Extracting Audio from Video Files with Python: A How-to Guide

How to Extract Audio from Video Files using Python

Have you ever wanted to extract the sound from a video file and save it separately as an MP3 audio file? Maybe you have found an interesting video with great sound, and you would like to use it in your own project without the accompanying video.

Whatever your reason may be, extracting audio from video files can be done quickly and easily using Python. In this article, we’ll show you how to use Python to extract audio from video files.

We’ll go through the steps you need to take to install the necessary packages, import the required libraries, define the function that will extract the audio, and call the function to save the audio file. So, let’s dive in!

Installing Required Packages

The first thing you need to do is install the packages required to extract audio from video files. You’ll need to have pip3 installed on your system.

Open your command-line interface (CLI) and enter the following command:

pip3 install moviepy

The moviepy package is a powerful video editing library that will allow you to manipulate video files in many ways, including extracting audio. Once you’ve installed the package, you can move on to the next step.

Code to Extract Audio from Video Files

Now that you have the required package installed, you can start writing your code. We’ll go through the code in three parts: importing required libraries, defining the function, and calling the function.

Importing Required Libraries

To get started, open a new Python file in your preferred code editor. First, we need to import the moviepy library and all its components that we will use for extracting the audio.

Add the following code to the beginning of your Python script:

from moviepy.editor import *

Defining Our Function

Next, we need to define the function that will extract the audio from the video file. Add the following code to your script:

def extract_audio(video_file, audio_file):
    # Load the video file
    video = VideoFileClip(video_file)
    
    # Extract the audio from the video
    audio = video.audio
    
    # Save the audio file
    audio.write_audiofile(audio_file)
    
    # Close the video file
    video.close()

The function takes two arguments: the name of the video file you want to extract audio from, and the name of the audio file you want to save.

The function first loads the video file, then extracts the audio from it. Finally, it writes the audio to a new file and closes the video file.

Calling Our Function

Now that we have our function defined, we can call it. Add the following code to your script:

video_file = "myvideo.mp4"
audio_file = "myaudio.mp3"
extract_audio(video_file, audio_file)

In this example, we are extracting the audio from a video file named “myvideo.mp4” and saving it as an MP3 file named “myaudio.mp3”.

You can replace these filenames with your own. And that’s it! Running this Python script will extract the audio from the video file and save it as a separate audio file.

Conclusion

In conclusion, extracting audio from video files using Python is a simple and straightforward process. With the moviepy package, you can easily manipulate video files to extract audio and do much more.

By following the steps outlined in this article, you should now be able to extract audio from any video file.

3) Convert and Extract Audio from Video Files

Python is a highly portable language, meaning that it can be run on a variety of operating systems and architectures. The moviepy library is no exception, and it can run on Windows, Linux, and MacOS.

Compatibility

The moviepy library is compatible with Python 3.5+ and is also supported on PyPy. This makes it a versatile choice for extracting audio from video files, as you can run the same code on different systems without much modification.

Extraction Process and Progress Bar

When converting and extracting audio from video files, it can take some time depending on the length and quality of the file. It can be helpful to have some indication of the progress of the extraction process to avoid uncertainty about progress and time remaining.

One way to do this is to use a tqdm progress bar. tqdm is a Python library that allows you to easily add progress bars to loops and functions.

To use tqdm with the moviepy library, you need to install it first. Use the following command in your command-line interface:

pip3 install tqdm

Once installed, you can add a progress bar to your extract_audio function by importing tqdm and updating the function as follows:

from tqdm import tqdm
... def extract_audio(video_file, audio_file):
    video = VideoFileClip(video_file)
    audio = video.audio
    audio.write_audiofile(audio_file, progress_bar=tqdm)
    video.close()

Now when you run the function, you will see a progress bar that updates in real-time to show you how much of the audio extraction is complete.

Using Extracted Audio

Once you have extracted the audio from the video file, you can then use it however you like. For example, you may want to listen to the audio file in your music player or edit it further using other software.

If you want to listen to the audio file in your music player, you’ll need to make sure that it is saved in a format supported by your player. MP3 is a common format that is supported by many music players.

To save the extracted audio as an MP3 file, update the function as follows:

def extract_audio(video_file, audio_file):
    video = VideoFileClip(video_file)
    audio = video.audio
    audio.write_audiofile(audio_file, bitrate="192k", progress_bar=tqdm)
    video.close()

This will ensure that the extracted audio is saved as an MP3 file with a bitrate of 192 kbps.

System-wide Tool

If you find yourself frequently using the extract_audio function, you may want to make it a system-wide tool that you can use from the command line without having to open a Python script. To do this, you can add the function to your system’s PATH.

First, save the function as a script file with a .py extension. For example, save it as extract_audio.py.

Next, open your command-line interface and navigate to where you saved the file. Finally, add the following line to your system’s PATH:

export PATH="$PATH:/path/to/directory/containing/extract_audio.py"

Replace “/path/to/directory/containing/extract_audio.py” with the actual path to the directory containing the script file.

Now you can run the command “extract_audio.py” from any directory in your system, and it will execute the function and extract audio from the specified video file.

Conclusion

In conclusion, using Python to extract audio from video files is a handy tool to have in your programming arsenal.

With the moviepy library, you can easily manipulate video files to extract audio and do much more. Additionally, by adding features such as a progress bar and making it a system-wide tool, you can make the process more efficient and easier to use.

Whether you’re a developer or just someone who needs to extract audio from a video file once in a while, having this command line argument tool can be a game-changer. In this article, we have learned how to extract audio from video files using Python and the moviepy library.

We covered the steps required to install the necessary package, import the required libraries, define the function that will extract the audio, call the function, and use the extracted audio file further. We also discussed how to use a tqdm progress bar to track the extraction process and how to make the function a system-wide tool.

By following these steps, users can easily extract audio from video files quickly and efficiently, making this a handy tool for developers and anyone who needs to extract audio from video files.