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b3LAB – BatchForge+

The Apple Silicon transcoder for broadcast, post & delivery. Four modes. ProRes · HEVC · DNxHD/HR · FFV1 · MXF/MKV wrap · DPX/EXR · 4K-16K. Bundled FFmpeg 7.1.2.

▸ More about BatchForge+

Native macOS batch workbench with four workflow modes — Batch Transcode, Audio-Only, Segment Join, Image Export. Industry codec pack covers mainstream delivery (ProRes 6 profiles, HEVC 10-bit, H.264, HAP/HAP Q/HAP Alpha, VP9/WebM), broadcast & archival (DNxHD 7 SMPTE profiles, DNxHR 5 profiles, FFV1 lossless), and container wrap (MXF SMPTE 377M-1 OP1a, MKV). Hardware-accelerated via VideoToolbox with automatic SW-fallback. Self-contained: ships its own LGPL-2.1 FFmpeg 7.1.2 inside the app bundle — no Homebrew, no Terminal, no setup.

4 workflow modes Mainstream + Broadcast + Container Wrap 240p to 16K · custom sizes EBU R128 · ATSC A/85 · DCP Bundled FFmpeg 7.1.2 (LGPL) Free tier + €19 EA · Apple Silicon

What BatchForge+ does

Four workflow modes, bundled FFmpeg 7.1.2 — Batch Transcode, Audio-Only, Segment Join, Image Export. No CLI, no Homebrew, no setup.

VIDEO + IMAGE

4 modes · Mainstream + Broadcast + Container Wrap

One source → many outputs (codec × resolution × FPS). VideoToolbox HW acceleration for ProRes, H.264, and 10-bit HEVC with automatic SW fallback on incompatible codec/container combos (e.g. ProRes-in-MXF forces prores_ks SW). Image Export now exposes Use Source Resolution, Limit FPS, and Fit / Fill / Stretch. Segment Join can stream-copy compatible inputs or retry as re-encode.

▸ Show all features
  • Mainstream codecs: ProRes (6 profiles: Proxy / LT / 422 / 422 HQ / 4444 / 4444 XQ) · HEVC 8/10-bit · H.264 · HAP / HAP Q / HAP Alpha · VP9/WebM
  • Broadcast & Archival: DNxHD (7 SMPTE profiles, resolution-filtered) · DNxHR (5 profiles: LB / SQ / HQ / HQX 10-bit / 444 12-bit) · FFV1 (IETF RFC 9043 lossless)
  • Container Wrap: MXF (SMPTE 377M-1 OP1a — ProRes-SW / DNxHD / DNxHR) · MKV (open-container archival — H.264 / HEVC / VP9 / FFV1)
  • Resolution presets: 240p · 360p · 540p · 720p · 1080p · UHD · C4K · 8K · 16K + custom
  • FPS presets: 24 / 25 / 29.97 / 30 / 50 / 59.94 / 60 + custom decimal FPS (23.976, 47.952, 119.88) · drop-frame-timecode-aware
  • Aspect Source / 16:9 / 4:3 / 21:9 / 9:16 / 1:1 / Custom · Scaling Fit / Fill / Stretch · Deinterlace Yadif / Bwdif
  • Image Export: PNG / JPG (quality slider) / TIFF / GIF (animated + sequence) / EXR (32-bit Float Linear) / DPX (8 / 10 / 12-bit) for VFX-pipeline
  • HAP Alpha + ProRes 4444 + WebM-VP9 alpha — preserved end-to-end
  • BT.709 / Rec.2020 / Display P3 color tags written automatically on HW outputs
AUDIO + LOUDNESS

Broadcast-grade loudness mastering

Dedicated audio modes for video output (AAC Re-encode, Strip, Mute, External Audio) and 5 audio-only formats (WAV / AIFF / MP3 / M4A / FLAC). PCM 16/24-bit and 32-bit Float, sample rates 44.1 / 48 / 96 kHz, mono/stereo output, AudioToolbox AAC where enabled. Loudness presets are applied through FFmpeg loudnorm single-pass.

▸ Show all features
  • Loudness presets: EBU R128 −23 LUFS · ATSC A/85 −24 LUFS · Streaming −14 LUFS · Apple Podcasts −16 LUFS · Cinema/DCP −27 LUFS
  • Custom LUFS sliders: Target −36…−3 LUFS · True Peak −9…0 dBTP · Loudness Range 1…30 LU
  • Gain mode: −50…+50 dB in 0.5 dB steps
  • MP3 default 320k · M4A default 256k · FLAC compression range 0…12
  • Audio-Join for segment workflows · Speed-Remap up to 32× via atempo chain
  • Per-job audio: preserve / strip / mute / external file
AUTOMATE + VALIDATE

Watch Folder · presets · preflight

Automate repeat work and prevent broken renders before they start. Watch Folder creates Input, Output, Processing, and Error subfolders, stages stable files into Processing, and auto-starts by default. Validation runs before each render — drawtext availability, image-sequence gaps, LUT files, trim ranges, timecode dependencies, and bitrate syntax.

▸ Show all features
  • Watch Folder poll interval defaults to 2.5 s; stable files are detected by unchanged file size
  • Presets and projects are JSON files under ~/Documents/BatchForge+/Presets and ~/Documents/BatchForge+
  • Preflight check: FFmpeg tools, drawtext filter, output permissions, and free-space warnings
  • 3D-LUT (.cube 1D + 3D) — bundled LUT pack + custom load · Tetrahedral (default since v1.3.4) / Trilinear / Nearest · color-space-aware (Rec.709 / Rec.2020 tagging)
  • Overlay image: None / Fit Width / Fit Height · 1–500% scale · 5 positions · X/Y offsets −500…500
  • Burn-in: filename / metadata / custom text / timecode · 9 positions · 7 sizes · safe margin 0–20%
  • Timecode: Off / From File Metadata / Regenerate / Custom · metadata write + burn-in · disabled while Speed is not 1x
  • Performance modes: Background / Balanced / Fast · Low Priority FFmpeg toggle · Heavy Jobs Exclusive toggle
  • Cue Log + Per-file Render Log (.txt) + Verbose Diagnostics
CodecContainerAlphaBest for
ProRes 422 / 422 HQ / 422 LT / 422 Proxy.movMastering, grading, delivery
ProRes 4444 / 4444 XQ.movαAlpha-channel VJ assets
HAP / HAP Q.movGPU-decoded real-time playback
HAP Alpha / HAP Q Alpha.movαGPU-decoded alpha playback
IMAGE SEQUENCE.diversePNG, JPG, TIFF, EXR, GIF playback
H.264 / H.265 (HEVC).mp4Distribution, preview, web
WebM (VP9).webmαWeb / browser-based VJ tools
DNxHD.mov / .mxfBroadcast delivery — 7 SMPTE profiles
DNxHR LB / SQ / HQ / HQX 10-bit / 444 12-bit.mov / .mxfEdit proxies, mastering, online-conform
FFV1.mov / .mkvLossless archival (IETF RFC 9043)
MXF wrap (SMPTE 377M-1 OP1a).mxfBroadcast handoff — wraps ProRes / DNxHD / DNxHR
MKV wrap.mkvOpen-container archival — wraps H.264 / HEVC / VP9 / FFV1
DPX 8 / 10 / 12-bitsequenceVFX-pipeline, scan handoff, DI workflows

Which preset for which workflow.

12 common production paths, each with the recommended codec + container + loudness combo. Skip the trial-and-error.

WorkflowRecommended config
YouTube / Web DeliveryMP4 H.264 1080p · Loudness Streaming · Burn-In off
Vimeo High-QualityMP4 HEVC 10-bit 4K · Loudness Streaming
Edit proxies (Avid / Resolve)ProRes Proxy or DNxHR LB · 1080p
Mastering / Online ConformProRes 422 HQ in .mov · or DNxHR HQX in .mxf
Broadcast Delivery (EU)MXF with DNxHD 185 + PCM · Loudness EBU R128
Broadcast Delivery (US)MXF with DNxHD 145/220 + PCM · Loudness ATSC A/85
VJ loops (Resolume)HAP Q or HAP Alpha in .mov
Cinema / DCP PrepEXR sequence 32-bit Linear · or DPX 12-bit
VFX PlateDPX 10/12-bit sequence · EXR optional
Lossless ArchiveFFV1 in .mkv
Social VerticalMP4 H.264 1080×1920 9:16 · Burn-In filename
Audio-Only MasteringWAV 24-bit 48kHz or FLAC · Loudness Streaming
BatchForge+ Pro UI — full feature set in one window
BatchForge+ Pro UI — full feature set in one window · ↗ click to enlarge

Get BatchForge+

All licenses include the macOS application, setup documentation, and email support within the defined scope. Purchases delivered via Gumroad.

Free

€0

Full MP4 1080p delivery — no watermark, no time-cap, no batch-cap

What's included

  • MP4 (H.264) up to 1080p — all delivery / web / streaming / social presets, unlimited count
  • Hardware encoding via Apple VideoToolbox · custom bitrate · all framerates (24–60 + custom decimal)
  • Audio-only exports — WAV · AIFF · MP3 · M4A · FLAC (PCM 16/24/32-bit, 44.1/48/96 kHz)
  • Image export — PNG · JPG · TIFF · GIF · EXR sequences + animated GIF
  • Segment Join · Trim with waveform · Watch Folder (auto-ingest)
  • Burn-In (timecode · filename · metadata · custom text) · LUT (.cube) · Overlay (PNG-alpha)
  • Loudness presets — EBU R128 · ATSC A/85 · Streaming · Apple Podcasts · Cinema/DCP
  • Speed / Time Remap · Naming Templates · Project Save / Load · Preset System
  • Bundled LGPL FFmpeg 7.1.2 + Power-User Override path
  • macOS 15.6 Sequoia+ · Apple Silicon · Apple Notarized

Not included in Free

  • HEVC / H.265 (incl. 10-bit hardware encoding)
  • ProRes — all 6 profiles (Proxy / LT / 422 / 422 HQ / 4444 / 4444 XQ)
  • HAP / HAP Q / HAP Alpha — VJ workflows (Resolume, MadMapper, VDMX)
  • WebM / VP9 — browser-optimized delivery
  • 4K UHD · C4K · 8K · 16K + any custom size above 1080p

Free forever. No watermark, no time-cap, no batch-cap. Full commercial use — Social, YouTube, Vimeo, Web embed, advertising. Free and Pro share the same app — Pro features unlock once a license is activated.

Get BatchForge+ Free →
Please verify macOS compatibility before purchase. Requires macOS 15.6 (Sequoia) or later and an Apple Silicon Mac (M1+). Intel Macs are not currently supported in v1.1.x. Refunds considered for non-delivery or non-functional behavior in documented environments. See Legal for full policy.

★ Known stable path

Solo-studio Early Access · coded for max compatibility on the host matrix below · feedback welcome → [email protected]

  • OS / hardware: macOS 15.6 Sequoia+ · Apple Silicon only (Intel not supported) · Developer ID signed, notarized, stapled
  • Bundled with: LGPL-2.1 FFmpeg 7.1.2 + 23 runtime libraries inside the app bundle (all individually signed) — no Homebrew, no Terminal, no setup. Power-user override via ~/Library/Application Support/BatchForge+/bin/
  • Recommended first workflow: Drop ProRes / H.264 / MOV files into Batch Transcode → pick a preset → encode locally. Free tier delivers MP4 H.264 up to 1080p, no watermark, no time-cap. Pro unlocks HEVC / ProRes / HAP / DNxHD/HR / FFV1 + MXF/MKV wrap + DPX/EXR + resolutions > 1080p.
  • Top 3 limits: Apple Silicon only · CPU-side FFmpeg (no GPU-only codec paths) · 1 license = 1 active install (device-switch on demand)

What this is not.

Every b3LAB tool has a clear scope. Knowing the limits is part of the tool.

▸ Show all known limits
  • Tested with macOS 15.6 (Sequoia) · Apple Silicon (M1+) · macOS Tahoe: should work. Intel Macs not currently supported in v1.1.x.
  • FFmpeg + ffprobe bundled inside the app. BatchForge+ ships its own LGPL-2.1 FFmpeg 7.1.2 build in Contents/Resources/bin/ plus 23 LGPL/BSD/MIT runtime libraries in Contents/Resources/lib/, all individually code-signed with the b3LAB Developer ID and notarized by Apple. The preflight check verifies bundled binary integrity, drawtext availability, and write permissions on the output folder. No system FFmpeg installation is required.
  • Power-user FFmpeg override. If you want to substitute the bundled FFmpeg with your own build (for example, to enable software libx264 / libx265 encoders that are excluded from the LGPL build), place your binary at ~/Library/Application Support/BatchForge+/bin/ffmpegFFmpegLocator prefers it over the bundled one. This is the documented LGPL-2.1 Section 6 substitutability mechanism.
  • All encoding happens locally on your machine. No cloud, no upload, no telemetry.
  • Alpha preservation requires an alpha-capable output codec (HAP Alpha, HAP Q Alpha, ProRes 4444, PNG/EXR sequence, WebM-VP9) and an FFmpeg build that supports it.
  • Hardware acceleration (VideoToolbox / AudioToolbox) availability depends on Mac model and codec — these encoders are part of macOS.
  • Source format and codec support is limited to what your installed FFmpeg can decode/encode.
  • Loudness presets target their respective standards (EBU R128 −23 LUFS, ATSC A/85 −24 LUFS, etc.) — final delivery should still be measured by the receiving studio.
  • Trial Mode A is the default: max 15 s output and max 1 output per run, with audio-only and audio-join jobs excluded.
  • Trial Mode B removes the time/output cap but adds a centered two-line drawtext watermark to every video frame.
  • Render jobs currently execute through the queue one after another; worker controls are exposed but do not spawn parallel FFmpeg processes.
  • Native macOS app — Apple Silicon (M1+). Intel Macs not currently supported in v1.1.x.

Tested with.

  • OS: macOS 15.6 (Sequoia) or later · macOS Tahoe: should work
  • CPU: Apple Silicon (M1 or newer) · 8 GB RAM minimum (16 GB recommended for 4K+) · 200 MB disk space
  • Not currently supported in v1.1.x: Intel Macs (Universal FFmpeg build planned for v1.2.x — Intel users can supply their own x86_64 ffmpeg via the documented user-override path) · macOS 14 Sonoma or earlier
  • Limited support — Virtual machines: Parallels / VMware Fusion: app and most renders work; VideoToolbox H.264/HEVC require Software-Mode-Fallback — disable Strict-HW in Hardware Settings.
  • Distribution: Developer ID signed · Hardened Runtime · notarized and stapled app · Gatekeeper-accepted from /Applications/BatchForge+.app
  • FFmpeg + ffprobe: bundled inside the app — FFmpeg 7.1.2 (LGPL-2.1) with 23 LGPL/BSD/MIT runtime libraries, all individually signed and notarized · preflight check on launch · optional user-override path at ~/Library/Application Support/BatchForge+/bin/
  • Workflow modes: Batch Transcode · Audio-Only · Segment Join · Image Export
  • Video codecs (HW where possible): ProRes Proxy / LT / 422 / 422 HQ / 4444 / 4444 XQ (Apple VideoToolbox + prores_ks SW) · H.264 (h264_videotoolbox HW) · HEVC (hevc_videotoolbox HW including 10-bit) · HAP / HAP Alpha / HAP Q · WebM (VP9 via libvpx). Software libx264 / libx265 are not in the LGPL bundle — available via the user-override path for power users.
  • Image sequences: PNG · JPG · TIFF · EXR (32-bit Float Linear) · GIF — bidirectional
  • Resolutions: 240p · 360p · 540p · 720p · 1080p · 4K UHD · C4K · 8K · 16K + custom
  • Frame rates: presets 24 / 25 / 29.97 / 30 / 50 / 59.94 / 60 + custom decimal FPS
  • Audio output formats: WAV · AIFF · MP3 · M4A · FLAC · PCM 16/24-bit · 32-bit Float · 44.1 / 48 / 96 kHz
  • Loudness presets: EBU R128 · ATSC A/85 · Streaming · Apple Podcasts · Cinema/DCP + manual 3-slider
  • HW acceleration: VideoToolbox encoders for ProRes / H.264 / HEVC where available · AudioToolbox AAC · optional -hwaccel auto decode
  • Source: any format FFmpeg can decode

Who uses it, and how.

Real production scenarios. Each setup is one focused signal path — no glue scripts, no capture detours.

USECASE 01

Same-day highlight reel for the dinner reception

A wedding videographer needs to project a 90-second highlight cut at the reception. Edit done in Premiere by 21:00; reception starts 22:00. BatchForge+ exports four formats from the export folder: ProRes for backup, H.264 for the venue projector, 9:16 vertical for IG-Stories, 1:1 square for IG-Feed. One drag, four delivery formats, projector-ready before dessert.

USECASE 02

One episode, four languages, four resolutions

A creator runs four YouTube channels (DE / EN / ES / FR), one episode per week, each at 1080p and 4K. Sixteen files per episode is a half-day of manual encoding. BatchForge+ holds a single watch-folder rule chain — drop the master with the language tag in the filename, all sixteen versions land in their per-channel folders before the audio dub is even posted.

USECASE 03

Six podcast shows, three deliverables each, one preset chain

A podcast network runs six shows. Each episode needs a loudness-normalized MP3 (Spotify), AAC (Apple Podcasts), and a 60-sec 16:9 trailer (IG-Reels). Eighteen deliverables per week if done by hand. BatchForge+ holds one preset chain per show; producers drop WAVs into the show's folder, network publishes from the output folder.

Get in touch

Opens your email client via mailto, addressed to [email protected].