Change the Volume of a Video (FFmpeg volume filter)
Boost or lower a video's audio track with the FFmpeg volume filter while the video stream is copied untouched.
Run ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -filter:a "volume=1.5" -c:v copy output.mp4 — use 0.5 to halve the volume or 2.0 to double it.
01Command
Command
$ ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -filter:a "volume=1.5" -c:v copy output.mp402What it does
The volume filter multiplies the audio level, so 1.5 is 50% louder, 0.5 is half as loud, and you can also write decibels such as volume=10dB. Because -c:v copy reuses the original video stream, the picture is not re-encoded and the job finishes quickly with no quality loss. Only the audio is re-encoded, so apply gain moderately — pushing it too far introduces audible distortion.
03Risk
!Warning: Amplifying beyond the available headroom clips and distorts the sound; increase in small steps (1.2–1.5) and listen to the result.
04Undo
✓No undo needed — this command does not change persistent state.
05Sources
- FFmpeg Filters DocumentationEvidence: Documents the volume audio filter: volume=0.5 halves the level and multipliers above 1 (e.g. 1.5, 2.0) amplify it; also supports dB values like volume=10dB.
Last verified: 2026-09-18 · Category: Media