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Pandoc is the FFmpeg of document conversion! While I am very fond of both tools, Pandoc's command-line interface seamlessly integrates with my understanding an
by susam 3y ago
Pandoc is the FFmpeg of document conversion!
While I am very fond of both tools, Pandoc's command-line interface seamlessly integrates with my understanding and intuition, unlike FFmpeg's byzantine command line options and concepts. With FFmpeg, I frequently find myself documenting specific incantations and recipes in my notes, lest I should forget how to solve certain conversion problems. Pandoc, on the other hand, has spared me from such cognitive overload.
This should not be taken as criticism of FFmpeg though. FFmpeg is solving very complex problems too. Both Pandoc and FFmpeg are excellent tools. Both tools have saved me hundreds of hours of research, experimentation, trial and error, etc.
- ufmace 3y agoFunny thing, while FFmpeg's CLI options aren't super intuitive, I do find it much easier to use than any GUI video editing or conversion program I've ever found. Those things can really write the book on byzantine user interfaces. At least Google or ChatGPT can usually give me fairly clear sets of options for FFmpeg that will do what I want.
- mrehler 3y agoWe got a new video system at a work that is a bit beyond my knowledge, but the files it puts out are very big (read the Apple ProRes whitepaper to figure out which option on this system would give us the smallest video files). I've owned Apple's Compressor on my own Mac for years now and never used it, and even it's a bit less intuitive than I'd like.