Video-by-code tools, actually run and measured.
videobycode tests tools that generate video from code, and publishes what the runs actually produced
Comparisons, render costs, and working implementations for tools that generate video from code. Every number here comes from a run we performed, with tool version, operating system, and wall-clock render time recorded.
What a recorded run looks like
How we test- Tool
- ffmpeg 8.0.1 (libx264, aac; libfreetype=no)
- Wall clock
- 7,549 ms
- Output
- 1920×1080, 30 fps, 989,397 bytes
Runvbc-2026-08-09-ffmpeg-tpl30-001, measured 2026-08-09. Excerpt starts at 2s of the TPL-30 output; the clip is re-encoded to VP9 for the web and carries no audio track. Speed and colour are unchanged.
What we publish
Tools placed side by side on one fixed set of criteria. The criteria, the scoring, and the version of each tool are stated before the first result.
What a render costs in practice. Figures come from jobs we ran, with the machine, the output settings, and the wall-clock time recorded next to the price.
One task, implemented end to end. Each article lists the versions used, shows the code that produced the output, and reports how long the run took.
How the pieces fit together: renderers, encoders, queues, and the glue between them. Written for people choosing what to build on.
Recorded on every test
Editorial policyTool and version
The exact release we installed, so a result can be checked against the same build later.
Machine and OS
CPU, memory, and operating system. Render numbers mean nothing without the machine they came from.
Wall-clock render time
Measured end to end on the stated output settings, not the figure printed by the tool.
Attempts, including failures
How many runs it took and what broke on the way. Runs that never finished are reported too.
Article types
How we testMeasured
Numbers produced by running the tool ourselves, with the setup written down.
Tutorial
A task implemented step by step, with the code and the run time included.
Comparison
Tools scored on one fixed set of criteria, stated before the results.