yaatv turns audio and cover art into an optimized video for YouTube and other upload sites.

yaatv audio.flac cover.jpg

Give it audio. Give it artwork. Get a video you can upload.

Browser converter: https://convert.yaatv.org

Download

Download the ZIP for your computer from the latest release:

https://github.com/yaatv/yaatv/releases/latest

Use one of these release assets:

• Windows x64: yaatv-windows-x64.zip
• Linux x64: yaatv-linux-x64.zip
• macOS x64: yaatv-macos-x64.zip
• macOS arm64: yaatv-macos-arm64.zip

You can ignore GitHub's "Source code (zip)" and "Source code (tar.gz)" files unless you specifically want the code.

Drag and drop

On Windows, drag one audio file and one cover image onto yaatv.exe for a default video next to the audio file.

Use PowerShell when you want to choose the output file, canvas, background, or padding.

Quick start

Open PowerShell or a terminal in the extracted folder, install the local media tools once, check setup, then create a video.

Windows:

.\yaatv.exe --install-ffmpeg
.\yaatv.exe --scry
.\yaatv.exe audio.flac cover.jpg

Linux:

chmod +x ./yaatv-linux
./yaatv-linux --install-ffmpeg
./yaatv-linux --scry
./yaatv-linux audio.flac cover.jpg

macOS:

chmod +x ./yaatv-macos
./yaatv-macos --install-ffmpeg
./yaatv-macos --scry
./yaatv-macos audio.flac cover.jpg

Use yaatv-macos-arm64 instead when you download the Apple Silicon ZIP.

Common uses

Choose an output file:

yaatv -a episode.wav -i cover.jpg -o output.mp4

Use embedded cover art:

yaatv -a track.flac

Open the output folder after a successful encode:

yaatv -a track.flac -i cover.jpg --open-folder

Create a square or vertical video:

yaatv -a track.flac -i cover.jpg --aspect square
yaatv -a short.wav -i cover.jpg --aspect 9:16

Use a larger canvas:

yaatv -a mix.flac -i cover.jpg --resolution 1440p

Choose a background:

yaatv -a track.flac -i cover.jpg --bg-color "#202020"
yaatv -a track.flac -i cover.jpg --bg-image background.jpg
yaatv -a track.flac -i cover.jpg --bg-blur

Create a solid-color video without cover art:

yaatv -a track.flac --bg-color "#202020"

Create a large MOV master:

yaatv -a track.flac -i cover.jpg -o master.mov

Add a short silence pad:

yaatv -a track.flac -i cover.jpg --pad 2

What to expect

• yaatv keeps cover art from stretching.
• Audio with embedded cover art can be used without -i.
• Square album art works well for square videos.
• WAV, FLAC, and high-bitrate AAC are good source choices.
• JPG, PNG, and static WebP are good cover choices.
• Animated images are rejected.
• Common source audio metadata (such as title, artist, album, and date) is preserved into video outputs where supported.
• The planned output file appears before encoding starts.
• yaatv shows simple progress while encoding and verifying.
• Existing output files require confirmation before replacement.
• Warnings appear when source audio, image size, or file extensions may be less than ideal.

Supported input formats

Input type	Supported extensions
Audio	.aac, .aiff, .alac, .flac, .m4a, .mp3, .ogg, .opus, .wav, .wma
Images	.bmp, .jpeg, .jpg, .png, .tif, .tiff, .webp
Output	.mov, .mp4

Options

Option	Purpose
Positional files	Use one audio file and one cover image.
-a, --audio	Choose the audio file.
-i, --image	Choose the cover image.
-b, --bg-image	Choose a background image.
--bg-color	Choose a background color.
--bg-blur	Use a blurred copy of the cover image as the background.
-o, --output	Choose an .mp4 or .mov output file. A .mov path creates ProRes MOV output.
--output-dir	Choose the folder for the default output filename.
--resolution	Choose 1080p, 1440p, or 4k.
--aspect	Choose 16:9, square, or 9:16.
--pad	Add 0 through 10 seconds of silence at the end.
--no-warn	Hide source quality warnings.
--dry-run	Print the command without creating a file.
--verbose	Show raw encoding output.
--overwrite	Replace an existing output file without asking first.
--open-folder	Open the output folder after a successful encode.
--install-ffmpeg	Install local media tools for yaatv.
--scry	Check yaatv, media tools, and output folder setup.

Troubleshooting

Run yaatv --scry when setup looks wrong.

If macOS blocks the downloaded executable, allow it from System Settings, or remove the quarantine flag:

xattr -d com.apple.quarantine ./yaatv-macos

If an output file already exists, choose a different output path, confirm replacement, or use --overwrite deliberately.

Examples

Real videos generated by yaatv and uploaded to YouTube:

• Square artwork (4K): Apple ProRes 422 .mov, 4K (3840×2160), 2160×2160 square image padded onto 16:9 canvas, 32-bit .wav audio.
• Full-frame 16:9 (4K): Apple ProRes 422 .mov, 4K (3840×2160), 3840×2160 full-frame image, 32-bit .wav audio.

Python install

Most people should use the release ZIPs. If you prefer a Python install:

python -m pip install "git+https://github.com/yaatv/yaatv.git"
yaatv --version

Python 3.11 or newer is required.

Python installs still need the local media tools. Run:

yaatv --install-ffmpeg
yaatv --scry

License

yaatv is licensed under the GNU General Public License v2 or later (GPL-2.0-or-later). Standalone release ZIPs include LICENSE, THIRD_PARTY_LICENSES.txt (recording third-party runtime dependencies and build components), SOURCE.txt, and FFMPEG_BUILD_INFO.txt.

Third-party dependencies

Package	License	Purpose	Source
mutagen	GPL-2.0-or-later	Audio metadata and tag reading	PyPI
Pillow	MIT-CMU / HPND	Cover art dimensions and validation	PyPI

Development

Install the project with test and build tools:

python -m pip install -e ".[dev]"

Run the same checks used by CI:

yaatv --version
python -m yaatv --version
python -m ruff check .
python -m mypy
python -m bandit -c pyproject.toml -r src
python -m piplicenses --packages mutagen pillow --with-urls
python -m pip_audit . --strict
python -m pytest
python -m build
python -m twine check dist/*

Contributing

Contributions are welcome. See CONTRIBUTING.md for setup, workflows, and guidelines.

• Look through good first issues to get started.
• Leave a comment on an issue before starting work to coordinate and avoid duplicate PRs.
• Report bugs or suggest features on the issue tracker.
• See CONTRIBUTORS for recognition of everyone who has helped build and test yaatv.
• Read our CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md before participating.

Publishing

Tagging a version that starts with v builds the Windows, Linux, macOS x64, and macOS arm64 assets, generates matching SPDX Software Bills of Materials (.spdx.json), and attaches them to a GitHub release alongside SHA256SUMS.

git tag v<version>
git push origin main --tags