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Installation

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Laurent edited this page Aug 16, 2025 · 8 revisions

1. External Dependency: FFmpeg (Required)

For audio conversion and playback, this application requires FFmpeg to be installed on your system.

macOS

Install via Homebrew:

brew install ffmpeg

Linux

Most distributions provide FFmpeg in their package manager:

sudo apt install ffmpeg        # Debian/Ubuntu
sudo dnf install ffmpeg        # Fedora
sudo pacman -S ffmpeg          # Arch

Windows (Detailed Guide)

  1. Download FFmpeg
    Go to the official FFmpeg build page:
    👉 https://www.gyan.dev/ffmpeg/builds/
    Download the latest "release full" ZIP archive (e.g., ffmpeg-release-full.7z or .zip).

  2. Extract the archive

    • Right-click the downloaded ZIP file and choose Extract All…
    • You will get a folder named similar to ffmpeg-2025-xx-xx-full_build.

  3. Move the folder

    • Move the extracted ffmpeg folder to a location where it will stay permanently, for example:
      C:\ffmpeg

  4. Add FFmpeg to the PATH

    • Press Windows + R, type: 
      sysdm.cpl
      and press Enter.
    • In the System Properties window, go to Advanced → Environment Variables.
    • Under System variables, find and select Path, then click Edit.
    • Click New and add the path to FFmpeg’s bin folder, e.g.: 
      C:\ffmpeg\bin
    • Click OK to close all dialogs.

  5. Verify installation

    • Open Command Prompt and type: 
      ffmpeg -version
      You should see the version info, confirming FFmpeg is installed and accessible from anywhere.

2. Installing the Application

  1. Go to the Releases page.
  2. Download the latest archive for your system:
    • macOS/Linux: Download the .tar.gz file (..._MacOS_arm64.tar.gz for Apple Silicon, ..._MacOS_x86_64.tar.gz for Intel, or ..._Linux.tar.gz for Linux).
    • Windows: Download the .zip or .tar.gz file.
  3. Extract the archive:
    • On macOS and Linux, double-click the .tar.gz file to extract the application, or use: 
      tar -xzf Podcast_Generator_MacOS_arm64.tar.gz
    • On Windows, unzip the archive.
  4. Move the application:
    • On macOS, drag Podcast Generator.app to your Applications folder.
    • On Windows, place the extracted folder anywhere you like.
    • On Linux, place it in your home directory or any preferred location.

💡 Note for macOS Users

When you first run the application, macOS will show several security warnings because it's not from the App Store. This is normal.

  1. "App downloaded from the internet": Click Open.
  2. "Unidentified Developer": macOS may block the app. Click OK, then:
    • Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security.
    • Scroll to the Security section.
    • Click Open Anyway and confirm.

💡 Note for Windows Users (Windows 10 / 11)

When you first run the application, Windows SmartScreen might block it because it’s not signed by Microsoft Store.

  1. When you double-click the executable, you might see a window saying:
    "Windows protected your PC".

  2. Click on More info.

  3. Then click on Run anyway.

After doing this once, Windows will remember your choice and won’t show the warning again.

First Launch: API Key

On first launch, the application will request your Google Gemini API key.
It will be stored securely.

🔑 How to Get a Gemini API Key

Go to Google AI Studio Visit https://aistudio.google.com/ and log in with your Google account.

In Google AI Studio, navigate to the API Keys section and click "Get API Key" then "Create an API key" A free API key will be issued to you.

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