Shotcut
mltframework · Video
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What is Shotcut?
Shotcut gives people a full video editor with no licence fee, on Windows, macOS or Linux. It covers the usual editing work, from cutting clips on a timeline to fixing sound, correcting colour and exporting in common formats. Proxy editing and hardware acceleration help when working with large 4K and 8K files.
Shotcut is a free, open-source, cross-platform video editor for Windows, macOS and Linux. It edits on a multitrack timeline without an import step and supports a wide range of formats through FFmpeg, including 4K, 8K and HDR video. It includes audio and video filters, keyframes, proxy editing and hardware-accelerated encoding and decoding.
Core capabilities
- Edits on a multitrack timeline with thumbnails, waveforms and ripple trimming.
- Includes colour wheels, chroma key, stabilisation, motion tracking and speed ramps.
- Exports through FFmpeg to many formats, with batch export from the playlist.
Timeline editing and formats
Shotcut edits on a multitrack timeline with thumbnails and waveforms, ripple trimming, three-point editing, split and rejoin, and roll edits. There is no import step, and FFmpeg support covers most video, audio and image formats, along with 4K, 8K, 10-bit and HDR video. Projects are saved as MLT XML, and edits can be exported as a CMX3600 EDL. Proxy editing uses low-resolution copies to keep seeking fast.
- Timeline
- Formats
- 4K
- Proxy editing
Video effects and audio
Video filters include track compositing and blend modes, 3-way colour wheels, Levels, 3D LUT, Chroma Key: Advanced, Stabilize, Motion Tracker, Time Remap, reverse, freeze frame and 360-degree filters. Filter settings can be animated with keyframes and easing. Audio tools include scopes, a 15-band equaliser, a compressor, noise reduction, two-pass normalising, ducking and work-in-progress support for VST2 and LV2 plugins. Hardware acceleration is available for encoding and decoding, with GPU image processing through OpenGL.
- Filters
- Colour
- Keyframes
- Audio
Download it under GPL-3.0
Builds are offered for Windows, including ARM and portable versions, for macOS 12 and later, and for Linux as AppImage, Flathub, Snap and portable packages. Windows users can also install it from the Microsoft Store. Shotcut is built on the MLT multimedia framework, Qt 6 and FFmpeg. It is released under the GPL-3.0 licence.
- Desktop
- Windows
- macOS
- Linux
- GPL-3.0
Where it fits
Use cases
- 01
Edit a video from several clips
Add clips to the multitrack timeline without importing them first, then trim with ripple, split clips and roll edits. The playlist doubles as a clip bin, and timeline markers help you find key moments. Low-resolution proxy editing keeps seeking quick when the source files are large.
- 02
Clean up the sound of a recording
Apply audio filters such as Compressor, Equalizer: 15-Band, Reduce Noise: Audio and Normalize: Two Pass, and watch the audio scopes while you adjust them. Audio ducking lowers music under speech, and pitch compensation keeps the pitch steady when you change the speed. Subtitles in SRT, VTT, ASS or SSA format can be imported.
- 03
Correct colour and add effects
Use 3-way colour wheels, Levels or a 3D LUT to set the look, and Chroma Key: Advanced to replace a green screen. Keyframes with easing animate filter settings over time, Stabilize smooths shaky footage and Motion Tracker follows a moving object. Export the result through FFmpeg, or export single frames and image sequences.