How to compress a video with an API
A 4K export that is too big to email or slow to load needs compressing. Doing it by hand means picking a CRF, a preset and an audio bitrate and hoping the result still looks good. Here is the one-call version.
The manual FFmpeg way
Getting the quality-versus-size trade-off right takes experimentation. KinoPipe exposes a simple quality option and applies tuned encoder defaults so you do not have to.
ffmpeg -i export-4k.mp4 -c:v libx264 -crf 28 -preset medium -c:a aac -b:a 128k smaller.mp4
Do it with one API call
- 1
Point the tool at the video
Public URL or an uploaded file; pass it as the input named "main".
- 2
Call the compress tool
Optionally set the quality option; KinoPipe produces a web-ready MP4 that stays sharp.
- 3
Download the smaller file
Poll the job and grab the compressed MP4 from the signed output URL.
curl https://kinopipe.com/api/v1/tools/compress-video \
-H "Authorization: Bearer kp_live_..." \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
"inputs": [ { "id": "main", "url": "https://example.com/export-4k.mp4" } ],
"options": { "quality": "balanced" }
}'FAQ
Will compression ruin the quality?
No. KinoPipe targets a web-ready MP4 with tuned defaults, trading file size for a small, controlled quality loss.
Can I control the amount of compression?
Yes, through the quality option. Simple trims cost a few credits; heavy renders cost more.