Shotcut

Shotcut
Original author(s)	Charlie Yates
Developer(s)	Meltytech, LLC
Stable release	25.01.25 / 25 January 2025
Repository	github.com/mltframework/shotcut ;
Written in	C, C++
Operating system	FreeBSD, Linux, macOS, Microsoft Windows
Type	Video editing software
License	GPL-3.0-or-later
Website	shotcut.org

Shotcut is a free and open-source, cross-platform video, audio, and image editing program for FreeBSD,^[5] Linux, macOS and Windows.^[6] Started in 2011 by Dan Dennedy, Shotcut is developed on the MLT Multimedia Framework,^[7] in development since 2004 by the same author.^[8]^[9]

Features

Shotcut supports video, audio, and image formats via FFmpeg. It uses a timeline for non-linear video editing of multiple tracks that may be composed of various file formats. Scrubbing and transport control are assisted by OpenGL GPU-based processing and a number of video and audio filters are available.^[10]^[11] The output options for the 2017 version included Apple ProRes, HDV, DVD, Flash, H.264, GIF animation, Ogg-Vorbis, WebM, and WMV.^[12]

Format support through FFmpeg
- Frame-accurate seeking for many formats
Webcam and audio capture
Network stream playback (HTTP, HLS, RTMP, RTSP, MMS, UDP)
EDL (CMX3600 Edit Decision List) export

Audio

Audio scopes
- Loudness
- Peak meter
- Waveform
- Spectrum analyzer
JACK transport sync

Video effects

HTML5 as source and filters
Color grading tools
De-interlacing
Wipe transitions
Track compositing/blending modes
Speed and reverse effect for clips
Keyframes
Motion Tracking
Time Remapping
Rotoscope

Hardware

Blackmagic Design SDI and HDMI for input and preview monitoring
Leap Motion for jog/shuttle control
Webcam capture
Audio capture to system audio card
Capture (record) SDI, HDMI, webcam (V4L2), JACK audio, PulseAudio, IP stream, and Windows DirectShow devices
Multi-core parallel image processing (when not using GPU and frame-dropping is disabled)
DeckLink SDI keyer output
OpenGL GPU-based image processing with 16-bit floating point linear per color component

Other

Does not depend on system codecs
Can run as a portable app from external drive
Batch encoding with job control
Stream (encode to IP) files and any capture source
Video quality measurement (PSNR and SSIM)
Perform integrity check of an audio/video file
View detailed information about an audio/video file
Choice of six different interfaces, like audio effects and video effects^[6]

History

Shotcut was originally conceived in November 2004 by Charlie Yates, an MLT co-founder and the original lead developer.^[13] The current version of Shotcut is a complete rewrite by Dan Dennedy, another MLT co-founder and its current lead. Dennedy wanted to create a new editor based on MLT and chose to reuse the Shotcut name, since he liked it so much. He wanted to make something to exercise the new cross-platform capabilities of MLT, especially in conjunction with the WebVfx and Movit plugins.

References

^ "Release v25.01". 25 January 2025. Retrieved 26 January 2025.
^ "Github COPYING". Github. Retrieved 2015-02-16.
^ "shotcut_21.01.29+ds-1_copyright".
^ "shotcut/src/main.cpp".
^ "FreeBSD Manual Pages - shotcut". freebsd.org. Retrieved 2023-05-21.
^ ^a ^b Paris, Steve (2022-05-11). "Shotcut 22.03 review". TechRadar. Retrieved 2023-05-21.
^ "MLT Multimedia Framework". Dan Dennedy. Retrieved 2015-02-16.
^ "Blog Entry Shotcut, 6 September 2012". Dan Dennedy. 2012-08-06.
^ "Introducing Shotcut, a new free video editor". Libre Graphics World. 2012-08-13.
^ "Full List of Features". Retrieved 2018-06-14.
^ "Shotcut video editor gets hardware accelerated color grading". Libre Graphics World. 2013-03-12.
^ Muchmore, Michael (2017-09-25). "Shotcut Review". PCMag. Retrieved 2023-05-21.
^ "Shotcut". Archived from the original on 2005-04-01. Retrieved 2018-02-01.

External links

Official website
Shotcut at Open Hub
Official Forum https://forum.shotcut.org/

[wikidata-e8b8858ac28c4badcbf76b6408243bc3e0b5f342-v18-1] "Release v25.01". 25 January 2025. Retrieved 26 January 2025.

[2] "Github COPYING". Github. Retrieved 2015-02-16.

[3] "shotcut_21.01.29+ds-1_copyright".

[4] "shotcut/src/main.cpp".

[5] "FreeBSD Manual Pages - shotcut". freebsd.org. Retrieved 2023-05-21.

[techradar-2022-05-11-6] Paris, Steve (2022-05-11). "Shotcut 22.03 review". TechRadar. Retrieved 2023-05-21.

[7] "MLT Multimedia Framework". Dan Dennedy. Retrieved 2015-02-16.

[8] "Blog Entry Shotcut, 6 September 2012". Dan Dennedy. 2012-08-06.

[9] "Introducing Shotcut, a new free video editor". Libre Graphics World. 2012-08-13.

[10] "Full List of Features". Retrieved 2018-06-14.

[11] "Shotcut video editor gets hardware accelerated color grading". Libre Graphics World. 2013-03-12.

[12] Muchmore, Michael (2017-09-25). "Shotcut Review". PCMag. Retrieved 2023-05-21.

[13] "Shotcut". Archived from the original on 2005-04-01. Retrieved 2018-02-01.

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