processing/processing4

Issues with FFmpeg (and Movie Maker) - need chmod and the binary is the wrong CPU type

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#1,137 opened on Jun 7, 2025

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bughelp wanted

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Description

Most appropriate sub-area of Processing 4?

Utilities

Processing version

4.4.4

Operating system

MacOS 11.7.10 (Big Sur)

Steps to reproduce this

1.Install 'Movie Maker II' via Tools > Manage Tools. 2.Run Movie Maker. 3. Movie Maker gives the error 'Creating the QuickTime movie failed. Cannot run program "... frmpeg": error=13, Permission denied' 4. Use 'ls' in Terminal to view ffmpeg's permissions. They are '-rw-r--r--'. 5. Use 'chmod' in Terminal to change ffmpeg's permissions to '-rwxr--r-'. 6. Run Movie Maker again. 7. Movie Maker gives the error 'Creating the QuickTime movie failed. Cannot run program "... frmpeg": error=86, bad CPU type in executable.' 8. If I download the 'static FFmpeg binary for macOS 64-bit Intel' from https://evermeet.cx/ffmpeg/ and replace the existing 'ffmpeg', Movie Maker works okay.

snippet

Additional context

Thanks!

Would you like to work on the issue?

No

Contributor guide

Research direction
Examine the bundled FFmpeg binary; ensure it has executable permissions and matches the CPU architecture. Consider using a static build from evermeet.cx for macOS.
Tech stack
java
Domain
tooling
Issue type
Bug
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
2
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
1-3 hours
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
Active
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
Clear
Prerequisites
Terminal
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
50