MacOS – OpenToonz: How to install ffmpeg for mac osx el capitan when only static ffmpeg builds for macOS 64-bit are available at ffmpeg.org

.mp4importinstallmacos

I'm trying to install ffmpeg on my mac OS X El Capitan version 10.11.6 Mid 2009 so I can use it's libraries: ffmpeg.exe, ffplay.exe, ffprobe.exe and be able to import/export mp4 and gif files to OpenToonz animation software.
tutorials online including: https://opentoonz.readthedocs.io/en/latest/using_ffmpeg_with_opentoonz.html?highlight=Ffmpeg
, the official guide from opentoonz,
go the ffmpeg.org and download a pre-compiled package: 'static and shared builds for macOS 64-bit.

However, for me, only 'static builds for macOS 64-bit' shows up which allows me to download a .7z file or a ffmpeg.exe file but not the other libraries (ffplay.exe, ffprobe.exe).

How can I use ffmpeg with OpenToonz on macOSX el capitan?
If I can't install ffmpeg and it's libaries from a static package, how can I install it from source so I can use it with OpenToonz?

I appreciate any help.
ty.

Best Answer

At least one user found another answer hard to follow. So did I. After a bit of a struggle, I got OpenToonz 1.4 working with ffmpeg on a Mac running macOS Catalina (10.15). I installed the "static files." I did not build from source. Here is what I did:

  1. download ffmpeg, ffprobe, ffplay and ffserver from the download page. The download links are displayed in large green buttons and there are several on the page.

  2. Extract these compressed files to your system.

  3. copy the executables to /Applications/OpenToonz/OpenToonz_stuff/plugins

  4. control(right)-click > open each of the executables you moved into the plugins folder. This is necessary due to macOS security. The programs will run in the terminal and then report an error. That is OK.

  5. open System Preferences > Security & Privacy. Go to the Privacy tab. Enable OpenToonz under the Accessibility category.

  6. start OpenToonz. Open Preferences > Import/Export. Set the file path for ffmpeg: /Applications/OpenToonz/OpenToonz_stuff/plugins

Restart OpenToonz. It should be working now (at least it was for me).

It was not clear to me which of the 4 executables OpenToonz actually needs so I installed them all. It would be better to find out which ones are actually needed and install only those. Maybe at some time in the future I'll do that.

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