Using variables in your job settings

You can use variables, also called format identifiers, in your job settings. Format identifiers are values that you can put in your job settings that resolve differently in your outputs depending on the characteristics of the input files or the job. They are particularly useful in output presets, job templates, and jobs that you intend to duplicate and re-use.

For example, you might use the date format identifier $d$ for your Destination setting. If you want your outputs organized by the date and time that the job starts, for Destination you might enter s3://mediaconvert-output-bucket/$d$/. For a job that starts June 4, 2020, the service will create your outputs in s3://mediaconvert-output-bucket/20200604/.

For a list of the available format identifiers and examples of how to use them, see List of settings variables with examples.

For information about format identifiers that function differently in streaming outputs, see Using settings variables with streaming outputs.