I have created a set of bashRC aliases for use with YT-DLP.
These make some longer commands more easily accessible without the need of calling specific scripts.
These should also be translatable to Windows as well since the commands are all in the yt-dlp binary - but I have not tested that.
Usage is simple, just use the alias that correlates with what you want to do - and paste the URL of the video, for example:
yt-dlp-archive https://my-video.url.com/video to use the basic archive alias.
You may use these in your shell by placing them in a file located at ~/.bashrc.d/yt-dlp_alias.bashrc or similar bashrc directories.
Simply copy and paste the code block below into an alias file and reload your shell to use them.
These preferences are opinionated for my own use cases, but should be broadly acceptable. however if you wish to change them I have attempted to order the command flags for easy searching and readability. note: some of these aliases make use of cookies - please read the notes and commands - don't blindly run things you see on the internet.
##############
# Aliases to use common advanced YT-DLP commands
##############
# Unless specified, usage is as follows:
# Example: yt-dlp-get-metadata <URL_OF_VIDEO>
#
# All download options embed chapters, thumbnails, and metadata when available.
# Metadata files such as Thumbnail, a URL link, and Subtitles (Including Automated subtitles) are written next to the media file in the same folder for Media Server compatibility.
#
# All options also trim filenames to a maximum of 248 characters
# The character limit is set slightly below most filesystem maximum filenames
# to allow for FilePath data on systems that count paths in their length.
##############
# Basic Archive command.
# Writes files: description, thumbnail, URL link, and subtitles into a named folder:
# Output Example: ./Title - Creator (Year)/Title-Year.ext
alias yt-dlp-archive='yt-dlp \
--embed-thumbnail \
--embed-metadata \
--embed-chapters \
--write-thumbnail \
--write-description \
--write-url-link \
--write-subs \
--write-auto-subs \
--sub-format srt \
--trim-filenames 248 \
--sponsorblock-mark all \
--output "%(title)s - %(channel,uploader)s (%(release_year,upload_date>%Y)s)/%(title)s - %(release_year,upload_date>%Y)s - [%(id)s].%(ext)s"'
# Archiver in Playlist mode.
# Writes files: description, thumbnail, URL link, subtitles, auto-subtitles
#
# NOTE: The output will be a folder: Playlist_Name/Title-Creator-Year.ext
# This is different from the above, to avoid large amount of folders.
# The assumption is you want only the playlist as it appears online.
# Output Example: ./Playlist-name/Title - Creator (Year)/Title-Year.ext
alias yt-dlp-archive-playlist='yt-dlp \
--embed-thumbnail \
--embed-metadata \
--embed-chapters \
--write-thumbnail \
--write-description \
--write-url-link \
--write-subs \
--write-auto-subs \
--sub-format srt \
--trim-filenames 248 \
--sponsorblock-mark all \
--output "%(playlist)s/%(title)s - %(creators,creator,channel,uploader)s - %(release_year,upload_date>%Y)s - [%(id)s].%(ext)s"'
# Audio Extractor
# Writes: <ARTIST> / <ALBUM> / <TRACK> with fallback values
# Embeds available metadata
alias yt-dlp-audio-only='yt-dlp \
--embed-thumbnail \
--embed-metadata \
--embed-chapters \
--extract-audio \
--audio-quality 320K \
--trim-filenames 248 \
--output "%(artist,channel,album_artist,uploader)s/%(album)s/%(track,title,track_id)s - [%(id)s].%(ext)s"'
# Batch mode for downloading multiple videos from a list of URLs in a file.
# Must provide a file containing URL's as your argument.
# Writes files: description, thumbnail, URL link, subtitles, auto-subtitles
#
# Example usage: yt-dlp-batch ~/urls.txt
alias yt-dlp-batch='yt-dlp \
--embed-thumbnail \
--embed-metadata \
--embed-chapters \
--write-thumbnail \
--write-description \
--write-url-link \
--write-subs \
--write-auto-subs \
--sub-format srt \
--trim-filenames 248 \
--sponsorblock-mark all \
--output "%(title)s - %(channel,uploader)s (%(release_year,upload_date>%Y)s)/%(title)s - %(release_year,upload_date>%Y)s - [%(id)s].%(ext)s" \
--batch-file'
# Livestream recording.
# Writes files: thumbnail, url link, subs and auto-subs (if available).
# Also writes files: Info.json and Live Chat if available.
alias yt-dlp-livestream='yt-dlp \
--live-from-start \
--write-thumbnail \
--write-url-link \
--write-subs \
--write-auto-subs \
--write-info-json \
--sub-format srt \
--trim-filenames 248 \
--output "%(title)s - %(channel,uploader)s (%(upload_date)s)/%(title)s - (%(upload_date)s) - [%(id)s].%(ext)s"'
##############
# UTILITIES:
# Yt-dlp based tools that provide uncommon outputs.
##############
# Only download metadata, no downloading of video or audio files
# Writes files: Description, Info.json, Thumbnail, URL Link, Subtitles
# The usecase for this tool is grabbing extras for videos you already have downloaded, or to only grab metadata about a video.
alias yt-dlp-get-metadata='yt-dlp \
--skip-download \
--write-description \
--write-info-json \
--write-thumbnail \
--write-url-link \
--write-subs \
--write-auto-subs \
--sub-format srt \
--trim-filenames 248'
# Takes in a playlist URL, and generates a CSV of the data.
# Writes a CSV using a pipe { | } as a delimiter, allowing common delimiters in titles.
# Titles that contain invalid file characters are replaced.
#
# !!! IMPORTANT NOTE - THIS OPTION USES COOKIES !!!
# !!! MAKE SURE TO SPECIFY THE CORRECT BROWSER !!!
# This is required if you want to grab information from your private or unlisted playlists
#
#
# Documents columns:
# Webpage URL, Playlist Index Number, Title, Channel/Uploader, Creators,
# Channel/Uploader URL, Release Year, Duration, Video Availability, Description, Tags
alias yt-dlp-export-playlist-info='yt-dlp \
--skip-download \
--cookies-from-browser firefox \
--ignore-errors \
--ignore-no-formats-error \
--flat-playlist \
--trim-filenames 248 \
--print-to-file "%(webpage_url)s#|%(playlist_index)05d|%(title)s|%(channel,uploader,creator)s|%(creators)s|%(channel_url,uploader_url)s|%(release_year,upload_date)s|%(duration>%H:%M:%S)s|%(availability)s|%(description)s|%(tags)s" "%(playlist_title,playlist_id)s.csv" \
--replace-in-metadata title "[\|]+" "-"'
##############
# SHORTCUTS
# shorter forms of the above commands
# (Uncomment to activate)
##############
#alias yt-dlpgm=yt-dlp-get-metadata
#alias yt-dlpa=yt-dlp-archive
#alias yt-dlpgm=yt-dlp-get-metadata
#alias yt-dlpls=yt-dlp-livestream
##############
# Additional Usage Notes
##############
# You may pass additional arguments when using the Shortcuts or Aliases above.
# Example: You need to use Cookies for a restricted video:
#
# (Alias) + (Additional Arguments) + (Video-URL)
# yt-dlp-archive --cookies-from-browser firefox <URL>
