dev-blog

Perfect — that’s exactly what ffmpeg is good at 👍 For NO audio, mid quality, and smooth / fast recording, use these settings.

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✅ Recommended command (balanced & fast)

ffmpeg \
-f v4l2 \
-input_format mjpeg \
-video_size 1280x720 \
-framerate 30 \
-i /dev/video0 \
-an \
-c:v libx264 \
-preset veryfast \
-crf 23 \
-pix_fmt yuv420p \
output.mp4

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🎯 Why this works well

• 720p → lighter on CPU, smooth
• MJPEG input → avoids USB bottleneck
• CRF 23 → good quality, smaller file
• preset veryfast → no frame drops
• -an → no audio at all

This setup is fast, stable, and won’t stutter on most systems.

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🔧 If you still see frame drops

Try one of these tweaks:

Lower CPU load more

-preset ultrafast

Lower FPS

-framerate 25

Lower resolution

-video_size 640x480

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📁 Output file size (approx)

• 720p / 30fps / CRF 23 ➜ ~70–100 MB per 10 minutes

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✅ TL;DR (best choice)

Use 720p + CRF 23 + veryfast preset + no audio

If you want, tell me:

• CPU (Intel / AMD / laptop?)
• Ubuntu version
• Webcam resolution

I can tune it exactly so it never cuts frames 🚀