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Use FFmpeg’s drawtext video filter to burn a clock into the frames sent to YouTube. Choose localtime to show the FFmpeg host’s configured local time, or gmtime to show UTC. The example below demonstrates a wall clock; its exact escaping may need adjustment for your shell and how you assemble the filtergraph.
Overlay a clock with drawtext
drawtext renders text over video. Add it to the video filtering path before the outgoing video is encoded. A schematic filter value for a date-and-time clock is:
drawtext=fontfile=/path/to/font.ttf:text='%{localtime:%Y-%m-%d %H\:%M\:%S}':x=20:y=20:fontsize=32:fontcolor=white:box=1:[email protected]Replace /path/to/font.ttf with a font file that exists and can be read by the account running FFmpeg. This example places white text near the upper-left corner, at a nominal size of 32, on a semi-transparent black box. Treat those values as a starting point, not a tested layout for every resolution or video.
Escaping is the part most likely to need adaptation. Colons and backslashes may be interpreted by the shell, the filter syntax, or both. FFmpeg documents multiple levels of escaping; a text file can avoid some escaping problems. Test the exact command in the shell and process environment that will run the continuous stream before relying on it.
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Choose local time or UTC
localtime: shows the FFmpeg host’s configured local timezone. Use it when viewers should see the time for that host’s location.gmtime: shows UTC. Choose it when you want a time display independent of the host’s local timezone setting.
A wall clock reflects the host clock as frames are processed; it is not a timecode or elapsed timestamp derived from the media’s presentation time. FFmpeg documents separate localtime, gmtime, and pts expansions. The filter does not synchronize the host clock or confirm its timezone, so check both on the machine running the stream.
Put the filter into your existing FFmpeg command
- Check the executable and font. Confirm that the FFmpeg build you will actually run includes
drawtext, and choose a stable, readable font path accessible to its process account. - Add the overlay to the video path. For a straightforward command, supply the filter with
-vf. If your command already uses a more involved filtergraph, incorporate the overlay with-filter_complexrather than replacing other required video processing. - Preserve audio mapping. Keep the audio input and mapping appropriate to your existing command.
drawtextmodifies video; it does not determine how your audio should be selected or sent. - Test before leaving it unattended. Run the assembled command and verify that the clock appears, updates, uses the intended timezone, and remains readable over the moving footage. Check the command under the same shell and account used for the 24/7 process.
- Keep the rest of the stream configuration intact. Input, output protocol, video and audio codecs, frame rate, bitrate, and YouTube ingest settings depend on your setup. The overlay requires video filtering and encoding; it cannot be added while simply stream-copying already encoded video.
FFmpeg’s filtergraph documentation covers filter usage and overlay composition: FFmpeg Filters Documentation. The schematic filter above is not a complete ingest command and is not a claim that a particular end-to-end command was tested.
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Make the clock readable and reliable
- Use a high-contrast treatment. Adjust text color, size, border or shadow, and background box with the documented
drawtextoptions. If the image behind the clock changes, a box or border can help separate the text from the footage. - Keep it in the safe visible area. Choose coordinates that avoid important documentary imagery and leave enough margin from the frame edges. Check the result at the resolution viewers will receive.
- Make the time basis explicit. A host move, rebuild, or timezone change can alter what
localtimedisplays. UTC avoids dependence on the local timezone setting, but still relies on the host clock being correct. - Check the installed FFmpeg build. The current online manual may differ from an older or specially built executable. FFmpeg’s documentation is regenerated nightly and recommends consulting the local documentation for older builds: FFmpeg Documentation.
The documented drawtext filter uses libfreetype; its stated configure requirements include --enable-libfreetype and --enable-libharfbuzz. Supplying fontfile gives the filter a specific font file. The font option and font fallback depend on additional fontconfig support, while text_shaping depends on fribidi. Consult the filter reference for the options available in your build: FFmpeg drawtext filter reference.
Troubleshoot common clock problems
- “No such filter” or an unavailable
drawtextfilter: The executable may have been built without the required support. Check the local build and documentation; use an executable with the needed filter libraries. - Font errors or missing text: Verify that the font file exists and is readable by the process account. Use a stable absolute path rather than relying on a working directory that may change.
- Invalid arguments or malformed clock text: Review escaping at each parsing layer. Test the exact command in the target shell; consider a text file if escaping the filter argument is cumbersome.
- Wrong timezone or clock: Confirm the host’s timezone when using
localtime, or selectgmtimefor UTC. Check the host clock separately; the filter does not correct it. - Clock is difficult to see: Increase the font size, move it to a less busy area, or adjust the text color, border, shadow, and box. Preview the actual output rather than assuming a setting will suit every video.
- Audio or output behavior changes after adding the filter: Review your existing stream mapping and filtergraph. The clock changes the video path; audio selection, encoding, and output protocol remain specific to the original command.
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