Reverse a Video or Create a Boomerang
What the reverse effect does to picture, sound and length
Reverse an entire video for a rewind effect, or choose Boomerang to join forward and backward passes. The audio can remain forward, follow each video direction, or be removed. A regular reverse keeps the source duration; boomerang modes create a result about twice as long. Use the live output plan to check the selected mode before processing an MP4, MOV, WebM, AVI, MKV, MPEG or OGG video.
Cost: Free to use. File size and usage limits apply.
How to reverse a video
Upload one video
Click Upload a video to reverse or drop an MP4, MOV, WebM, AVI, MKV, M4V, MPEG or OGV file of up to 200 MB. Videos you already uploaded or created in other tools in this browser are listed under Uploads.
Choose the direction
Select Reverse to rewind the whole clip, Boomerang to play it forward and then backward, or Reverse boom for backward first, then forward. The settings card header shows the resulting duration.
Decide what happens to the sound
Under Audio, keep the original track playing forward (the default), choose Reverse with video, or pick Remove audio for a silent clip.
Start the job
Click Reverse video. The preview keeps playing your original clip forward until the job is done. The server re-encodes every frame, so long or high-resolution clips take longer; a job can run for up to 15 minutes.
Check and download
The result replaces the preview. Play it, then click Download. Continue editing keeps the same source so you can try another mode.
Direction and audio options
- Reverse (default)
- Plays the clip from the last frame to the first at its original length. Long clips are processed in sections, so there is no length limit apart from the 200 MB file size and the 15-minute processing time.
- Boomerang
- Plays the clip forward, then backward. The result is twice as long and ends on its first frame, so it loops without a jump. Only short clips are accepted; see the table below.
- Reverse boom
- Plays backward first, then forward, also at twice the length. It starts and ends on the last frame of your clip, which suits clips whose key moment, such as a landing or a splash, comes at the end.
- Keep audio forward (default)
- The soundtrack plays normally while the picture runs backwards, so speech and footsteps no longer match what you see. In both boomerang modes the track plays twice from the start, once per half.
- Reverse with video
- The sound follows the picture: backwards in Reverse, forward then backward in Boomerang, backward then forward in Reverse boom. Speech becomes unintelligible, but every noise stays in sync with its frame.
- Remove audio
- Exports an MP4 with no audio track. If the source has no audio track, the result is silent whichever option you choose.
How long a boomerang can be
Boomerang and Reverse boom hold every frame of the clip in the server's memory at once, so the source length is limited by resolution and frame rate. The limits below apply to 30 fps footage; at 60 fps, halve them. Portrait video counts like landscape (1080 × 1920 px = 1920 × 1080 px).
- 3840 × 2160 px (4K)
- about 2.1 seconds
- 2560 × 1440 px
- about 4.8 seconds
- 1920 × 1080 px (Full HD)
- about 8.6 seconds
- 1280 × 720 px
- about 19.4 seconds
- 854 × 480 px
- about 43.6 seconds
- 640 × 360 px
- about 77.6 seconds
What changes in the finished file
Every result is an MP4 with H.264 video at a constant quality of CRF 23 and 8-bit 4:2:0 color (yuv420p), a widely supported combination. The picture is always re-encoded, even for MP4 uploads. Resolution and frame rate stay the same; an odd width or height is rounded up by 1 px, because the encoder requires even dimensions.
Kept or reversed sound is converted to AAC at 128 kbps and 48 kHz and fitted to the exact length of the picture. Only the first video and audio track are used; subtitle tracks and extra audio languages are not carried over.
File size is not preserved. CRF 23 targets steady quality, not a bitrate, so a heavily compressed phone clip can grow and a high-bitrate camera file can shrink. As a rule of thumb, a boomerang is about twice the size of a plain reverse. 10-bit footage, such as HDR phone recordings, is written as 8-bit video.
Formats and limits
- Input formats
- MP4, MOV, WebM, AVI, MKV, M4V, MPEG/MPG, OGV
- Output format
- MP4 (H.264 video, AAC audio or no audio)
- Maximum file size
- 200 MB
- Files per job
- 1
- Maximum resolution
- 8,294,400 pixels per frame, e.g. 3840 × 2160 px or 2160 × 3840 px portrait; 4096 × 2160 px (DCI 4K) is over the limit
- Maximum length
- Reverse: none within 200 MB and 15 minutes. Boomerang modes: see the table above
- Processing
- On our servers with FFmpeg; no external service is involved
- Watermark
- None
- Storage
- Uploads and results are deleted automatically after 48 hours for guests and after 30 days for free accounts. Paid plans can keep files longer.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my reversed video still have forward sound?
The default, Keep audio forward, plays the soundtrack in its original order. Choose Reverse with video before you start. If you already processed the clip, click Continue editing, change the option and run it again.
Why is Boomerang refused when Reverse works on the same video?
Boomerang modes need the whole clip in memory, while Reverse works through the video in sections. At 1920 × 1080 px the source can be about 8.6 seconds long at 30 fps and 4.3 seconds at 60 fps. Trim it with Cut Video or lower the resolution with Resize Video, then pick the new file under Uploads.
Does reversing a video reduce its quality?
The picture is encoded once more with lossy H.264 compression at CRF 23. The visible change depends on the source; compare dark gradients, fine textures and fast motion. Resolution and frame rate are not reduced.
Can I reverse a video and slow it down at the same time?
Not in one step. Reverse the clip here, then open Video Speed; the reversed result is already listed under Uploads there.
Can I turn a boomerang into a GIF?
Yes. Convert the finished MP4 with MP4 to GIF. Because a boomerang ends on the frame it starts with, the GIF loops without a visible jump.