Radar check
What we found when we opened it. Every bar is one fact, with its date.
Last code pushed 7 Sep 2026, 51 days before this check.
Latest release v0.11.7 on 21 Aug 2026.
Public since January 2022, a little over 4 years.
1,023 stars and 71 forks.
13 commits and 15 new issues in the last 90 days.
15 contributors. 6 pull requests merged in 90 days.
No security policy file says how to report a problem. No published security advisories.
How the bars are scored
- Alive. Days since the last code push: a week or less 100, a month 90, three months 70, six months 50, a year 30, eighteen months 15, older 0.
- Releases. Age of the latest GitHub release, on a similar scale; no bar when the project publishes no releases.
- Maturity. Age of the project: eight years 100, five 90, three 70, two 55, one 40, six months 25, younger 10.
- Adoption. Stars on a log scale: 100,000 stars is 100, 10,000 is 80, 1,000 is 60, 100 is 40.
- Activity. Commits in the last 90 days: 300 or more 100, 100 85, 30 65, 10 45, any 25.
- Community. People who have contributed: 100 or more 100, 30 80, 10 60, 5 40, 2 25, one 10.
- Security. A published security policy 80, none 40; published advisories are listed, not scored.
Checked by Repo Radar on 28 Oct 2026 from the repository on GitHub.
In simple English
This tool makes video files smaller while keeping the picture looking good. Finding the right settings usually takes hours of trial and error. This program tests short video clips to find the best settings automatically. You save hours of waiting for full video conversions to finish. It is free and open source software with no hidden costs.
What it is
A command-line tool (a program you run from your text terminal with typed commands) that automates AV1 and HEVC video encoding using FFmpeg (a widely used program for handling video and audio files), SVT-AV1, and VMAF (a method for measuring video quality by comparing it to the original). It tests small video samples to calculate the best quality setting before running the full conversion.
What it is good for
Video creators and archivists who want to compress large video files into the AV1 format without losing visible picture quality and without manually guessing encoder settings.
Summary (Key Points)from the README
Key features
- VMAF-targeted CRF search: `crf-search` uses an interpolated binary search over short samples to find the CRF that meets `--min-vmaf`, with an optional `--max-encoded-percent` limit.
- One-step auto-encode: `auto-encode` runs the CRF search, then encodes the full input with the chosen setting.
- Fast sample testing: `sample-encode` encodes short samples at a given CRF and preset, which the README says is "much quicker than full encode/vmaf run."
- Predicted outcomes: Searches report the best CRF, mean sample VMAF, predicted full encode size and predicted encode time.
- XPSNR alternative: `--min-xpsnr` and `--xpsnr` allow XPSNR to be used in place of VMAF.
- Safer encodes: `--verify` decodes the finished file and checks its duration within 2s, and `--fail-fast` stops at the first ffmpeg error.
- Full quality scoring: `vmaf` and `xpsnr` compare a distorted file against a reference for videos and images.
- Automatic VMAF setup: `vmaf` picks the 4k or 1k model by resolution, uses all system threads and upscales lower-resolution videos to the model.
- Other encoders: Works with other ffmpeg-compatible encoders such as libx265 and libx264.
Ways to install
| Platform or method | What it needs | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Arch Linux (AUR) | Arch Linux with an AUR helper or manual AUR build | Low |
| Linux pre-built binary | x86_64 Linux; statically linked musl binary from the latest release | Low |
| Windows pre-built binary | Windows; ab-av1.exe from the latest release | Low |
| `cargo install ab-av1` | Rust toolchain (latest stable) and compilation | Medium |
| `cargo install --git` | Rust toolchain, git and compilation; builds the latest unreleased code | Medium |
Important
- ffmpeg requirement: ffmpeg must be newer than git-2022-02-24 and built with libsvtav1, libvmaf and libopus, and it must be on `$PATH`.
- Latest git code: The `cargo install --git` method tracks the newest code, which may be less tested than the latest release.
- Silent damage: The README warns that the encoder can exit successfully with a damaged or truncated result, so `--verify` or `--fail-fast` is worth enabling.
- Predictions only: Size and time figures from searches are predictions, not guarantees.
- Debug logging: `RUST_LOG=ab_av1=debug` logs every ffmpeg call, which can produce a lot of output.
- Rust version: The project is maintained against the latest stable Rust, so older compilers may not build it.
Written by an AI model from the project’s README; not part of the review, and it can be wrong.
- Automatically finds the best quality setting for a target visual score.
- Tests short samples quickly instead of waiting for full file encodes.
- Verifies finished files to catch corrupted or broken output.
- Requires you to use the command line, which has no graphical buttons.
- Needs FFmpeg installed on your system with specific libraries enabled.
- Encoding video takes heavy processor power and runs your computer hot.
manual trial and error with FFmpeg command flags
HandBrake
- mifi/lossless-cut45k stars
Cuts and trims video files quickly without re-encoding, whereas ab-av1 compresses video quality.
- HandBrake/HandBrake25k stars
Provides a graphical desktop interface for video conversion, whereas ab-av1 automates settings from the command line.
- mltframework/shotcut16k stars
A mature cross-platform desktop video editor with installers for Linux, macOS and Windows, reading almost any format through FFmpeg.
- spotify/pedalboard6.4k stars
Applies audio effects to recordings from Python, including studio plug-ins, without calling another program.
- iver56/audiomentations2.3k stars
Spoils sound recordings on purpose, 39 ways, so a model trained on them copes with real rooms.
cargo install ab-av1