🟦 Section 1: Why I Started Automating My Anime Video Edits with Shell Scripts
There was a time when editing anime clips felt exciting. I’d open up my favorite editing software, load the episode, zoom in, trim the scene, export it… and repeat. At first, it felt creative — like I was sculpting something. But after the tenth clip? It felt more like factory work.
Every anime content creator probably hits this wall. Whether you’re cutting together an AMV, making reaction videos, or just capturing your favorite moments to post online, the editing process gets repetitive fast. You’re not adjusting color grades or creating transitions — you’re doing the same mechanical tasks over and over again.
One day, after spending 3 hours cutting just the OP and ED from a season’s worth of episodes, I thought: There has to be a better way.
That’s when I discovered the power of the terminal. More specifically: shell script video automation.
It started with a single command using ffmpeg to trim a clip. Then I figured out how to extract frames. Then convert to GIF. Then batch process a whole folder. Before I knew it, I had a small army of Bash scripts handling hours of work in just seconds.
And the best part? I wasn’t just saving time. I was freeing up creative energy.
Instead of wasting it on file conversions and subtitle syncing, I could focus on storytelling — on choosing the right scenes, finding the emotional beats, and actually enjoying the process again.
You don’t need to be a developer or Linux nerd to do this. If you’ve ever used a terminal window before — or even if you haven’t — you can learn to automate your own workflow. And I’m here to show you exactly how.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through:
- How to cut, convert, and compress anime scenes with just a few commands
- How to automatically generate GIFs from your favorite moments
- The easiest way to insert subtitles without touching your editor
- And how to build reusable shell scripts that handle entire projects in minutes
Whether you’re a YouTuber, a meme maker, a fan editor, or just someone who loves anime — learning a little shell scripting can completely transform your workflow.
Ready to ditch the drudgery and bring some magic back into your editing process?
Let’s get started.
👉 Next up: Essential Tools You’ll Need to Automate Your Edits
Table of Contents
🟦 Section 2: Essential Tools You’ll Need to Automate Your Edits
(With Detailed Examples and Explanations)
If you’re new to automation or scripting, don’t worry — you don’t need to be a programmer to make this work. Let’s go through the essential tools that make shell script video automation possible, with real examples and clear explanations.
1. 🛠 ffmpeg – The Swiss Army Knife of Video Editing
If this is your first time hearing about ffmpeg, think of it as a command-line version of Adobe Premiere — but faster, lighter, and completely free. It’s the core of most automation workflows.
✅ Example 1: Trim a 30-second clip from an anime episode
ffmpeg -i episode1.mp4 -ss 00:01:00 -to 00:01:30 -c copy op_cut.mp4
🔍 Explanation:
-i episode1.mp4: input file-ss 00:01:00: start time (1 minute in)-to 00:01:30: end time (1 min 30 sec)-c copy: no re-encoding (super fast, no quality loss)op_cut.mp4: output file with your trimmed scene
You just clipped your anime OP in 5 seconds.
2. 🧠 Bash or Zsh – The Script Language That Runs It All
These shells are like your creative assistant — they run the commands for you. You can use them to loop through folders, rename files, or automate repetitive steps.
✅ Example 2: Cut the OP from every .mkv file in a folder
for f in *.mkv; do
ffmpeg -i "$f" -ss 00:00:00 -to 00:01:30 -c copy "${f%.mkv}_op.mp4"
done
🔍 Explanation:
for f in *.mkv; do ... done: loop through all.mkvfiles in the folder"${f%.mkv}_op.mp4": strip.mkvand add_op.mp4to name (e.g.,ep1.mkv→ep1_op.mp4)- Result: All OPs trimmed and saved in one go.
3. 💬 Subtitle Handling (Optional)
Subtitles can be added without needing a video editor. Just use .srt files and burn them in directly.
✅ Example 3: Burn subtitles into a video
ffmpeg -i ep3.mp4 -vf subtitles=ep3.srt -c:a copy ep3_subbed.mp4
🔍 Explanation:
-vf subtitles=ep3.srt: apply subtitle filter using.srtfile-c:a copy: copy the audio stream without changes- Output: Hardcoded subs in your new video
4. 📂 File Management & Download Tools
Let’s face it — if you edit anime clips, you probably have a folder full of strangely named files. These tools help you keep things clean and organized.
✅ Example 4: Rename files by episode number
rename 's/ep(\d+)/Episode_$1/' *.mp4
🔍 Explanation:
If your files are like ep01.mp4, ep02.mp4, this changes them to Episode_01.mp4, etc.
✅ Example 5: Download anime trailers or openings from YouTube
yt-dlp -f bestvideo+bestaudio "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxxx"
🔍 Explanation:
yt-dlp: modern replacement for youtube-dl-f bestvideo+bestaudio: grabs best quality streams- Output: Downloaded
.mp4file, ready for editing
5. 🧪 ffprobe – Peek Into Your Video’s Metadata
Want to script clips that always cut after 10% of the video length? You’ll need to know how long your video is — and ffprobe helps with that.
✅ Example 6: Get video duration
ffprobe -v error -show_entries format=duration -of csv=p=0 episode1.mp4
🔍 Explanation:
- Outputs duration in seconds (e.g.,
142.33) - You can use this value in shell math to automate cut points.
💡 Pro Tip: Organize a “Toolkit Folder”
Make a folder like ~/anime-tools/ and keep all your favorite scripts there — naming, clipping, converting, etc. That way, when inspiration hits, you can just open your terminal and go.
Now that you’ve got the tools installed and understood how they work, we’ll move on to real, hands-on examples in the next section.
👉 Up next: Section 3 – Real Examples: How I Automate My Anime Video Workflow
🟦 Section 3: Real Examples – How I Automate My Anime Video Workflow
Now that we’ve covered the tools, let me show you exactly how I use shell scripts to make editing anime clips faster, easier, and more enjoyable.
These are real examples I’ve used in my own workflow — whether I’m preparing clips for blog posts, social media, or just for fun.
🎞️ Example 1: Clip the Opening Scene from Every Episode
Let’s say you downloaded a season of anime in .mkv format, and you want to cut the opening scene (first 90 seconds) from every episode. Instead of doing it one by one in a video editor, try this:
for f in *.mkv; do
ffmpeg -i "$f" -ss 00:00:00 -to 00:01:30 -c copy "${f%.mkv}_op.mp4"
done
🔍 What this does:
- Loops through every
.mkvfile in the folder - Cuts the first 90 seconds
- Saves the new file as
[original_filename]_op.mp4 - No re-encoding = fast and lossless
⏱ Cutting 12 episodes = 15 seconds of terminal time. No mouse clicks required.
🖼️ Example 2: Convert That Clip into a GIF for Social Media
Want to post a short moment as a looping GIF on X (Twitter) or Reddit?
ffmpeg -i ep1_op.mp4 -vf "fps=12,scale=480:-1:flags=lanczos" -c:v gif op_scene.gif
🔍 What’s happening here:
fps=12: lowers the frame rate (smaller file size, still smooth)scale=480:-1: resizes the width to 480px and preserves aspect ratio-c:v gif: outputs as a GIFlanczos: high-quality rescaling filter
You now have a web-ready GIF without ever touching Photoshop or Premiere.
💬 Example 3: Add Hardcoded Subtitles Automatically
If you have .srt subtitle files that match your video, you can burn them into the video like this:
ffmpeg -i ep1_op.mp4 -vf subtitles=ep1.srt -c:a copy ep1_subbed.mp4
🔍 This will:
- Overlay your subtitles on the video
- Keep audio unchanged (
-c:a copy) - Save the result as a clean, subbed MP4
🎙 Great for making scenes more accessible, or for meme subs.
📂 Example 4: Rename All Your Files for Organization
Maybe your files are named ep1.mkv, ep2.mkv, etc., but you want cleaner names like Episode_01.mp4, Episode_02.mp4…
Here’s a quick one-liner using the rename command:
rename 's/ep(\d+)/Episode_$1/' *.mp4
📌 Note: This command syntax may vary slightly on macOS vs. Linux. You can also use a simple Bash loop with
mvif needed.
🧠 Example 5: Use ffprobe to Automatically Decide Where to Cut
Want to always clip the first 10% of any video, regardless of length?
DURATION=$(ffprobe -v error -show_entries format=duration -of csv=p=0 "$1")
END_TIME=$(echo "$DURATION * 0.1" | bc)
ffmpeg -i "$1" -ss 0 -to "$END_TIME" -c copy "${1%.*}_intro.mp4"
🔍 Explanation:
- Reads the total video duration
- Calculates 10% of it
- Trims the first 10% and saves as a new file
- Fully automated — great for large batch jobs
💡 Bonus: Save This as a Reusable Script
Create a file called auto_clip.sh:
#!/bin/bash
for f in *.mp4; do
ffmpeg -i "$f" -ss 00:00:00 -to 00:01:30 -c copy "${f%.mp4}_clip.mp4"
done
Make it executable:
chmod +x auto_clip.sh
Now, every time you enter a new folder, just run:
./auto_clip.sh
And your clips will be ready in seconds.
Shell scripting isn’t about coding — it’s about creative freedom.
Instead of spending hours dragging sliders and rendering previews, I now automate 80% of my process and spend more time doing what I actually love: watching, writing about, and sharing anime.
👉 In the next section, we’ll look at how to take things further with more advanced automation — or how to combine these scripts into a single dashboard-style tool.
🟦 Section 4: Taking It Further – Advanced Automation Ideas for Creatives
By now, you’ve seen how simple shell commands can save you hours of editing time. But this is just the beginning. Once you get comfortable with the basics, you can start building smarter workflows that respond to your files, organize everything, and even prep your posts or uploads automatically.
Let’s explore a few real-world examples where shell script video automation goes beyond just trimming clips.
🧠 1. Automatically Detect OP/ED Length and Cut Accordingly
Some anime openings aren’t always exactly 1:30 — some are shorter, some longer. Instead of hardcoding a time, use ffprobe + a config to cut dynamically.
#!/bin/bash
for f in *.mp4; do
DURATION=$(ffprobe -v error -show_entries format=duration -of csv=p=0 "$f")
END=$(echo "$DURATION * 0.1" | bc) # Clip first 10%
ffmpeg -i "$f" -ss 0 -to "$END" -c copy "${f%.mp4}_op.mp4"
done
🧩 Great for automating variable intro cuts across multiple series
📂 2. Auto-Sort Clips Into Folders by Episode or Scene Type
Tired of seeing hundreds of files in one giant folder? Try this:
mkdir -p OPs EDs Full_Episodes
for f in *_op.mp4; do mv "$f" OPs/; done
for f in *_ed.mp4; do mv "$f" EDs/; done
for f in episode*.mp4; do mv "$f" Full_Episodes/; done
💼 Organize your content as you generate it — no dragging and dropping required.
✏️ 3. Auto-Generate Subtitles with Whisper (AI)
Want auto-generated subtitles without typing a word?
If you have Whisper (OpenAI’s speech recognition model) installed, run:
whisper ep1.mp4 --language Japanese --task transcribe --output_format srt
Then inject those subtitles:
ffmpeg -i ep1.mp4 -vf subtitles=ep1.srt ep1_subbed.mp4
🧠 Tip: This works especially well for monologue scenes or reviews you’ve recorded yourself.
🖼 4. Create a Thumbnail for Every Clip
For YouTube Shorts or social posts, you often need a thumbnail. Automate it!
ffmpeg -i clip.mp4 -ss 00:00:03 -vframes 1 thumb.png
You can even combine this into your shell script to generate a thumbnail alongside every clip.
☁️ 5. Upload Finished Clips to Google Drive or YouTube
Want to auto-upload to Drive or generate shareable links?
Install gdrive CLI:
gdrive upload clip.mp4
Or use [YouTube API + yt-dlp](advanced setup) to upload via script.
🔁 Bonus: Combine Everything Into One Master Script
Why not put all your steps into one file?
#!/bin/bash
for f in *.mp4; do
# Trim intro
ffmpeg -i "$f" -ss 00:00:00 -to 00:01:30 -c copy "${f%.mp4}_op.mp4"
# Generate thumbnail
ffmpeg -i "${f%.mp4}_op.mp4" -ss 00:00:03 -vframes 1 "thumb_${f%.mp4}.png"
# Auto-burn subtitles
ffmpeg -i "${f%.mp4}_op.mp4" -vf subtitles="${f%.mp4}.srt" -c:a copy "${f%.mp4}_subbed.mp4"
done
Now you’re automating the entire pipeline — from cutting, to subtitling, to thumbnailing — all in one go.
Automation isn’t just about saving time.
It’s about removing the boring parts so you can focus on the fun: the edit, the story, the feeling you want to share.
Whether you’re making anime reels, AMVs, reaction edits, or just archiving your favorite moments — building your own shell tools puts you in complete creative control.
👉 Coming up: Conclusion – Why Shell Scripting Is a Superpower for Creators
🟦 Conclusion – Why Shell Scripting Is a Superpower for Creators
At first glance, shell scripting might look intimidating — a black box full of cryptic commands and slashes. But once you get past that first line, something changes.
You realize: this is power.
Not just power in the technical sense, but in the creative sense too.
Every time you automate a repetitive edit — clipping an opening, burning subtitles, generating thumbnails — you’re buying yourself back a little time. A little focus. A little energy. That’s energy you can now spend crafting better stories, refining your eye, or simply enjoying the anime you love.
The beauty of shell script video automation is that it scales with you.
Start small: one command, one clip.
Then build up: a loop, a filter, a full pipeline.
Before long, you’ve created your own editing assistant — built by you, for you.
This workflow isn’t just for Linux nerds or backend engineers. It’s for:
- 🧑🎤 The solo YouTuber making anime reaction videos
- 🎨 The artist clipping references for an animatic
- ✂️ The AMV editor batch-processing raw scenes
- 💻 The blogger preparing media-rich tutorials (like this one!)
If you’ve ever wished editing felt less like a chore and more like a flow, scripting is the bridge.
Once you cross it, there’s no going back.
So open your terminal. Try one command. See what happens.
You might just find that automation isn’t technical — it’s creative.
👉 If this guide helped you, feel free to share it with other creators.
Want me to share my full .sh scripts as templates? Let me know — I’ll post them next.
Thanks for reading, and happy scripting!