ffmpeg is one of those programs no matter how many times you use, you still have to search how to do something with it.
Not only ffmpeg is complex, It allows you to do things in different ways ( for compatibility ) so you can find a far nicer command than the horrible mishmash creation you have and spend another week remaking the script from scratch. But then you think of a better directory structure to work with and now you have to spend few days updating the script. Pain…
I reckon I used AI to create the initial command ( biggest mistake , even gpt4 output somewhat working but garbage Ffmpeg commands) and I am a horrible programmer but still… It was tiring.
image is from a post from David revoy, creator of pepper&carrot, a libre webcomic.