openEncoder
free native batch video transcoder for macOS — built for AV, lighting and video professionals. Queue up show content and convert it fast.
release notes
- Easy and Advanced modes. A switcher in the header (top right) toggles the settings panel. Easy mode — now the default — asks "What are you making?" and offers ready-made presets: Resolume DXV3 (Normal, High Quality, and Alpha), Hap for media servers, ProRes masters, H.264 delivery/web, HEVC 4K, and proxies — plus the output folder, and nothing else.
- Advanced mode is the full codec-selection panel exactly as before, and presets you save there appear in the Easy list too.
Feedback welcome — especially on which presets belong in the Easy list.
- Hap and DXV as sources. Hap, Hap Alpha, Hap Q (including Snappy and chunked frames from other encoders), DXV3 Normal Quality with and without alpha, and legacy DXV2 all decode natively — so DXV → ProRes, Hap → H.264, DXV → Hap and every other combination just works, audio included.
- Decode nearly anything. MKV, WebM (VP8/VP9), MXF, WMV, FLV, OGV and more now work as sources via a bundled decode-only FFmpeg helper (LGPL, dynamically linked, running in its own process so a codec bug can never crash the app). Output encoding remains 100% native.
- Cancel actually cancels. Cancelling now aborts the file in progress within moments, cleans up the partial output, and Esc triggers it.
Known limitation: extended-format (FFmpeg-decoded) sources currently target ProRes, H.264 and HEVC output; Hap/DXV output from these sources is planned.
- Cancel actually cancels — stopping an encode now aborts the file in progress within moments (previously it finished the current file first). Esc works too.
- DXV3 High Quality — Quality picker with Normal (DXT) and High (YCoCg) modes, alpha supported in both. Noticeably smoother gradients.
- Exporting beside the source file just works — no more permissions dead-ends; macOS asks once per protected folder. Settings and presets carry over automatically.
- Show in Finder on finished encodes and History; re-queue finished files with one click; queue the same file twice.
- Output Folder selection sticks and is remembered across launches.
- Alpha everywhere it fits — the “Alpha channel” toggle now works for ProRes (4444), HEVC (HEVC-with-alpha), Hap (Hap Alpha), DXV2, and DXV3. The separate “HEVC + Alpha” listing is folded into HEVC + the toggle; presets migrate automatically.
- Resized or padded alpha encodes keep their transparency instead of being flattened onto black.
- Fixed: “Choose Output Folder” did nothing — the folder picker never appeared.
- Fixed: “decode failed” at the very end of slightly damaged sources — the completed encode is now kept.
- Disable audio — new toggle writes video outputs with no audio track.
licence
openEncoder is free for personal and commercial use. It is provided "as is", without warranty of any kind. © 2026 James Goodliffe.
read the full end-user licence agreement
Last updated: 4 August 2026
This End User License Agreement ("Agreement") is between you and James Goodliffe
("the Author") and governs your use of the openEncoder application ("the Software").
By downloading, installing, or using the Software you agree to this Agreement. If you
do not agree, do not install or use the Software.
1. License grant
The Author grants you a personal, worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive,
non-transferable license to install and use the Software on devices you own or
control, for personal or commercial purposes.
2. Restrictions
You may not:
- sell, rent, lease, or redistribute the Software as your own product;
- remove or alter any copyright, trademark, or attribution notices;
- use the Software in any way that violates applicable law.
3. Media content
You are solely responsible for the media you process with the Software, including
ensuring you hold the necessary rights to transcode, copy, or distribute that media.
4. Output formats and third-party trademarks
The Software encodes media into a number of established formats. "DXV" and "Resolume"
are trademarks of Resolume B.V.; "Hap" was developed by VIDVOX; "NotchLC" is a
trademark of Notch (10bit FX Limited); "Apple", "ProRes", and "QuickTime" are
trademarks of Apple Inc. The Author is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed
by any of these parties. Support for the DXV format is an independent interoperability
implementation based on publicly available format documentation, and is not certified by Resolume B.V.; verify output in your
playback software before relying on it in production.
5. Updates
The Software can check for and install updates using the Sparkle framework. Update
checks contact the Author's server and transmit standard request metadata (such as
app version and macOS version). No personal data is collected or sold. You can
disable automatic update checks in the Software's settings.
6. Intellectual property
The Software is licensed, not sold. The Author retains all rights, title, and
interest in the Software. Third-party components are used under their own licenses —
see the accompanying Third-Party Licenses document.
7. No warranty
THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED,
INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A
PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. THE AUTHOR DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE
SOFTWARE WILL BE ERROR-FREE OR UNINTERRUPTED, OR THAT ITS OUTPUT WILL BE SUITABLE
FOR ANY PARTICULAR WORKFLOW. ALWAYS TEST ENCODED OUTPUT BEFORE PRODUCTION USE.
8. Limitation of liability
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHOR BE LIABLE FOR
ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES (INCLUDING
LOSS OF DATA, LOST PROFITS, OR SHOW/EVENT INTERRUPTION) ARISING FROM THE USE OF, OR
INABILITY TO USE, THE SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
NOTHING IN THIS AGREEMENT EXCLUDES LIABILITY THAT CANNOT BE EXCLUDED UNDER
APPLICABLE LAW.
9. Termination
This Agreement is effective until terminated. It terminates automatically if you
breach any of its terms, at which point you must delete all copies of the Software.
10. General
If any provision of this Agreement is held unenforceable, the remaining provisions
remain in full effect. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement regarding the
Software and supersedes any prior understanding.
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Questions about this Agreement: contact the Author via https://goodliffe.co