How to Rotate a Video 90/180 Degrees with FFmpeg (Fix Incorrect Orientation)

Have you ever faced this annoying issue? You shoot a vertical video with your phone, but when you play it on your computer, it's lying on its side. This is an incredibly common problem. Luckily, you don't need a complex video editor; FFmpeg can get your video standing upright with a single command.

🚀 Quick Path: The FFmpeg Command

To rotate a video (input.mp4) 90 degrees clockwise, use the following command:

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vf "transpose=1" output_rotated.mp4

After running this, you'll have a new video with the correct orientation.

🧠 The Breakdown: What Each Parameter Means

The core of this command is the transpose filter. Let's break it down:

Parameter	Explanation	Example
ffmpeg	The command to start the FFmpeg program.	ffmpeg
-i input.mp4	-i (input) points to your source video file.	-i my_vertical_video.mov
-vf	Short for "video filter," this tells FFmpeg you are about to apply a video filter.	-vf
"transpose=N"	This is the filter used for rotation. N is a number that determines the direction of the rotation.	"transpose=1"
output_rotated.mp4	The filename for your new, rotated video.	fixed_video.mp4

FAQ & Variations

Q: What do the numbers for transpose mean? How do I rotate in other directions?

A: Excellent question! The transpose filter uses numerical parameters to control the rotation, which are easy to remember:

Value of N	Rotation Operation
0	Rotate 90 degrees counter-clockwise and vertically flip
1	Rotate 90 degrees clockwise (most common)
2	Rotate 90 degrees counter-clockwise
3	Rotate 90 degrees clockwise and vertically flip

So, if you want to rotate 90 degrees counter-clockwise, simply change the command to:

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vf "transpose=2" output_rotated_ccw.mp4

Q: How do I rotate a video 180 degrees (upside down)?

A: FFmpeg doesn't have a direct parameter for a 180-degree rotation, but you can achieve it by applying a 90-degree rotation twice! This showcases the power of FFmpeg's filter chaining.

To rotate 180 degrees, you can apply two consecutive 90-degree clockwise rotations:

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vf "transpose=1,transpose=1" output_rotated_180.mp4

Inside the -vf parameter, you can chain multiple filters by separating them with a comma ,. They will be applied to the video in sequence.