BitMash

BitMash is a creative multimedia tool I developed that lets users manipulate audio and image files in unique, expressive ways.

How It Works

At its core, BitMash processes videos, audio, and images using FFmpeg, a powerful open-source multimedia framework that can encode, decode, and manipulate almost any video or image format. When you load your media into BitMash, the app automatically prepares (or “normalizes”) each file so it’s ready for encoding.

Once a job finishes, BitMash can notify you that your mashup is ready, so you can preview or download it right away.

Built with Modern Tools

BitMash was built with React Native using the Expo framework — giving it the flexibility to run on both Android and iOS devices.

Under the hood, we use:

• Expo Notifications for alerts when encoding jobs complete

• expo-image-manipulator for image resizing and normalization

• ffmpeg-kit-react-native to perform the heavy lifting of video and image encoding

• React Native Reanimated and Gesture Handler to create smooth, responsive interfaces

This combination allows for a native mobile experience while keeping the development process efficient and cross-platform.

The HTML Version

To make BitMash accessible on the web as well, we’ve also built an HTML and JavaScript version of the tool. The web version uses a browser-based FFmpeg implementation (via WebAssembly) to perform similar encoding and compositing directly in the user’s browser.

This version is ideal for users who just want to quickly experiment without downloading an app.

Why It’s Useful

BitMash isn’t just a tool. BitMash is a creative playground. Artists, content creators, and casual users can:

• Quickly generate stylized mashups for social media

• Experiment with low-quality media for projects or music videos

• Learn about video encoding and media formats in an interactive way

Because BitMash handles the technical work of resizing, normalizing, and encoding files behind the scenes, users can focus entirely on creativity.

What Makes It Special

BitMash stands out for its hybrid architecture, combining low-level media processing with a user-friendly interface. It bridges the gap between traditional video editors and modern creative apps, giving users just the right balance of control and simplicity.

By pairing the power of FFmpeg with the accessibility of React Native and web technologies, BitMash demonstrates how even complex media tools can be made approachable and cross-platform.