A macOS Quick Action that adds right-click video compression to Finder. Compresses videos using ffmpeg while preserving the original file (adds _compressed suffix).
- Right-click any video file in Finder to compress
- Preserves original file (creates new
_compressedversion) - Uses ffmpeg with default settings for fast compression
- Supports all common video formats (MP4, MOV, AVI, MKV, etc.)
- macOS with Automator (built-in)
- ffmpeg installed and available at
/opt/homebrew/bin/ffmpeg
- Install Homebrew if you don't have it
- Install ffmpeg:
brew install ffmpeg
-
Download the workflow
- Download or clone this repository
- Locate
compress_video.workflow
-
Install the Quick Action
- Double-click
compress_video.workflow - Click "Install" when prompted
- The workflow will be added to
~/Library/Services/
- Double-click
-
Verify installation
- Right-click any video file in Finder
- Look for "compress_video" in the context menu
The workflow uses these default ffmpeg settings:
- Codec: H.264 (libx264)
- Preset: fast (good balance of speed/quality)
- Output format: MP4
- Open Automator
- File → Open → Navigate to
~/Library/Services/compress_video.workflow - Modify the shell script command:
# Current command
/opt/homebrew/bin/ffmpeg -i "$f" -c:v libx264 -preset fast "${f%.*}_compressed.${f##*.}"
# Higher quality (slower)
/opt/homebrew/bin/ffmpeg -i "$f" -c:v libx264 -preset slow -crf 20 "${f%.*}_compressed.${f##*.}"
# Smaller file size (lower quality)
/opt/homebrew/bin/ffmpeg -i "$f" -c:v libx264 -preset fast -crf 28 "${f%.*}_compressed.${f##*.}"
If ffmpeg is installed elsewhere, update the path in the workflow:
# Common alternative paths
/usr/local/bin/ffmpeg # Intel Mac Homebrew
/opt/homebrew/bin/ffmpeg # Apple Silicon Homebrew (default)
/usr/bin/ffmpeg # System installationMIT License - feel free to modify and distribute
Found a bug or have a feature request? Open an issue or submit a pull request.