video/.agents/skills/manimce-best-practices/rules/cli.md

name, description, metadata

name	description	metadata
cli	Command-line interface, rendering options, and quality flags	tags cli, render, quality, preview, command, terminal

Manim CLI

The manim command-line interface for rendering scenes.

Basic Usage

# Render a scene
manim file.py SceneName

# With preview (opens video after rendering)
manim -p file.py SceneName

# Preview with low quality (fast)
manim -pql file.py SceneName

Quality Flags

Quality presets for different use cases:

# Low Quality: 854x480, 15fps (fast for testing)
manim -ql file.py SceneName

# Medium Quality: 1280x720, 30fps
manim -qm file.py SceneName

# High Quality: 1920x1080, 60fps
manim -qh file.py SceneName

# 2K Quality: 2560x1440, 60fps
manim -qp file.py SceneName

# 4K Quality: 3840x2160, 60fps
manim -qk file.py SceneName

Common Combinations

# Preview + Low Quality (development workflow)
manim -pql file.py SceneName

# Preview + High Quality (final check)
manim -pqh file.py SceneName

Preview Flag

# -p: Open video after rendering
manim -p file.py SceneName

# Without -p: Render only (no auto-open)
manim file.py SceneName

Rendering Multiple Scenes

# Render all scenes in file
manim -a file.py

# Render specific scenes
manim file.py Scene1 Scene2 Scene3

Output Options

Save Last Frame Only

# -s: Save only the last frame as PNG
manim -s file.py SceneName

# With quality
manim -sql file.py SceneName

Output Format

# GIF output
manim --format gif file.py SceneName

# PNG sequence
manim --format png file.py SceneName

# WebM (default is MP4)
manim --format webm file.py SceneName

Custom Output Directory

manim -o custom_name file.py SceneName
manim --media_dir /path/to/output file.py SceneName

Frame Control

# Start from specific animation number
manim -n 5 file.py SceneName

# Render frames from animation 3 to 7
manim -n 3,7 file.py SceneName

Resolution and FPS

# Custom resolution
manim -r 1920,1080 file.py SceneName

# Custom frame rate
manim --fps 24 file.py SceneName

# Both
manim -r 1280,720 --fps 30 file.py SceneName

Transparency

# Render with transparent background
manim -t file.py SceneName

Renderer Selection

# Cairo renderer (default, 2D)
manim --renderer cairo file.py SceneName

# OpenGL renderer (3D, faster preview)
manim --renderer opengl file.py SceneName

Other Useful Flags

# Verbose output
manim -v DEBUG file.py SceneName

# Quiet mode
manim -v WARNING file.py SceneName

# Show progress bar
manim --progress_bar display file.py SceneName

# Disable caching
manim --disable_caching file.py SceneName

# Write to movie even if no animations
manim --write_to_movie file.py SceneName

Help

# Show all options
manim --help

# Show render command options
manim render --help

Other Commands

# Check installation and dependencies
manim checkhealth

# Initialize new project
manim init

# Show config values
manim cfg show

# Write current config to file
manim cfg write

# List installed plugins
manim plugins -l

Jupyter Notebook Support

Use the %%manim cell magic in Jupyter notebooks:

%%manim -qm -v WARNING MyScene
class MyScene(Scene):
    def construct(self):
        circle = Circle()
        self.play(Create(circle))

Flags work the same as CLI (-qm, -ql, etc.).

Typical Development Workflow

# 1. Develop with fast preview
manim -pql scene.py MyScene

# 2. Check at medium quality
manim -pqm scene.py MyScene

# 3. Final render at high quality
manim -qh scene.py MyScene

# 4. Create GIF for sharing
manim --format gif -qm scene.py MyScene

Best Practices

1. Use -pql for development - Fast iteration cycle
2. Use -qh for final output - Good quality, reasonable render time
3. Use -s for thumbnails - Quick last-frame capture
4. Use -a sparingly - Renders everything, can be slow
5. Use --format gif for demos - Easy to share and embed