videobeaux/docs/programs/utilities/download_yt.md

download_yt

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Description

Downloads or rips video and audio content from YouTube (or other compatible platforms) and prepares it for processing inside Videobeaux workflows.

Purpose

download_yt is a quick-ingest utility that brings online source media into your local Videobeaux environment.
This is useful when you need:

• reference clips for editing or remixing,
• footage for analysis or research,
• material for glitch, collage, or experimental video art,
• assets for transformation inside other Videobeaux programs.

How It Works

1. URL Retrieval
   Videobeaux (via external download tools) fetches the highest-available quality or a configured preferred resolution/format.
2. Muxing & Cleanup
   Audio and video streams are combined into a standardized container suitable for immediate downstream processing.
3. Global Output Handling
   Because download_yt has no program-specific arguments, all settings (filename, codecs, mapping, etc.) follow Videobeaux global defaults.
4. Output
   The resulting video file is written to the path specified with -o.

Program Template

videobeaux -P download_yt \
  -i input.mp4 \
  -o output.mp4

Arguments

• (No program-specific arguments — this program relies entirely on global Videobeaux input/output configuration and downloader behavior.)

Real World Example

videobeaux -P download_yt \
  -i myvideo.mp4 \
  -o download_yt_styled.mp4

Technical Notes

• Quality of the downloaded media depends on what the source service provides (YouTube DASH streams, format variants, etc.).
• If separate audio/video streams are delivered by the platform, Videobeaux muxes them into a single file.
• Output format is determined by your global settings — typically MP4 unless changed.
• For archival purposes, consider remuxing into MKV to preserve metadata.

Recommended Usage

• Bringing online clips into your Videobeaux workflow for editing, glitching, or processing.
• Preparing material for LUT application, tonemapping, interpolation, or compositing.
• Rapid prototyping of creative projects using found or reference footage.
• Downloading assets for offline study or frame-by-frame analysis.

Quality Tips

• Always inspect resolution and bitrate of the downloaded file before high-end processing.
• If audio quality matters, check whether the source provides separate high-quality audio tracks.
• Consider transcoding to a mezzanine codec (e.g., ProRes) for grading or VFX workflows.
• Large downloads benefit from using SSD storage to avoid bottlenecks.