Automate video processing workflows with n8n

Use n8n to automate FFmpeg-powered media workflows without running your own video processing infrastructure. Trigger jobs from uploads, forms, CMS updates, or storage events, then send the output into the next step of your automation.

Video walkthroughs

What this integration enables

Combine n8n's workflow automation with FFmpeg Micro's video processing API to build end-to-end media pipelines. No need to manage FFmpeg servers, install codecs, or handle scaling—just trigger jobs from any n8n node and handle the results downstream.

• Convert videos uploaded to cloud storage into web-ready formats automatically
• Generate thumbnail images whenever new video content is published
• Extract audio from video files for podcast feeds or transcription workflows
• Resize and reformat videos for different platforms (Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, TikTok)
• Trigger batch processing jobs from spreadsheet updates or CMS webhooks

Typical n8n workflow

Example n8n video workflow

Here's a real workflow: when a podcast episode uploads to Google Drive, automatically extract the audio track, convert it to MP3, and save it to a podcast hosting folder.

Learn more about audio extraction in our FFmpeg audio extraction recipe.

Request example for n8n HTTP node

In your n8n HTTP Request node, configure it to call the FFmpeg Micro API. Here's a copy-paste example that submits a transcode job:

{
  "method": "POST",
  "url": "https://api.ffmpeg-micro.com/v1/transcodes",
  "headers": {
    "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY",
    "Content-Type": "application/json"
  },
  "body": {
    "inputs": [{ "url": "https://example.com/video.mp4" }],
    "outputFormat": "mp4"
  }
}

The response includes an id and status: "pending". Use that id to poll for completion in the next n8n step. See the API documentation for the full request and response shape, including how to specify FFmpeg options for thumbnails, audio extraction, and other operations.

Handling async jobs in n8n

Transcode jobs run asynchronously. When you submit a job, the API returns immediately with an id and status: "pending". Processing happens in the background and the job moves through processing to completed (or failed).

To wait for completion in n8n, poll GET /v1/transcodes/{id} with a Wait node between each check. A 5–10 second interval works well for most workloads. Loop until the status is completed or failed, then branch on the status field with an IF node: on success, fetch the output URL; on failure, send a notification or retry.

Learn more

• FFmpeg API overview — see all supported video processing operations
• Quickstart guide — make your first API request in minutes
• Generate video thumbnails — recipe for creating thumbnail images from videos
• Extract audio from video — convert video files to audio-only formats