90 clockwise
job_35832f56f0e443f3The most-used value.
ffmpeg -i https://cdn.rendobar.com/assets/examples/sample.mp4 -vf "transpose=1" -t 5 out.mp4video filter
The FFmpeg transpose filter
Rotates video by 90 degree steps, optionally flipping as it goes.
3 of 3 variants measured Measured 2026-08-20
The part that catches people
A phone video that plays upright often carries a rotation in its display-matrix side data rather than in the pixels. Transposing it rotates the pixels while the metadata still says to rotate again, so the result lands sideways. Strip the metadata or check ffprobe first.
Measured, not described
Every row below is a real job. The same 1280x720 five-second H.264 source went through each variant, so the numbers are comparable to each other and to every other filter page on this site. Encode time is the FFmpeg step on its own, separated from the download and the upload.
| Variant | Encode | Output | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90 clockwise | 1237 ms | 524.2 KB · 720x1280 | $0.0028 |
| 90 counter-clockwise | 3179 ms | 536.6 KB · 720x1280 | $0.0063 |
| 180 degrees | 2626 ms | 507.6 KB · 1280x720 | $0.0041 |
The fastest variant here is not the smallest. 90 clockwise finished the encode in 1237 ms, while 180 degrees produced the smallest file at 507.6 KB. Which one matters depends on whether you are paying for compute or for storage.
The exact commands
90 counter-clockwise
job_dda911de069c4845The other direction.
ffmpeg -i https://cdn.rendobar.com/assets/examples/sample.mp4 -vf "transpose=2" -t 5 out.mp4180 degrees
job_52b131d8b8f047abThere is no single 180 value. Chain two.
ffmpeg -i https://cdn.rendobar.com/assets/examples/sample.mp4 -vf "transpose=1,transpose=1" -t 5 out.mp4How these numbers were produced
Each variant was submitted to the Rendobar API as an ffmpeg job against the same public source file, and the response was recorded verbatim. Encode time is the API's own per-step timing for the FFmpeg step. Output size is the byte count of the file the job produced. Cost is what the job was actually billed.
Nothing here was estimated, and the whole set is re-runnable, so if a figure looks wrong it can be checked rather than argued about. The 72 variants behind this filter reference cost $0.193082 in total to measure.
Frequently asked questions
What does the FFmpeg transpose filter do?
Rotates video by 90 degree steps, optionally flipping as it goes.
What is the most common mistake with transpose?
A phone video that plays upright often carries a rotation in its display-matrix side data rather than in the pixels. Transposing it rotates the pixels while the metadata still says to rotate again, so the result lands sideways. Strip the metadata or check ffprobe first.
How long does transpose take to run?
On a 1280x720 five-second H.264 source, the fastest variant on this page (90 clockwise) spent 1237 ms inside FFmpeg. That figure is the encode step alone, measured separately from the download and the upload, so it is the filter's own cost rather than the round trip.
Do I need FFmpeg installed to use transpose?
Not with Rendobar. Every command on this page ran through the Rendobar API against a URL, with no local FFmpeg install and no server. The job id next to each row is the real job that produced the numbers.
Other filters, measured the same way
scale Resizes video to a target width and height, with optional aspect-preserving arithmetic. crop Cuts a rectangle out of each frame, positioned from the top-left corner. fps Resamples video to a constant frame rate by duplicating or dropping frames. pad Adds bars around the frame to reach a target size without cropping the picture. overlay Composites one video or image on top of another at a chosen position.
Run transpose without installing FFmpeg
Every command on this page ran through the API against a URL. No binary, no server.