# Loudness Normalization Standards in video-use for Social Media Uploads

> Discover how video-use meets social media loudness standards. Learn about -14 LUFS integrated loudness, -1 dBTP true-peak ceiling, and 11 LU loudness range for YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, X, and LinkedIn.

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

---

**video-use normalizes audio to -14 LUFS integrated loudness with a -1 dBTP true-peak ceiling and 11 LU loudness range, matching the social media standards used by YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, X, and LinkedIn.**

The browser-use/video-use repository is an open-source video processing tool that automatically handles audio normalization for social media platforms. Understanding the specific **loudness normalization standards** it enforces ensures your content meets platform requirements without manual adjustment. These standards are hardcoded in the rendering pipeline to guarantee compatibility across major social networks.

## Social Media Loudness Targets Defined in helpers/render.py

The `video-use` tool defines its social media audio targets as module-level constants in **[`helpers/render.py`](https://github.com/browser-use/video-use/blob/main/helpers/render.py)**. According to the source code at lines 90–95, the implementation uses the following FFmpeg `loudnorm` filter parameters:

- **`LOUDNORM_I`**: Set to **-14.0 LUFS** (integrated loudness target)
- **`LOUDNORM_TP`**: Set to **-1.0 dBTP** (true-peak ceiling to prevent clipping)
- **`LOUDNORM_LRA`**: Set to **11.0 LU** (allowed loudness range)

The comment above these constants in [`helpers/render.py`](https://github.com/browser-use/video-use/blob/main/helpers/render.py) explicitly states these values match the normalization targets for YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, X/Twitter, and LinkedIn. This ensures any video rendered with default settings conforms to the industry standard for social media uploads.

## Two-Pass Loudness Normalization Implementation

The normalization workflow relies on the **`apply_loudnorm_two_pass`** function implemented at lines 97–130 of [`helpers/render.py`](https://github.com/browser-use/video-use/blob/main/helpers/render.py). This function executes a measurement phase followed by a correction phase:

1. **First Pass (Measurement)**: The function analyzes the source audio using the target constants to calculate the current offset from the -14 LUFS standard.
2. **Second Pass (Application)**: It applies the measured offsets using FFmpeg's `loudnorm` filter to achieve the exact target loudness specified by the constants.

This two-pass approach ensures accurate loudness normalization while preserving the dynamic range constraints defined by the 11 LU loudness range parameter.

## Controlling Normalization via CLI and Python API

By default, `video-use` automatically applies loudness normalization to every render. You can control this behavior through both the command line and the Python API.

**Command Line Usage:**

```bash

# Render with social media loudness normalization (default)

video-use render path/to/edl.json -o final.mp4

# Skip normalization (e.g., for already-normalized audio)

video-use render path/to/edl.json -o final.mp4 --no-loudnorm

```

The `--no-loudnorm` flag is defined around line 600 in [`helpers/render.py`](https://github.com/browser-use/video-use/blob/main/helpers/render.py) and disables the normalization step entirely.

**Programmatic Usage:**

```python
from pathlib import Path
from helpers.render import apply_loudnorm_two_pass

input_video = Path("tmp_prenorm.mp4")
output_video = Path("final.mp4")

# Apply the two-pass normalization using social media targets

apply_loudnorm_two_pass(input_video, output_video, preview=False)

```

When calling `apply_loudnorm_two_pass` directly, the function automatically references the `LOUDNORM_I`, `LOUDNORM_TP`, and `LOUDNORM_LRA` constants defined in the same file.

## Summary

- **video-use** targets **-14 LUFS** integrated loudness with a **-1 dBTP** true-peak ceiling and **11 LU** loudness range for social media compatibility.
- These constants are defined in **[`helpers/render.py`](https://github.com/browser-use/video-use/blob/main/helpers/render.py)** at lines 90–95.
- The **`apply_loudnorm_two_pass`** function implements the two-pass FFmpeg normalization at lines 97–130.
- Normalization is enabled by default; disable it with the **`--no-loudnorm`** CLI flag.
- The output conforms to standards used by YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, X/Twitter, and LinkedIn.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What loudness normalization standards does video-use use by default?

**video-use** defaults to **-14 LUFS** integrated loudness with a **-1 dBTP** true-peak ceiling and **11 LU** loudness range. These values are defined as `LOUDNORM_I`, `LOUDNORM_TP`, and `LOUDNORM_LRA` in [`helpers/render.py`](https://github.com/browser-use/video-use/blob/main/helpers/render.py) and match the requirements for major social media platforms.

### Which social media platforms are compatible with video-use audio normalization?

The normalization targets align with the standards used by **YouTube**, **Instagram**, **TikTok**, **X/Twitter**, and **LinkedIn**. According to the source code comments in [`helpers/render.py`](https://github.com/browser-use/video-use/blob/main/helpers/render.py), the -14 LUFS / -1 dBTP / 11 LU profile ensures your video audio meets the upload requirements for all these platforms simultaneously.

### How do I disable loudness normalization in video-use?

Pass the **`--no-loudnorm`** flag when using the CLI render command. This argument is parsed in [`helpers/render.py`](https://github.com/browser-use/video-use/blob/main/helpers/render.py) around line 600 and skips the `apply_loudnorm_two_pass` function entirely. When using the Python API, simply avoid calling the normalization function if you want to preserve the original audio levels.

### Where are the loudness constants defined in the source code?

The loudness normalization constants are declared in **[`helpers/render.py`](https://github.com/browser-use/video-use/blob/main/helpers/render.py)** at lines 90–95. You will find `LOUDNORM_I` (-14.0), `LOUDNORM_TP` (-1.0), and `LOUDNORM_LRA` (11.0) defined there, accompanied by a comment explaining their purpose for social media standardization.