keep the audio as is
Only the video needs to be converted: the audio from phones is already AAC, compatible everywhere. Copying it avoids a loss of quality and speeds up the conversion. The command keeps only the first video stream and all the audio streams, which discards the metadata tracks specific to iPhones.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the H.264 file larger than the original?
That's expected: HEVC compresses about twice as well as H.264. For equivalent quality, the H.264 file is therefore bigger. Raise the CRF to 23 if file size matters more than picture detail.
The colors look dull after conversion. Why?
The original video is probably HDR (Dolby Vision or HLG on iPhone). A simple conversion does not correctly turn HDR into SDR. Turn off HDR recording on the phone for videos you want to share, or use editing software that handles HDR conversion.
When should I choose "Convert to AAC" for the audio?
If ffmpeg shows an audio-related error, or if the audio doesn't play in the resulting file. In the vast majority of cases, the audio is already AAC and can be copied as is.