fix(video): try metadata extraction and thumbnail generation independently

processUploadedVideo() gated everything behind isValidVideo(), which
rejects the whole video if ffprobe can't read even one of
duration/width/height -- common on some iPhone/Lightroom-exported
MP4s (issue 1370). Callers (photoProcessor.js's processPhoto and
processUploadedPhotos) already catch that throw and fall back to a
static placeholder thumbnail plus a metadata-only retry (codex
review of #845), but that fallback never got a REAL thumbnail even
when generateVideoThumbnail() would have succeeded on its own --
thumbnailing doesn't need valid duration/width/height, it just seeks
and grabs a frame.

processUploadedVideo now tries metadata extraction and thumbnail
generation independently, keeping whichever succeeds instead of
discarding both on a single failed field. The callers' existing
throw handling stays as a backstop.

Also: extractVideoMetadata stored duration as 0 (not null) whenever
ffprobe had no duration field, masking "unknown" as a fake real
zero-second clip and defeating downstream `duration != null` checks
meant to skip an untrustworthy value.

Relates to issue 1370

backend/src/services/__tests__/videoProcessor.test.js

@@ -0,0 +1,110 @@
+jest.mock('../../utils/logger');
+jest.mock('fluent-ffmpeg');
+jest.mock('../storage', () => ({
+  getStorage: jest.fn()
+}));
+
+const ffmpeg = require('fluent-ffmpeg');
+const { getStorage } = require('../storage');
+const {
+  extractVideoMetadata,
+  processUploadedVideo
+} = require('../videoProcessor');
+
+describe('extractVideoMetadata (#1370)', () => {
+  afterEach(() => jest.clearAllMocks());
+
+  it('returns null duration rather than 0 when ffprobe has none, so "unknown" and "a real 0s clip" stay distinguishable', async () => {
+    ffmpeg.ffprobe = jest.fn((videoPath, cb) => {
+      cb(null, {
+        streams: [{ codec_type: 'video', width: 1920, height: 1080, codec_name: 'hevc' }],
+        format: {} // no duration field at all
+      });
+    });
+
+    const metadata = await extractVideoMetadata('/tmp/video.mp4');
+
+    expect(metadata.duration).toBeNull();
+    expect(metadata.width).toBe(1920);
+    expect(metadata.videoCodec).toBe('hevc');
+  });
+
+  it('floors a real duration', async () => {
+    ffmpeg.ffprobe = jest.fn((videoPath, cb) => {
+      cb(null, { streams: [], format: { duration: 12.9 } });
+    });
+
+    const metadata = await extractVideoMetadata('/tmp/video.mp4');
+
+    expect(metadata.duration).toBe(12);
+  });
+});
+
+describe('processUploadedVideo degrades gracefully instead of rejecting the whole video (#1370)', () => {
+  let storage;
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    storage = { putFromFile: jest.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined), exists: jest.fn().mockResolvedValue(true) };
+    getStorage.mockReturnValue(storage);
+  });
+
+  afterEach(() => jest.clearAllMocks());
+
+  it('keeps the thumbnail when only metadata extraction fails', async () => {
+    ffmpeg.ffprobe = jest.fn((videoPath, cb) => cb(new Error('moov atom not found')));
+    ffmpeg.mockImplementation(() => ({
+      screenshots: jest.fn(function screenshots({ filename, folder }) {
+        require('fs').writeFileSync(require('path').join(folder, filename), 'jpeg-bytes');
+        return this;
+      }),
+      on(event, handler) {
+        if (event === 'end') setImmediate(handler);
+        return this;
+      }
+    }));
+
+    const result = await processUploadedVideo('/tmp/video.mp4', 'thumbnails/thumb_video.jpg');
+
+    expect(result.success).toBe(true);
+    expect(result.metadata).toBeNull();
+    expect(result.thumbnailKey).toBe('thumbnails/thumb_video.jpg');
+  });
+
+  it('keeps the metadata when only thumbnail generation fails', async () => {
+    ffmpeg.ffprobe = jest.fn((videoPath, cb) => {
+      cb(null, {
+        streams: [{ codec_type: 'video', width: 1080, height: 1920, codec_name: 'h264' }],
+        format: { duration: 5.4 }
+      });
+    });
+    ffmpeg.mockImplementation(() => ({
+      screenshots() { return this; },
+      on(event, handler) {
+        if (event === 'error') setImmediate(() => handler(new Error('ffmpeg seek failed')));
+        return this;
+      }
+    }));
+
+    const result = await processUploadedVideo('/tmp/video.mp4', 'thumbnails/thumb_video.jpg');
+
+    expect(result.success).toBe(true);
+    expect(result.metadata).toEqual(expect.objectContaining({ duration: 5, videoCodec: 'h264' }));
+    expect(result.thumbnailKey).toBeNull();
+    expect(storage.putFromFile).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it('still succeeds with both null when metadata AND thumbnail fail — never throws, never blocks the upload', async () => {
+    ffmpeg.ffprobe = jest.fn((videoPath, cb) => cb(new Error('Invalid data found when processing input')));
+    ffmpeg.mockImplementation(() => ({
+      screenshots() { return this; },
+      on(event, handler) {
+        if (event === 'error') setImmediate(() => handler(new Error('ffmpeg seek failed')));
+        return this;
+      }
+    }));
+
+    const result = await processUploadedVideo('/tmp/corrupt.mp4', 'thumbnails/thumb_corrupt.jpg');
+
+    expect(result).toEqual({ success: true, metadata: null, thumbnailKey: null });
+  });
+});

backend/src/services/videoProcessor.js

@@ -32,7 +32,10 @@ async function extractVideoMetadata(videoPath) {
         const audioStream = metadata.streams.find(s => s.codec_type === 'audio');
 
         const result = {
-          duration: Math.floor(metadata.format.duration || 0),
+          // null (not 0) when ffprobe genuinely has no duration — a real
+          // 0-second clip and "unknown" must stay distinguishable, since
+          // downstream code treats `duration != null` as "trust this value".
+          duration: metadata.format.duration != null ? Math.floor(metadata.format.duration) : null,
           width: videoStream?.width || null,
           height: videoStream?.height || null,
           videoCodec: videoStream?.codec_name || null,
@@ -130,35 +133,55 @@ async function getVideoDuration(videoPath) {
  * Process an uploaded video: extract metadata and produce a thumbnail through
  * the storage backend.
  *
+ * Metadata extraction and thumbnail generation are independent, best-effort
+ * steps — mirroring how the image pipeline treats thumbnail/dimension/EXIF
+ * failures (log a warning, keep the upload). This used to gate everything
+ * behind isValidVideo(), which rejects the whole video if ffprobe can't read
+ * even one of duration/width/height — common on some iPhone/Lightroom-
+ * exported MP4s (#1370). Callers (photoProcessor.js's processPhoto and
+ * processUploadedPhotos) already catch that throw and fall back to a static
+ * placeholder thumbnail plus a metadata-only retry (codex review of #845),
+ * but that fallback never got a REAL thumbnail even when
+ * generateVideoThumbnail() would have succeeded on its own — thumbnailing
+ * doesn't need valid duration/width/height, it just seeks and grabs a frame.
+ * Trying both steps independently means a real thumbnail (and whatever
+ * metadata ffprobe *can* read) survives far more often; the callers' throw
+ * handling stays as a backstop for anything still unexpected.
+ *
  * @param {string} videoPath - Local path to the source video (ffmpeg requires fs).
  * @param {string} thumbnailKey - Relative storage key for the thumbnail.
- * @returns {Promise<{success: boolean, metadata: Object, thumbnailKey: string}>}
+ * @returns {Promise<{success: boolean, metadata: Object|null, thumbnailKey: string|null}>}
  */
 async function processUploadedVideo(videoPath, thumbnailKey, options = {}) {
+  let metadata = null;
   try {
-    const isValid = await isValidVideo(videoPath);
+    metadata = await extractVideoMetadata(videoPath);
-    if (!isValid) {
+  } catch (error) {
-      throw new Error('Invalid video file');
+    logger.error('Video metadata extraction failed — continuing without duration/codec/dimensions', {
+      error: error.message,
+      videoPath
+    });
   }
 
-    const metadata = await extractVideoMetadata(videoPath);
+  let generatedThumbnailKey = null;
+  try {
     await generateVideoThumbnail(videoPath, thumbnailKey, options);
-
     const storage = getStorage();
-    const exists = await storage.exists(thumbnailKey);
+    if (await storage.exists(thumbnailKey)) {
-    if (!exists) {
+      generatedThumbnailKey = thumbnailKey;
-      throw new Error('Thumbnail generation failed (not in storage)');
+    }
+  } catch (error) {
+    logger.error('Video thumbnail generation failed — continuing without a thumbnail', {
+      error: error.message,
+      videoPath
+    });
   }
 
   return {
     success: true,
     metadata,
-      thumbnailKey
+    thumbnailKey: generatedThumbnailKey
   };
-  } catch (error) {
-    logger.error('Error processing video', { error: error.message, videoPath });
-    throw error;
-  }
 }
 
 /**