Installing Avidemux

1.Mandatory packages

You will need a unix based machine, preferably x86. It also works to some extend on Sparc and MacOsX and Windows (mingw needed)

Package Comment
Gtk+ and glib 2.x and pkg-config (correctly configured pkg-config !)
libmad it is optional but believe me, you want it!
libxml2 Used for filter descriptions and ~/.avidemuxrc
nasm (for x86) If you do VCD/SVCD/... on x86 you want it ! (5 x faster)

You will also need automake, autoconf and autotools with recent versions. Of course if you are using a rpm/deb based distro you need the -dev packages also.

2.Optional Packages

Audio packages

Name Version Aim Site
libMad 0.14.2b Mpeg 1/2/3 audio decoder http://mad.sf.net
a52dec 0.7.4 AC3 decoder http://liba52.sf.net
liblame 3.9x MP3 encoder http://www.mp3dev.org/mp3
libvorbis x Vorbis encoder/decoder http://www.vorbis.org/
libOgg x Needed by Vorbis http://www.vorbis.org/
Faac/faad x AAC encoder/decoder http://www.audiocoding.com/

Video packages

Name Version Aim Site
Xvid 0.9 Mpeg4 encoder http://www.xvid.org
Xvid 1.x Mpeg4 encoder http://www.xvid.org
x264 1.x Mpeg4 AVC encoder http://www.videolan.org/x264.html

Warning: Avidemux2 will be statically linked to 0.9 OR 1.x

Misc packages

Name Version Aim Site
Freetype x Needed for subtitles http://www.freetype.org/

3.Installation

It is rather straightforward.

Make -f Makefile.dist

./configure

Take extra care at the end where a recap of what has been detected appears .For me it looks like this:

Code listing 3.1

nasm found : /usr/bin/nasm
MMX is ON
cpu done
 GTK+ version        : 2.2.4
 Divx5.0.5 ?         : yes
 *** DISABLED ***
 Xvid  Codec         : yes
 Mad decoder         : yes
 OSS                 : yes
 ALSA                : yes
 Xvideo              : yes
 Lame                : yes
 Ogg Vorbis          : yes
 A52/AC3             : yes
 FFMPEG              : yes
 ARTS                : yes
 FreeType            : yes
 XML2                : yes
 Toolame             : /usr/local/bin/toolame
 Lame                : /usr/bin/lame
 locale              : ${prefix}/share/locale
 Little endian cpu   : yes

If you think something is missing, check that you have also installed the -dev package.

Configure will also build lavcodec library.

When configure is done, make then make install . There is a pack of translations (a beginning of start of internationalisation) also installed.

4.Common install problems

Compilation fails

It fails saying cannot open gtkxxx. Usually it means pkg-config/gtk+/glib is not installed or configured

It fails at link, with jpeg mmx

Look at /usr/lib/liblavjpeg.la (or in /usr/local/lib) if you find this :

Code listing 4.1

		dependency_libs=' -L/usr/src/redhat/BUILD/mjpegtools-1.6.0/jpeg-mmx -ljpeg-mmx'
change it to

Code listing 4.2

		dependency_libs=''
Thanks Jens for that one that hits a lot RedHat and Suse users.

automake complain or AM_GNU_AS or AM_GNU_GETTEXT error

You need a recent version of automake and autoconf.

For the AM_GNU_GETTEXT, install gettext-dev.