FFmpeg Cookbook
JA

Video Reverse Tool

Reverse a video, or just part of it. You can also choose what happens to the audio.

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Drop a video, or tap to select
For short ranges (about 14 s at 1080p) · MP4 / MOV / WebM
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Reverse audio too
Full reverse
Remove audio
Silent clip
Keep original audio
Video only
Reversing keeps every frame of the chosen range in memory before writing it out. At 30 fps, one pass can reverse about 14 s of 1080p, 36 s of 720p or 1.9 s of 4K (half that at 60 fps). For longer videos, set a range.
Processing… 0%

Equivalent FFmpeg command

CLI command for your current settings. Updates live as you change controls.

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vf "scale=trunc(iw/2)*2:trunc(ih/2)*2,reverse" -af areverse -c:v libx264 -preset fast -crf 23 -pix_fmt yuv420p -c:a aac -b:a 128k -movflags +faststart output.mp4

What to do next

Command Reference
Related Tools
Video Speed Tool Video to GIF
Popular uses
Reverse-motion effectsShort-form social assetsPreview reversal ideas
Next tools
Video Trim Tool Video Speed Tool Video to GIF Converter

How to use

  1. Drop the videoMP4 / MOV / WebM (up to 500 MB).
  2. Set a range (optional)Turn on “Reverse only a time range” and enter start and end seconds. It turns on by itself for videos longer than one pass can reverse (about 14 seconds of 1080p at 30 fps).
  3. Choose audio mode“Reverse audio too”, “Remove audio” or “Keep original audio”.
  4. Run the conversionA preview appears when it finishes.

Recommended settings

Short reversed clip for social media
Range 2–5 sec · reverse audio too
A short range uses less memory. For a boomerang (forwards, then backwards), use the Loop & Boomerang Video Maker.
Sports replay effect
Range 5–10 sec · remove audio
Forward sound would not match the reversed picture, so drop it.
Short gag video
No range · reverse audio too
Speech plays backwards too.

When it goes wrong

The range gets shortened, or it stops with “out of memory”

Cause: The reverse filter keeps every frame of the range in memory (about 90 MB per second, 30 frames, at 1080p). The FFmpeg in this tool (ffmpeg.wasm) can use at most 2 GB, and writing the output needs part of that.

Fix: If you choose a range longer than one pass can reverse, the tool shortens it to that length and tells you. If it still stops, on a phone for example, shorten the range further.

Questions

Why is a range required for long clips?

FFmpeg’s reverse filter stores every frame in the range before it outputs anything. The FFmpeg in this tool can use at most 2 GB, so one pass can reverse about 14 seconds of 1080p, 36 seconds of 720p or 1.9 seconds of 4K at 30 fps (half that at 60 fps). For longer videos the range turns on automatically.

Can I reverse a GIF?

No. Only video files (MP4, MOV, WebM and so on) can be selected. You can turn the reversed video into a GIF with the Video to GIF Converter.

What does reversed audio sound like?

areverse plays the sound from end to start. Speech turns into unintelligible backwards sound.

Can I keep the surrounding parts and only reverse a range?

No. The output contains only the range. To join it with the parts around it, use the trim and merge tools.

Why is my output bigger than the source?

The video is re-encoded as H.264 (CRF 23), which can be bigger than the source. Run it through Compress afterwards if size matters.

More detail (settings, limits, FFmpeg commands)

What each setting means

Range toggle
Off = full video, on = only the chosen range is reversed.
Start / end seconds
The range when the toggle is on. The default is 0–10 seconds (or shorter, when one pass can reverse less than 10 seconds of the video).
Audio mode
“Reverse audio too” reverses the sound (areverse). “Remove audio” outputs no sound. “Keep original audio” plays the sound forwards, so it does not match the picture.

Browsers and limits

  • Maximum file size: 500 MB
  • One pass can reverse about 14 seconds of 1080p, 36 seconds of 720p or 1.9 seconds of 4K at 30 fps (half that at 60 fps). For longer videos the range option turns on automatically
  • Output is H.264 (CRF 23) MP4, with audio re-encoded to AAC 128 kbps

The same job with the FFmpeg command line

Reverse entire clip (audio too)
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vf reverse -af areverse out.mp4
Reverse a specific range
ffmpeg -ss 5 -to 10 -i input.mp4 -vf reverse -af areverse out.mp4
Put -ss and -to before -i. After -i, FFmpeg reverses the whole video first and then cuts, which outputs a different part and uses far more memory.
Reverse without audio
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vf reverse -an out.mp4
-an drops the audio. Most of the memory goes to video frames, so long videos still need a shorter range.

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