How to Rotate a Video with FFmpeg

Use FFmpeg's transpose filter when a video is sideways, upside down, or needs a fixed 90-degree rotation. Rotation changes the video frames, so the video must be re-encoded.

Rotate 90 Degrees Clockwise

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vf "transpose=1" -c:v libx264 -crf 23 -preset medium -c:a copy rotated.mp4

This is the most common command for fixing a sideways phone video.

Rotate 90 Degrees Counter-Clockwise

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vf "transpose=2" -c:v libx264 -crf 23 -preset medium -c:a copy rotated.mp4

Rotate 180 Degrees

Apply two 90-degree rotations:

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vf "transpose=1,transpose=1" -c:v libx264 -crf 23 -preset medium -c:a copy rotated-180.mp4

Transpose Values

Value	Result
transpose=1	Rotate 90 degrees clockwise
transpose=2	Rotate 90 degrees counter-clockwise
transpose=0	Rotate 90 degrees counter-clockwise and flip vertically
transpose=3	Rotate 90 degrees clockwise and flip vertically

Most users only need 1, 2, or two chained transpose=1 filters for 180 degrees.

Why Re-encoding Is Needed

The transpose filter modifies video frames. That means -c:v copy cannot be used for this kind of rotation. You can still copy audio with -c:a copy.

Common Problems

The video rotates but quality drops.
Use a lower CRF such as 18 or 20.

The output is larger than expected.
Use CRF 23-28, or compress the result with the Compress Video tool.

The video still opens sideways in some players.
Some source files use rotation metadata. Re-encoding with the transpose filter creates actual rotated frames, which is usually more reliable.

Related FFmpeg Pages

• See the recipe: Rotate Video with FFmpeg.
• Build conversion commands with the Convert Video tool.
• Learn how to crop a video with FFmpeg.
• Learn how to change video resolution with FFmpeg.