Resolve Converter

Batch-convert MP4 → DaVinci Resolve-compatible MOV — a native PyQt6 desktop app for Linux that turns standard H.264/H.265 + AAC videos into MJPEG video + PCM 16-bit audio inside a QuickTime .mov container, so the free tier of DaVinci Resolve can import them.

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -c:v mjpeg -q:v 3 -c:a pcm_s16le output.mov

DaVinci Resolve's free version on Linux cannot decode H.264/H.265 — the codecs almost every phone / camera / recorder produces. This app removes that friction with a folder-drop-and-go batch queue.

Features

• Add individual .mp4 files, a whole folder, or just drag & drop them in
• 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 .mp4s onto the window)
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 .mov 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

• Files get big. MJPEG is a JPEG per frame and PCM is uncompressed — output is typically 5–10× the input size. This is the price of DaVinci-free compatibility; import straight to Resolve, then export your edit.
• Quality of the video pass is set by -q:v 3 (2 = better, 4+ = smaller). Edit ConvertWorker._convert in src/resolve_converter/__init__.py to change it.
• Files whose output already exists are overwritten by default — uncheck Overwrite existing files to skip instead.

License

MIT — see LICENSE.