Resolve Converter

Batch-convert video both ways between MP4 and MOV — a native PyQt6 desktop app for Linux:

• MP4 → MOV — turn standard H.264/H.265 + AAC videos into DaVinci-safe MJPEG video + PCM 16-bit audio inside a QuickTime .mov, so the free tier of DaVinci Resolve can import them.
• MOV → MP4 — convert those DaVinci-safe .movs back into compact, broadly playable H.264 + AAC .mp4 files for normal playback and sharing.

# forward: into DaVinci Resolve
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c:v mjpeg -q:v 3 -c:a pcm_s16le output.mov
# reverse: back to a shareable file
ffmpeg -i input.mov -c:v libx264 -crf 18 -c:a aac output.mp4

DaVinci Resolve's free version on Linux cannot decode H.264/H.265 — the codecs almost every phone / camera / recorder produces. Drop in a folder of .mp4s to get them into Resolve, then send the finished .movs back through the app for shareable .mp4s again.

Features

• Add .mp4 and .mov files — batch, individually, or mixed in one queue. Each file's direction is picked from its own format (.mp4 → .mov, .mov → .mp4), so there's nothing to configure
• Add via buttons, a whole folder, or drag & drop
• Queue table with per-file status and live progress bars
• Runs up to 2 ffmpeg jobs in parallel without ever freezing the UI
• Global progress weighted by file size, plus a live ffmpeg console pane
• Dark, distraction-free theme that fits Hyprland/Omarchy setups

Install

pip install resolve-converter          # or: pipx install resolve-converter

Runtime dependency: ffmpeg and ffprobe on your PATH.

sudo pacman -S ffmpeg                  # Arch / Omarchy
sudo apt install ffmpeg                # Debian / Ubuntu
sudo dnf install ffmpeg                # Fedora

Register with your desktop launcher

resolve-converter --install-desktop-entry

This installs the .desktop entry and icon into ~/.local/share/... and refreshes the desktop database, so the app shows up in Quickshell, GNOME, KDE, etc. Re-run it after moving to a different Python environment.

Usage

1. ＋ Add Files… or ＋ Add Folder… (or drag .mp4 / .mov files onto the window) — a mixed list is fine, each file converts to its counterpart.
2. Output — leave blank to write each file into a Converted/ subfolder next to its source; or pick one destination folder for everything.
3. ▶ Start Conversion — up to 2 parallel ffmpeg jobs; the UI never freezes.
4. ■ Stop terminates running jobs and marks the rest as cancelled.

Status colors: Pending gray · Processing cyan · Completed green · Failed red · Cancelled amber · Skipped dim (when "Overwrite existing files" is off and the output file already exists).

Development

git clone <your-repo-url> && cd resolve-converter
python3 -m venv .venv && source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -e .
python -m unittest discover -s tests

Building & publishing

pip install build twine
python -m build
python -m twine check dist/*
python -m twine upload --repository testpypi dist/*   # try TestPyPI first
python -m twine upload dist/*                          # then PyPI

Notes & caveats

• Forward output is big. MJPEG is a JPEG per frame and PCM is uncompressed — a DaVinci-safe .mov is typically 5–10× its .mp4 source. Import straight to Resolve, edit, then use the MOV → MP4 pass to get a compact, shareable file back.
• Reverse output is small. libx264 + AAC shrink that MJPEG/PCM .mov dramatically — expect a file close to the original .mp4's size.
• Encoding defaults live in the RESOLVE_MODE / PLAYBACK_MODE objects (encode_args) in src/resolve_converter/__init__.py. Forward quality is -q:v 3 (2 = better, 4+ = smaller); reverse is libx264 -crf 18 (lower = better quality, larger file) with -movflags +faststart for streaming.
• Files whose output already exists are overwritten by default — uncheck Overwrite existing files to skip instead.

License

MIT — see LICENSE.