# ParaView - Saving Videos in pvpython and pvbatch

**URL:** https://discourse.paraview.org/t/paraview-saving-videos-in-pvpython-and-pvbatch/10190
**Category:** ParaView Support
**Tags:** vtk
**Created:** [August 24, 2022, 3:46pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/paraview-saving-videos-in-pvpython-and-pvbatch/10190 "2022-08-24T15:46:11Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![Dosmi](https://discourse.paraview.org/user_avatar/discourse.paraview.org/dosmi/32/9675_2.png) [@Dosmi](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/Dosmi)
#### Post date: [August 24, 2022, 3:46pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/paraview-saving-videos-in-pvpython-and-pvbatch/10190/1 "2022-08-24T15:46:11Z")

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Hello,  
Running my script, which loads a ParaView state file _(with animation)_ and saving it to video format _(mp4 or avi specifically - picture formats such as png functioned as expected)_ was working fine when launching it on a client GUI _(in a pvserver session)_, however, running it on pvpython or pvbatch _(on a cluster node)_ has caused this error:

```auto
vtkSMSaveAnimationProxy: Failed to determine format for myanimationoutput.mp4

```

Running a search on Google for this error has yielded no results. **Same happens if I use .avi**

Looking at 5.10 documentation, to save an animation, the format is implicitly determined like this:

```auto
SaveAnimation('myanimationoutput.mp4', renderView1, ImageResolution=[1100, 512],
    FrameRate=24,
    FrameWindow=[0, 189])

```

So, in code we only explicitly specify `ImageResolution`, `FrameRate` and `FrameWindow` - and .mp4 in the file name automatically determines the file writer.

My only idea so far - since writing in a client GUI (locally) was working, but while running it on a cluster - did not, can this be a cluster issue somehow not supporting video formats?

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### Author: ![nicolas.vuaille](https://discourse.paraview.org/user_avatar/discourse.paraview.org/nicolas.vuaille/32/5873_2.png) [@nicolas.vuaille](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/nicolas.vuaille)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2022, 7:30am UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/paraview-saving-videos-in-pvpython-and-pvbatch/10190/2 "2022-08-25T07:30:42Z")

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Hi,

`mp4` is available on windows only and `avi` requires the `ffmpeg` library (you need to _build_ paraview with ffmpeg available)

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### Author: ![Dosmi](https://discourse.paraview.org/user_avatar/discourse.paraview.org/dosmi/32/9675_2.png) [@Dosmi](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/Dosmi)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2022, 8:37am UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/paraview-saving-videos-in-pvpython-and-pvbatch/10190/3 "2022-08-25T08:37:08Z")

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Thanks, that answers my question! Was so surprised to find nothing with my Google Search for error: vtkSMSaveAnimationProxy “Failed to determine format”. This makes sense now.