# FFmpeg Installation Guide for Windows
# GOLS – Hire2Exit AI Avatar System

## Why FFmpeg is needed
FFmpeg converts your photo + TTS audio into the final MP4 video.
Without it, video generation will fail with: [WinError 2] The system cannot find the file specified

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## Option A — Quickest: Set Path in .env (Recommended)

1. Download FFmpeg from: https://www.gyan.dev/ffmpeg/builds/
   → Click "ffmpeg-release-essentials.zip" (top of the page)

2. Extract the zip to: C:\ffmpeg\

3. You should have: C:\ffmpeg\bin\ffmpeg.exe

4. Open your .env file and set:
   FFMPEG_PATH=C:\ffmpeg\bin\ffmpeg.exe

5. Restart the app — done!

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## Option B — Add FFmpeg to Windows PATH (works for all apps)

1. Download and extract FFmpeg same as above (to C:\ffmpeg\)

2. Open Windows Settings → Search "environment variables"
   → Click "Edit the system environment variables"
   → Click "Environment Variables..."
   → Under "System variables", find "Path" → click Edit
   → Click "New" → type: C:\ffmpeg\bin
   → Click OK on all windows

3. Open a NEW Command Prompt and test:
   ffmpeg -version
   (should show FFmpeg version info)

4. In your .env file, leave as:
   FFMPEG_PATH=ffmpeg

5. Restart the app — done!

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## Option C — Using winget (Windows 11)

Open PowerShell as Administrator and run:
   winget install Gyan.FFmpeg

Then set in .env:
   FFMPEG_PATH=ffmpeg

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## Verify it's working

After installing, open Command Prompt and run:
   ffmpeg -version

You should see something like:
   ffmpeg version 7.x.x Copyright (c) 2000-2024 the FFmpeg developers

Then restart your app and try generating a video again.

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## Common Paths After Installation

Depending on how you installed:
   C:\ffmpeg\bin\ffmpeg.exe          (manual extract)
   C:\Program Files\ffmpeg\bin\ffmpeg.exe
   C:\ProgramData\chocolatey\bin\ffmpeg.exe  (if installed via Chocolatey)

Set whichever exists as FFMPEG_PATH in your .env file.