Welcome to the October 2026 release of Video Commander. This version is mostly about quality analysis: VMAF scores you can trust with HDR video, a faster way to get them, and an easy way to see how one encode compares with another. Here are the highlights:
- HDR tone mapping - score an HDR master against its SDR version.
- Compare - put up to three analyses next to a baseline and see what changed.
- VMAF v1 - Netflix's newer quality models.
- Multi-core scoring - analyses use every processor core.
- The Summary report - a complete quality report you can save as an image or PDF.
- SVT-AV1 - much faster AV1 encoding.
- A native menu bar - everyday actions in the menus.
- The managed FFmpeg - 10-bit and 12-bit HEVC on Mac.
Version 2026.12.0 is available now from the download page.
Analyze
HDR tone mapping
VMAF was designed for standard dynamic range video. Comparing an HDR master with an SDR deliverable used to produce a score that looked plausible but meant little.
Comparison Setup now has a Dynamic Range setting. It converts HDR video to SDR before scoring, using the broadcast-standard BT.2390 curve or one of three others, and leaves SDR video as it is. As soon as you pick your files, the app checks them and warns you if one is HDR and the other isn't, before you start a long run.
The conversion happens during the analysis, so nothing extra is written to disk. When comparing HDR with SDR, choose the same curve that was used to make the SDR version. To rank HDR encodes of the same source against each other, you don't need tone mapping at all.
Compare
The new Compare tab puts up to three analyses next to a baseline. A scorecard shows how each one's scores, bitrate and file size changed. Charts follow every analysis frame by frame, with each one's difference from the baseline underneath. The moments that got worse are listed, and each opens that frame for a closer look.
Analyses that can't be fairly compared, such as ones scored with a different model, are clearly marked and kept off the charts. Compare with… on the Summary starts a comparison from the analysis you're looking at.
VMAF v1
Netflix's newer VMAF v1 models are available, tuned for different screens: HD, phone, 4K and 4K TV. New analyses use the HD model by default when your FFmpeg supports it. The earlier v0.6.1 model is still there for comparing with older results.
Multi-core scoring
Analyses now use every processor core when your FFmpeg allows it, so results arrive much sooner. With FFmpeg versions that would use too much memory this way, the app sticks to a single core.
The Summary report
The Summary now covers the whole encode, not just its average score: percentiles, a score distribution, the lowest-scoring moments, and a side-by-side of the source and the encode. It warns you about mismatches that would make a score misleading. Save it as a PNG image or a PDF, or export the data as CSV or JSON.
You can also add PSNR, SSIM, MS-SSIM and CAMBI to any analysis, with guidance on how to read them. For a quick first look, score every second, fourth or eighth frame.
Timeline and Frames
The Timeline and Frames views zoom and pan smoothly, step one frame at a time with buttons or the arrow keys, and stay on the same frame as you switch between them. A finished analysis also opens straight from Jobs.
Convert
SVT-AV1
AV1 now uses the SVT-AV1 encoder. The previous encoder could take days on a ten-minute file; SVT-AV1 brings that down to minutes or hours. AV1 is available in MP4 and MKV as well as WebM. The previous encoder is still offered for the few formats SVT-AV1 can't produce.
Presets and encoders
Speed presets match each encoder's own settings, every codec option shows which FFmpeg encoder it uses, and Convert warns you when an encoder can't produce the pixel format you picked.
Inspect
Color tags
The Color view compares the color information stored in a file's container with what's in the video itself, so mismatches stand out. It also understands more about ProRes and QuickTime files.
Remote and unusual files
MKV and WebM files in cloud storage load piece by piece instead of all at once. More kinds of files open directly, including transport streams, MXF, HLS and DASH segments, files with spaces in their names, and Windows network paths. A ZIP file named like a video is recognized as an archive instead of loading forever.
Workspace
Menu bar
A native menu bar covers everyday actions: opening files, managing tabs, saving projects, getting around the app, and finding help.
What's New
What's New now covers every update in a release, highlights what's new since your last version, and stays up to date with the website.
Job Detail
Job Detail shows the settings a job ran with. When a job fails, it explains what went wrong and what to try.
The managed FFmpeg
The FFmpeg the app installs for you on Mac can now encode 10-bit and 12-bit HEVC; the previous version quietly produced 8-bit video. It also supports the newer VMAF models and faster analysis. Settings → Local Tools → FFmpeg → Check for Updates installs it.
On Windows, the app now downloads the full FFmpeg build, which includes the SVT-AV1 encoder. The download is larger, about 240 MB.
Fixes
- A security update to the component that handles secure connections for app updates and cloud storage.
- On Mac, an AV1 WebM file open in a background tab no longer crashes the app.
- AV1 encodes no longer fail when you set a maximum bitrate or leave the speed preset on Auto.
- Convert's command preview now matches exactly what runs, and setting an audio bitrate no longer causes an error.
- Frame previews in Analyze show colors correctly for more files.
- The "Phone" option in Convert's VMAF picker now shows the model it actually uses.
- Help → Documentation opens the documentation.
Download
Get 2026.12.0 from the download page, or use the in-app updater. The full release history is on the changelog.