fconvert

A fast CLI converter for Images, Videos, Audios, and Ebooks

fconvert is a fast, intentional, and hardware-agnostic C++ command-line utility. Designed for Arch Linux and other Unix-like systems, it provides a seamless way to convert images, videos, and audio files using a smart "Sandbox" directory logic.

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Key Features

• Smart Routing: Automatically detects intent. Extract audio from a video by running: fconvert -f movie.mp4 -mp3.
• Sandbox Workflow: Automatically monitors the input_file/ directory and outputs to output_file/ directory to keep your system clean.
• Conflict Resolution: Handles existing files gracefully (auto-renaming or prompt-to-overwrite).
• CLI & Interactive: Use rapid flags for automation or the guided menu for ease of use.
• Hardware Agnostic: Optimized for high-quality CPU encoding, ensuring portability across different environments.

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Supported Formats

Type	Category	Extensions	Operation
IMAGES	STANDARD IMAGES	jpg, jpeg, png, webp, tiff, bmp	OpenCV
	CAMERA RAW	cr2, nef, arw, dng, crw	LibRAW + OpenCV
	VECTOR/COMPOSITE	psd, svg, pdf, gif, ico, xcf, eps, ai	ImageMagick + Ghostscript
	MODERN COMPRESSED	heic, heif	ImageMagick + OpenCV
AUDIO	UNCOMPRESSED	wav, aiff, pcm, dsd	FFmpeg
	LOSSLESS COMPRESSED	flac, alac, wavpack	FFmpeg
	LOSSY COMPRESSED	mp3, ogg, aac, m4a, opus, wma	FFmpeg
VIDEO	COMPRESSED/DELIVERY	mp4, mkv, mov, m4v	FFmpeg
	WEB OPTIMIZED	webm, ogg	FFmpeg
	EDITING/INTERMEDIATE	prores, dnxhr, dnxhd	FFmpeg
	HARDWARE/ACQUISITION	avchd, mpeg2	FFmpeg
	LEGACY	avi, wmv, flv, f4v, 3gp, 3g2	FFmpeg
eBOOK	DOCUMENTS	pdf, epub, html, txt, docx	Pandoc

Note: Inputting a video file with an audio target extension (e.g.: .mp4 to -mp3) will automatically trigger a high-quality audio extraction.

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Installation

Prerequisites

Ensure you have the following installed on your system:

Build Dependencies:

• C++17 compatible compiler (GCC/Clang)
• FFmpeg (for video and audio processing)
• OpenCV 4+ (for image processing)

Runtime Dependencies (optional):

• LibRaw (for RAW image processing)
• ImageMagick (for vector/composite)
• Ghostscript (for vector/composite)
• Pandoc (for experimental document processing)
• Typst, Weasyprint, or Xelatex (as a PDF engine)

Installation (Universal)

Download the latest release in the Releases Page of the repository.

• Linux: Download fconvert-vX.X.X-x86_64.AppImage (no dependencies required, contains the full program)
• Windows: Download fconvert-vX.X.X-windows-x86_64.zip (no dependencies required, contains the full program)
• macOS: There is no official release of fconvert for macOS. Try building it manually following the build instructions below.

Installation (Arch Linux)

Clone the repo and use makepkg to install system-wide:

$ git clone https://github.com/Eraldo-Bako/fconvert
$ cd fconvert
$ makepkg -si

Note: You could use a package helper like yay or paru since the package is in the AUR: yay -S fconvert or paru -S fconvert

Usage

Note: If you installed the package system-wide, you can simply use fconvert. If you are running the binary locally from the build folder, use ./fconvert.

Quick Convert (CLI Mode)

Convert a file instantly without entering the menu:

fconvert -f image.png -webp
fconvert -f music.wav -flac
fconvert -f video.mp4 -mov
fconvert -f video.mp4 -mp3  # Automatically extracts high-quality audio
fconvert -f video.mp4 .mp3  # Valid form, added in version 2.0.3

Interactive Mode

Simply run fconvert in your terminal or the executable to enter the guided interface:

$ fconvert
   __                              _   
  / _|                            | |  
 | |_ ___ ___  _ ____   _____ _ __| |_ 
 |  _/ __/ _ \| '_ \ \ / / _ \ '__| __|
 | || (_| (_) | | | \ V /  __/ |  | |_ 
 |_| \___\___/|_| |_|\_/ \___|_|   \__|

 ---------------------------- File Converter ----------------------------
 ----- A fast CLI converter for Images, Videos, Audios, and Ebooks! -----
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
Convert [I]mage / [V]ideo / [A]udio / [E]book / [Q]uit: 

Sandbox Logic

1. Place your files in the input_file/ folder.
2. Run fconvert.
3. Find your processed files in the output_file/ folder.

Flags

• -v, --version : Show package version and licensing information.
• -h, --help : Show the help message and supported formats.
• -l, --list : Show a list of the supported formats.
• -d, --debug: Enable debug mode for detailed path-resolution logging.
• -cc, --clear-cache: Clear the saved cache and log files of fconvert
  
  
• -f <file> -<ext>: Execute a quick conversion.
• -f <file> .<ext>: Alternatively, using .<ext> is a valid usage.
  
  
• -i, -intr, -interactive: Explicitly start in CLI interactive mode.

Dependency-Hell

Linux: Arch Based

# Build:
$ sudo pacman -Syyu base-devel cmake ffmpeg opencv

# Runtime:
$ sudo pacman -Syyu libraw imagemagick ghostscript libheif libde265 x265
$ sudo pacman -Syyu pandoc typst 

NOTE: For Arch-based distributions typst is recommended, but you can use:

Weasyprint: $ sudo pacman -S python-weasyprint

Xelatex: $ sudo pacman -S texlive-xetex

Linux: Fedora Based

# Build:
$ sudo dnf check-update && sudo dnf upgrade
$ sudo dnf install @development-tools && sudo dnf install cmake ffmpeg-free opencv-devel

# Runtime:
$ sudo dnf install LibRaw-devel ImageMagick ghostscript libheif-devel libde265-devel x265-devel
$ sudo dnf install pandoc weasyprint

NOTE: If you want to use typst as the PDF engine, for Fedora-based distributions, use copr:

Enable the community Copr repository: $ sudo dnf copr enable -y claaj/typst

Install via DNF normally: $ sudo dnf install typst

Linux: Debian Based(Ubuntu)

# Build:
$ sudo apt update && sudo apt install build-essential cmake ffmpeg libopencv-dev

# Runtime:
$ sudo apt install libraw-dev imagemagick ghostscript libheif-dev libde265-dev libx265-dev
$ sudo apt install pandoc weasyprint

Windows (winget for tools, vcpkg for libraries)

# Build:
> winget install Microsoft.VisualStudio.2022.BuildTools --override "--add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.VCTools"
> winget install Kitware.CMake
> vcpkg install ffmpeg opencv4

# Runtime:
> vcpkg install libraw graphicsmagick libheif libde265 x265
> winget install JohnMacFarlane.Pandoc 
> winget install Typst.Typst

NOTE: If you installed the optional packages(graphicsmagick/imagemagick), get and install ghostscript for Windows: gs00000w64.exe

macOS

# Build (Requires Xcode Command Line Tools installed):
$ xcode-select --install
$ brew install cmake ffmpeg opencv

# Runtime:
$ brew install libraw imagemagick ghostscript libheif libde265 x265
$ brew install pandoc typst

Build Instructions

For universal compatibility use CMake:

$ cd fconvert
$ cmake -B build -S . -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/usr -DWITH_LIBRAW=ON 
# set -DWITH_LIBRAW=OFF if not needed
$ cmake --build build --config Release

Note: If you built it locally using CMake, the executable will be inside the build/ directory (run with ./build/fconvert on Linux/macOS or .\build\Release\fconvert.exe on Windows).

Building with GCC - For the majority of up-to-date Linux distributions, use one of the following g++ commands:

$ cd fconvert
# Linux
$ g++ -std=c++17 -O3 -s main.cpp classes/*.cpp classes/program/*.cpp -o fconvert $(pkg-config --cflags --libs opencv4 libraw) $CXXFLAGS $LDFLAGS
# Arch Based
$ g++ -std=c++17 -O3 -s main.cpp classes/*.cpp classes/program/*.cpp -o fconvert $(pkg-config --cflags --libs opencv5 libraw) $CXXFLAGS $LDFLAGS
# omit libraw if not needed

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! If you find a bug or have a feature request, please open an issue and then submit a pull request with your version of the fix/feature. Before contributing, you are expected to have read & understood and to follow our Guidelines and Code of Conduct.

License

• Code: Apache License, Version 2.0
• Branding/Logos: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
• Read the Notice file: NOTICE

Disclaimer

Please use this utility responsibly and comply with relevant copyright laws. The authors are not responsible for any misuse of this software.