Getting Started

Getting Started

Welcome to EncodeForge! This guide will help you get up and running quickly.

Installation

Desktop Application (Recommended)

1. Download the latest release for your platform:

   • Windows: .exe installer
   • macOS: .dmg package
   • Linux: .deb or .rpm packages

2. Run the installer and follow the installation wizard

3. Launch EncodeForge

First Launch Setup

On first launch, EncodeForge will automatically:

• ✅ Download and install FFmpeg (~100-150 MB)
• ✅ Install required Python libraries (~50 MB)
• ✅ Configure everything with a progress window

This one-time setup takes 2-5 minutes depending on your internet connection. After that, you're ready to go!

Alternative Installations

⚠️ Note: CLI and Web UI interfaces are currently not up to date and may not work properly. They will be updated once the Java app reaches version 1.0. For now, the desktop GUI is recommended.

For developers and advanced users:

Command Line Interface:

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/encodeforge.git
cd encodeforge
pip install -r requirements.txt
python EncodeForge/src/main/resources/python/encodeforge_cli.py

Web Interface:

pip install -r requirements.txt
streamlit run EncodeForge/src/main/resources/python/encodeforge_webui.py

Quick Start

1. Launch the Application

Double-click the EncodeForge icon or run from command line.

2. Add Files

• Drag and drop video files into the application
• Or click "Add Files" in the sidebar
• Or click "Add Folder" to process entire directories

3. Choose Your Mode

Select from the three modes in the sidebar:

• 🎬 Encoder - Convert videos with hardware acceleration
• 📝 Subtitles - Generate or download subtitles
• 📁 Metadata - Rename files with smart metadata

4. Configure Settings

Click the ⚙️ Settings button in the sidebar to configure:

• API keys (optional but recommended)
• Output directory
• Naming patterns
• Hardware acceleration

5. Start Processing

Click the Start button and watch real-time progress!

Optional Setup

AI Subtitle Generation (Whisper)

To enable AI-powered subtitle generation:

1. Go to Tools → Setup AI Subtitles
2. Follow the setup wizard
3. This downloads Whisper models (300 MB - 3 GB)

Supported Languages: 90+ languages including English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and more.

API Keys (Recommended)

For best results, configure API keys in Settings:

Metadata Providers (File Renaming)

Provider	Purpose	Get Key
TMDB	Movies & TV	themoviedb.org
TVDB	TV shows	thetvdb.com
OMDB	Movies & TV	omdbapi.com
Trakt	Movies & TV	trakt.tv
Fanart.tv	Artwork	fanart.tv

Free Providers (No API key needed):

• ✅ AniDB (Anime)
• ✅ Kitsu (Anime)
• ✅ Jikan/MAL (Anime)
• ✅ TVmaze (TV shows)

Subtitle Providers

Provider	Purpose	Get Key
OpenSubtitles	Downloads	opensubtitles.com

Free Providers (No API key needed):

• ✅ Addic7ed, SubDL, Subf2m, YIFY, Podnapisi, SubDivX, Kitsunekko, Jimaku, AnimeSubtitles

Next Steps

• Encoder Mode Guide - Learn video encoding
• Subtitle Mode Guide - Generate and download subtitles
• Metadata Mode Guide - Smart file renaming
• Settings & Configuration - Advanced configuration

Troubleshooting

First Launch Issues

Problem: Setup window closes or hangs

• Solution: Check your internet connection. Setup requires downloading ~200 MB of dependencies.

Problem: FFmpeg installation fails

• Solution: Manually download FFmpeg from ffmpeg.org and set the path in Settings.

Problem: Python libraries fail to install

• Solution: Ensure you have Python 3.8+ installed. Check "Open Logs Folder" in Tools menu for error details.

Hardware Acceleration

Problem: NVENC not detected on NVIDIA GPU

• Solution: Update your NVIDIA drivers to the latest version.

Problem: AMF not working on AMD

• Solution: AMF only works on Windows with recent AMD GPUs. Use software encoding as fallback.

Still Need Help?

• Check the Support page
• Report issues on GitHub Issues
• Ask questions on GitHub Discussions

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Ready to start processing media? Jump to Encoder Mode for your first conversion!