Building a Python Script to Convert Videos to Instagram Reels Format

1#!/usr/bin/env python3
2"""
3Video to Reels Converter
4Converts videos to Instagram Reels format (9:16 aspect ratio, 1080x1920)
5"""
6
7import os
8import subprocess
9import sys
10from pathlib import Path
11from typing import List, Tuple
12
13
14def find_video_files(directory: str = ".", exclude: List[str] = None) -> List[Path]:
15    """
16    Find all video files in the specified directory.
17    
18    Args:
19        directory: Directory to search for videos
20        exclude: List of filenames to exclude from conversion
21    
22    Returns:
23        List of Path objects for video files
24    """
25    if exclude is None:
26        exclude = ["South_Africa_YouTube_Short_30sec.mp4"]
27    
28    video_extensions = [".mov", ".mp4", ".MOV", ".MP4"]
29    video_files = []
30    
31    directory_path = Path(directory)
32    
33    for file_path in directory_path.iterdir():
34        if file_path.is_file() and file_path.suffix in video_extensions:
35            if file_path.name not in exclude:
36                video_files.append(file_path)
37    
38    return sorted(video_files)
39
40
41def check_ffmpeg() -> bool:
42    """Check if ffmpeg is installed and available."""
43    try:
44        subprocess.run(
45            ["ffmpeg", "-version"],
46            stdout=subprocess.DEVNULL,
47            stderr=subprocess.DEVNULL,
48            check=True
49        )
50        return True
51    except (subprocess.CalledProcessError, FileNotFoundError):
52        return False
53
54
55def convert_video_to_reels(
56    input_path: Path,
57    output_dir: Path,
58    width: int = 1080,
59    height: int = 1920
60) -> Tuple[bool, str]:
61    """
62    Convert a video to Instagram Reels format.
63    
64    Args:
65        input_path: Path to input video file
66        output_dir: Directory to save output file
67        width: Output width in pixels (default: 1080)
68        height: Output height in pixels (default: 1920)
69    
70    Returns:
71        Tuple of (success: bool, message: str)
72    """
73    # Create output directory if it doesn't exist
74    output_dir.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
75    
76    # Generate output filename
77    output_filename = f"{input_path.stem}_reels.mp4"
78    output_path = output_dir / output_filename
79    
80    # FFmpeg command to convert to 9:16 format
81    # Scale to fit height, then crop width, or scale to fit width and pad height
82    ffmpeg_cmd = [
83        "ffmpeg",
84        "-i", str(input_path),
85        "-vf", f"scale={width}:{height}:force_original_aspect_ratio=increase,crop={width}:{height}",
86        "-c:v", "libx264",
87        "-preset", "medium",
88        "-crf", "23",
89        "-c:a", "aac",
90        "-b:a", "128k",
91        "-movflags", "+faststart",
92        "-y",  # Overwrite output file if it exists
93        str(output_path)
94    ]
95    
96    try:
97        # Run ffmpeg and capture output
98        result = subprocess.run(
99            ffmpeg_cmd,
100            stdout=subprocess.PIPE,
101            stderr=subprocess.PIPE,
102            text=True
103        )
104        
105        if result.returncode == 0:
106            return True, f"✓ Completed: {output_path}"
107        else:
108            return False, f"✗ Error converting: {input_path.name}\n  {result.stderr[:200]}"
109    
110    except Exception as e:
111        return False, f"✗ Exception: {str(e)}"
112
113
114def main():
115    """Main function to convert all videos to Reels format."""
116    print("=" * 50)
117    print("Video to Instagram Reels Converter")
118    print("=" * 50)
119    print()
120    
121    # Check if ffmpeg is available
122    if not check_ffmpeg():
123        print("Error: ffmpeg is not installed or not in PATH.")
124        print("Please install ffmpeg: https://ffmpeg.org/download.html")
125        sys.exit(1)
126    
127    # Find all video files
128    video_files = find_video_files()
129    
130    if not video_files:
131        print("No video files found to convert.")
132        sys.exit(0)
133    
134    total = len(video_files)
135    print(f"Found {total} videos to convert...")
136    print("Starting conversion to 9:16 format (1080x1920)...")
137    print()
138    
139    # Create output directory
140    output_dir = Path("reels")
141    
142    # Convert each video
143    converted = 0
144    successful = 0
145    failed = 0
146    
147    for idx, video_file in enumerate(video_files, 1):
148        print(f"[{idx}/{total}] Converting: {video_file.name}")
149        
150        success, message = convert_video_to_reels(video_file, output_dir)
151        print(f"  {message}")
152        print()
153        
154        converted += 1
155        if success:
156            successful += 1
157        else:
158            failed += 1
159    
160    # Print summary
161    print("=" * 50)
162    print("Conversion Summary")
163    print("=" * 50)
164    print(f"Total videos processed: {converted}")
165    print(f"Successfully converted: {successful}")
166    print(f"Failed: {failed}")
167    print(f"All files saved in: {output_dir.absolute()}/")
168    print("=" * 50)
169
170
171if __name__ == "__main__":
172    main()

1chmod +x convert_to_reels.py

1python3 convert_to_reels.py

1==================================================
2Video to Instagram Reels Converter
3==================================================
4
5Found 25 videos to convert...
6Starting conversion to 9:16 format (1080x1920)...
7
8[1/25] Converting: video1.mov
9  ✓ Completed: reels/video1_reels.mp4
10
11[2/25] Converting: video2.mp4
12  ✓ Completed: reels/video2_reels.mp4
13
14...
15
16==================================================
17Conversion Summary
18==================================================
19Total videos processed: 25
20Successfully converted: 25
21Failed: 0
22All files saved in: /path/to/reels/
23==================================================