Settings & Configuration

Settings & Configuration

Configure EncodeForge for optimal performance and features.

Overview

Settings available:

• ✅ API keys for metadata and subtitle providers
• ✅ Hardware acceleration configuration
• ✅ Output directory and naming patterns
• ✅ Profile management
• ✅ FFmpeg and Whisper setup

Accessing Settings

From Desktop GUI:

• Click ⚙️ Settings button in sidebar
• Or press Ctrl+, (Cmd+, on Mac)

Settings Dialog Sections:

• General
• Encoder
• Subtitles
• Metadata
• Advanced

General Settings

Output Directory

Default Output:

• Set default output directory for encoded files
• Can be overridden per job

Example:

/media/encoded
C:\Users\Username\Videos\Encoded

Logging

Log Levels:

• Debug - Verbose debugging info
• Info - General information
• Warning - Warnings only
• Error - Errors only

Log Location:

• settings/logs/encodeforge.log
• View in Tools → Open Logs Folder

Updates

Check for Updates:

• Enable automatic update checks
• Frequency: Daily, Weekly, Never

Update Channel:

• Stable (recommended)
• Beta (new features, may be unstable)

Encoder Settings

Hardware Acceleration

NVIDIA NVENC:

• Enabled: Use NVENC if available
• Preset: p1 (slowest/quality) to p7 (fastest)
• Quality (CQ): 0-51 (lower = better)

AMD AMF:

• Enabled: Use AMF if available
• Preset: balance, speed, quality
• Quality: Auto-detect

Intel Quick Sync:

• Enabled: Use QSV if available
• Preset: Auto-select best

Apple VideoToolbox:

• Enabled: Use VideoToolbox if available
• Auto-detect best settings

Output Format

Container:

• MP4 - Best compatibility
• MKV - Multiple tracks
• AVI - Legacy
• MOV - QuickTime

Video Codec:

• h264_nvenc - NVIDIA H.264
• hevc_nvenc - NVIDIA H.265
• libx264 - Software H.264
• libx265 - Software H.265

Audio Codec:

• copy - Keep original
• aac - AAC encoder
• ac3 - Dolby Digital
• mp3 - MP3 encoder

Quality Presets

Pre-defined Presets:

• Ultra Quality - CQ 18, Preset p3
• High Quality - CQ 21, Preset p4
• Medium Quality - CQ 24, Preset p5
• Fast - CQ 28, Preset p6

Custom:

• Set custom CQ and preset values

Subtitle Settings

Providers

Whisper AI:

• Model Location: Auto-detect or custom path
• Default Model: base, small, medium, large
• GPU Acceleration: Enable if available

OpenSubtitles:

• API Key: Enter your key
• Username: Optional, for account features
• Password: Optional

Configuration:

• Click provider button to configure
• Status shown: "Not Setup" or "✅ Configured"

Settings

• Default Languages: Select common languages
• Download Mode: External, Embed, Burn-in
• Replace Existing: Overwrite existing subtitles

Metadata Settings

Providers

TMDB:

• API Key: Get from themoviedb.org
• Status: Shows configuration status

TVDB:

• API Key: Get from thetvdb.com
• Status: Shows configuration status

OMDB:

• API Key: Get from omdbapi.com
• Status: Shows configuration status

Trakt:

• API Key: Get from trakt.tv
• Status: Shows configuration status

Fanart.tv:

• API Key: Get from fanart.tv
• Status: Shows configuration status

Naming Patterns

TV Show Pattern:

{title} - S{season}E{episode} - {episodeTitle}

Movie Pattern:

{title} ({year})

Available Variables:

• Movies: {title}, {year}, {quality}, {codec}
• TV: {title}, {season}, {episode}, {episodeTitle}, {year}
• Anime: {title}, {season}, {episode}, {episodeTitle}

Pattern Editor:

• Click "Format Pattern" button
• Visual editor with drag-and-drop
• Preview changes
• Save as preset

Advanced Settings

FFmpeg Configuration

FFmpeg Path:

• Auto-detect or manual path
• Check status: Tools → Check FFmpeg Status

FFprobe Path:

• Auto-detect or manual path

Custom FFmpeg Args:

• Add custom FFmpeg arguments
• Advanced users only

Whisper Configuration

Model Location:

• Default: Auto-download to settings folder
• Custom: Set path to existing models

GPU Acceleration:

• CUDA: Use NVIDIA GPU
• MPS: Use Apple Silicon GPU
• CPU: Fallback to CPU

Processing Options

Threads:

• Number of encoding threads
• Auto-detect or manual

Memory:

• Maximum memory usage
• Default: 2GB

Temporary Directory:

• Location for temp files
• Default: System temp folder

Profile Management

Create Profile

1. Configure all settings
2. Click "Save as Profile"
3. Enter profile name
4. Click "Save"

Load Profile

1. Select profile from dropdown
2. Click "Load Profile"
3. Settings applied instantly

Delete Profile

1. Select profile
2. Click "Delete Profile"
3. Confirm deletion

Default Profile

• Default settings loaded on startup
• Save current settings as default
• Or reset to factory defaults

API Keys

Getting API Keys

TMDB (Free):

1. Go to themoviedb.org
2. Create account
3. Go to Settings → API
4. Request API key
5. Copy key to EncodeForge

TVDB (Free):

1. Go to thetvdb.com
2. Create account
3. Go to Dashboard → API Key
4. Generate key
5. Copy to EncodeForge

OpenSubtitles (Free):

1. Go to opensubtitles.com
2. Create account
3. Go to Account → API Key
4. Generate key
5. Copy to EncodeForge

Security

API Key Storage:

• Stored locally in settings folder
• Encrypted when possible
• Never shared with external services

Best Practices:

• Don't share API keys
• Rotate keys periodically
• Monitor usage limits

Configuration Files

Settings Location

Windows:

%APPDATA%\EncodeForge\settings\

macOS:

~/Library/Application Support/EncodeForge/settings/

Linux:

~/.config/EncodeForge/settings/

Settings Structure

settings/
├── config.json          # Main configuration
├── profiles/            # Saved profiles
│   ├── profile1.json
│   └── profile2.json
├── logs/                # Log files
│   └── encodeforge.log
└── whisper-models/      # Whisper AI models
    ├── tiny/
    ├── base/
    └── medium/

Config Format

Example config.json:

{
  "tmdb_api_key": "your_key",
  "opensubtitles_api_key": "your_key",
  "output_dir": "/media/output",
  "default_quality": 23,
  "default_preset": "p4",
  "hardware_acceleration": {
    "nvenc": true,
    "amf": false,
    "qsv": false
  }
}

Export/Import Settings

Export

1. Go to Settings
2. Click "Export Settings"
3. Choose location
4. Save JSON file

Import

1. Go to Settings
2. Click "Import Settings"
3. Select JSON file
4. Confirm import

Use Cases:

• Backup settings
• Transfer to another computer
• Share configurations

Reset Settings

Factory Reset

1. Go to Settings
2. Click "Reset to Defaults"
3. Confirm reset
4. All settings restored to defaults

Warning: This deletes all custom settings and profiles!

Reset Specific Sections

• Reset Encoder settings only
• Reset Subtitle settings only
• Reset Metadata settings only

Troubleshooting

Settings Not Saving

Check:

• File permissions on settings folder
• Disk space available
• Settings folder exists

Solution:

• Create settings folder manually
• Check write permissions
• Run as administrator if needed

API Keys Not Working

Check:

• API key is valid
• Key is not expired
• Rate limits not exceeded

Solution:

• Regenerate API key
• Check provider website for status
• Wait if rate limited

Profile Not Loading

Check:

• Profile file exists
• File is valid JSON
• Settings compatible with version

Solution:

• Recreate profile
• Export/import settings
• Update EncodeForge

Related Pages

• Getting Started
• Encoder Mode
• Subtitle Mode
• Metadata Mode
• Support

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Configure your settings for the best EncodeForge experience!