# Media processing workflows

> Source: https://trigger.dev/docs/guides/use-cases/media-processing

[​](https://trigger.dev/docs/guides/use-cases/media-processing#overview)

Overview
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Build media processing pipelines that handle large files and long-running operations. Process videos, images, audio, and documents with automatic retries, progress tracking, and no timeout limits.

[​](https://trigger.dev/docs/guides/use-cases/media-processing#featured-examples)

Featured examples
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FFmpeg video processing
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Process videos and upload results to R2 storage using FFmpeg.

Product image generator
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Transform product photos into professional marketing images using Replicate.

LibreOffice PDF conversion
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Convert documents to PDF using LibreOffice.

[​](https://trigger.dev/docs/guides/use-cases/media-processing#benefits-of-using-trigger-dev-for-media-processing-workflows)

Benefits of using Trigger.dev for media processing workflows
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**Process multi-hour videos without timeouts:** Transcode videos, extract frames, or run CPU-intensive operations for hours. No execution time limits. **Stream progress to users in real-time:** Show processing status updating live in your UI. Users see exactly where encoding is and how long remains. **Parallel processing with resource control:** Process hundreds of files simultaneously with configurable concurrency limits. Control resource usage without overwhelming infrastructure.

[​](https://trigger.dev/docs/guides/use-cases/media-processing#example-workflow-patterns)

Example workflow patterns
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*   Video transcode
    
*   Adaptive video processing
    
*   Smart image optimization
    
*   Podcast production
    
*   Document extraction with approval
    

Simple video transcoding pipeline. Downloads video from storage, batch triggers parallel transcoding to multiple formats and thumbnail extraction, uploads all results.

**Router + Coordinator pattern**. Analyzes video metadata to determine source resolution, routes to appropriate transcoding preset, batch triggers parallel post-processing for thumbnails, preview clips, and chapter detection.

**Router + Coordinator pattern**. Analyzes image content to detect type, routes to specialized processing (background removal for products, face detection for portraits, scene analysis for landscapes), upscales with AI, batch triggers parallel variant generation.

**Coordinator pattern**. Pre-processes raw audio with noise reduction and speaker diarization, batch triggers parallel tasks for transcription (Deepgram), audio enhancement, and chapter detection, aggregates results to generate show notes and publish.

**Router pattern with human-in-the-loop**. Detects file type and routes to appropriate processor, classifies document with AI to determine type (invoice/contract/receipt), extracts structured data fields, optionally pauses with wait.forToken for human approval.

[​](https://trigger.dev/docs/guides/use-cases/media-processing#featured-use-cases)

Featured use cases
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Data processing & ETL workflows
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Build complex data pipelines that process large datasets without timeouts.

Media processing workflows
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Batch process videos, images, audio, and documents with no execution time limits.

AI media generation workflows
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Generate images, videos, audio, documents and other media using AI models.

Marketing workflows
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Build drip campaigns, create marketing content, and orchestrate multi-channel campaigns.

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