# Loudness Normalization Targets in video-use: -14 LUFS, -1 dBTP, and LRA 11

> Discover video-use loudness normalization targets -14 LUFS, -1 dBTP, and LRA 11 for social media audio. Ensure optimal sound for your video content.

- Repository: [Browser Use/video-use](https://github.com/browser-use/video-use)
- Tags: deep-dive
- Published: 2026-07-03

---

**video-use** applies industry-standard **loudness normalization targets** of **-14 LUFS** integrated loudness, **-1 dBTP** true peak, and **11 LU** loudness range to ensure social-media-ready audio output.

The **video-use** repository automatically normalizes audio to platform-compliant loudness standards during the rendering pipeline. These **loudness normalization targets** match the specifications used by YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, X, and LinkedIn, ensuring your exported videos meet broadcast requirements without manual audio mastering.

## The Three Loudness Normalization Targets

### Integrated Loudness (-14 LUFS)

The **integrated loudness** target is set to **-14.0 LUFS** (Loudness Units relative to Full Scale). This value represents the average perceived loudness of the entire program, calibrated to match the standard used by major streaming platforms.

### True Peak (-1 dBTP)

The **true peak** limit is **-1.0 dBTP** (dB True Peak). This prevents inter-sample peaks that can cause distortion when the audio is converted to analog or transcoded by social platforms.

### Loudness Range (LRA 11)

The **loudness range** target is **11.0 LU** (Loudness Units). This controls the variation between loud and quiet sections, ensuring dialogue remains intelligible while preserving dynamic content.

## Implementation in helpers/render.py

These constants are defined in [`helpers/render.py`](https://github.com/browser-use/video-use/blob/main/helpers/render.py) as module-level variables:

```python

# helpers/render.py – loudness normalisation targets

LOUDNORM_I = -14.0          # integrated LUFS

LOUDNORM_TP = -1.0          # true‑peak dBTP

LOUDNORM_LRA = 11.0         # loudness range LU

```

The `apply_loudnorm_two_pass` function constructs an FFmpeg filter string using these values:

```python
filter_str = (
    f"loudnorm=I={LOUDNORM_I}:TP={LOUDNORM_TP}:LRA={LOUDNORM_LRA}"
    # … additional measured‑input parameters for the two‑pass pass …

)

```

This implementation performs a two-pass normalization process. The first pass analyzes the audio to determine input loudness characteristics, and the second pass applies the correction to reach the target values.

## Rendering with Loudness Normalization

By default, **video-use** applies loudness normalization automatically during export. You can control this behavior through command-line flags.

### Default Two-Pass Normalization

Run a standard render to apply the -14 LUFS normalization automatically:

```bash
python helpers/render.py my_edl.json -o final.mp4

```

This command:
1. Extracts and concatenates video segments
2. Composites overlays and subtitles
3. Performs two-pass loudness normalization to **-14 LUFS / -1 dBTP / LRA 11**

### Skip Normalization

To bypass loudness normalization when working with pre-mastered audio, use the `--no-loudnorm` flag:

```bash
python helpers/render.py my_edl.json -o final.mp4 --no-loudnorm

```

This copies the audio stream unchanged without applying the loudnorm filter.

### Preview Mode

For faster preview builds, the `--preview` flag runs a single-pass approximation using the same target values:

```bash
python helpers/render.py my_edl.json -o preview.mp4 --preview

```

Note that preview mode sacrifices accuracy for speed while maintaining the same target parameters.

## Summary

- **video-use** enforces **-14 LUFS** integrated loudness, **-1 dBTP** true peak, and **11 LU** loudness range as default targets.
- These constants are defined in [`helpers/render.py`](https://github.com/browser-use/video-use/blob/main/helpers/render.py) as `LOUDNORM_I`, `LOUDNORM_TP`, and `LOUDNORM_LRA`.
- The `apply_loudnorm_two_pass` function implements a two-pass FFmpeg `loudnorm` filter process to achieve these targets.
- Use `--no-loudnorm` to skip normalization or `--preview` for faster single-pass processing.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What do -14 LUFS, -1 dBTP, and LRA 11 mean?

**-14 LUFS** measures the average perceived loudness of the entire track, ensuring consistent volume across platforms. **-1 dBTP** is the maximum true peak level that prevents digital clipping during conversion. **LRA 11** (Loudness Range) specifies the acceptable variation between loud and quiet sections, keeping content accessible while preserving artistic dynamics.

### Where are the loudness normalization targets defined in video-use?

The targets are hardcoded in [`helpers/render.py`](https://github.com/browser-use/video-use/blob/main/helpers/render.py) as the constants `LOUDNORM_I = -14.0`, `LOUDNORM_TP = -1.0`, and `LOUDNORM_LRA = 11.0`. These values are passed to FFmpeg's `loudnorm` filter during the rendering process implemented in the `apply_loudnorm_two_pass` function.

### Can I customize the loudness normalization targets?

The current implementation in [`helpers/render.py`](https://github.com/browser-use/video-use/blob/main/helpers/render.py) uses fixed constants. To modify the targets, you would need to edit the `LOUDNORM_I`, `LOUDNORM_TP`, and `LOUDNORM_LRA` variables in the source code directly, as there are no command-line arguments exposed for adjusting these values.

### Why does video-use use two-pass loudness normalization?

The two-pass approach allows the `apply_loudnorm_two_pass` function to first analyze the input audio's existing loudness characteristics, then apply precise gain adjustments to meet the -14 LUFS target without causing clipping or unnatural compression. This produces higher-quality results than single-pass normalization, though the `--preview` flag offers a faster single-pass alternative when quality is less critical.