Shotcut

A little bit of history

Shotcut is one of the few free video editors that remained consistent in the true spirit of an authentic Open Source software for over two decades. It was launched back in 2004 by Charlie Yates and it was rewritten completely by Dan Dannedy since 2011. It is developed on the MLT Multimedia Framework and it uses a lot of other free open source projects. The full list can be found under the credits page https://www.shotcut.org/credits/

As I said, Dan Dennedy rebuilt this software from scratch, transforming Charlie Yates 2004 original into something that competes with paid alternatives.

With Shotcut you get professional video editing without any subscription, watermarks, or some other kind of artificial restrictions.

You can edit a video directly on the timeline without importing it first. This editing mode will save you both time and storage space (there is no lengthy process) - you just drag your footage onto the timeline and start cutting. Shotcut can handle almost anything (thanks to FFmpeg integration this editor supports hundreds of formats) from smartphone clips to professional camera files.

Performance and Requirements

You will need a 64-bit Windows 10, macOS 12, or Linux with glibc 2.31 as a minimum.

Memory requirements:

4GB for SD 8GB for HD 16GB for 4K.

CPU requirements:

2GHz single core for SD 4 cores for HD 8 cores for 4K.

Note: Ideally you want to use ShotCut with a multi-core CPU - the modern processors with multiple cores will see the real benefit during rendering and effects processing.

ShotCut is Cross-Platform

You can run Shotcut on Windows, Mac, or Linux with identical features. The software will run even as a portable app from an external drive - quite useful and important if you edit on multiple machines. Again not sure if it is correct but being codec "agnostic" the benefit is a consistent behaviour regardless of the operating system. The interface is available in most popular languages such as Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, English etc.

Privacy

This is rare nowadays, especially at such a powerful and complex software but Shotcut doesn't collect, store, or share/resell any personal information. There is no user tracking that goes back to their servers. This is a kind and rare gesture which shows the privacy respect for the user.

Imortant Shotcut Features

Feature	Description
Multi-format timeline	You can mix different resolutions and frame rates in the same project. It allows you to combine different types of media within a single timeline without requiring a separate project for each format.
Native editing	You can edit files directly without importing them. Just drop a video file into Shotcut and start editing immediately.
4K and 8K support	You can work with high-resolution files - up to 8K but please keep in mind that if you want to edit a 8K video this very demanding and you need a powerful hardware.
Audio tools	You get a lot of audio filters such as Compressor and reverb or EQ (and others) but also the ability to manage multiple audio tracks.
Video effects	You have access to colour wheels, chroma key, blur effects etc. The list of Video Effects is huge - you can check them here: https://www.shotcut.org/features/
Cross-platform	You can run it on the most popular operating systems: Windows, macOS and Linux
Hardware encoding	You get faster exports with AMD, Intel and NVIDIA acceleration - still quite different depending on each card
Proxy editing	You can edit lower resolution files for better performance - Mr. Dan Dennedy provided a great explanation in the Documentation area, you can check it here: https://forum.shotcut.org/t/settings-proxy-editing/18517
Keyframe animation	You can animate effect parameters over time - a great discussion can be found here: https://forum.shotcut.org/t/what-are-keyframes/6213
360° video support	You can can add Shotcut filters to 360° video clips in the timeline to edit them within Shotcut.

Getting Started

Note: If you need help you can get access to the Shotcut forum, the FAQ section or you can check the Shotcut tutorials if you click on the "Help" button. Just make sure to check for an answer first.

When you launch Shotcut, you'll find some drag and drop windows (dockable panels) that you can arrange however you prefer. The interface doesn't hide its capabilities behind simplified modes - you get all the tools at once. This might feel like a lot when you open the program for the first time, but you can customise the workspace.

Format Support

As I said, thanks to FFmpeg, Shotcut has an excellent support for most multimedia files. Basically, any virtual format from MP4 to pro codecs, including popular image formats such as PNG, SVG, JPEG, GIF etc.

To give you an example: you can mix all kind of resolutions and frame rates in the same project. You can combine 1080p with 4K footage, mix 30fps with 60fps clips - the timeline can handle it without any conversion. It means that you get a great flexibility that will surpass some paid editors that requires to match the format first.

Shotcut has support for 4K and 8K but you need the right hardware for this (please check the "Performance and Requirements" section above).

Frame-accurate seeking also works great across formats, which sounds basic but many editors, including expensive/paid alternatives struggle with this.

Audio Tools

Shotcut is known mostly for its video features but the audio capabilities are also great.

The audio filter collection includes essentials such as Equalizer: 3-Band, Equalizer: 15-Band, Equalizer: Parametric, Compressor, Delay, Reverb and more specialised options.

Stereo, mono, 5.1 surround, quad surround, and Ambisonic spatial audio configurations support means that you are not limited to basic stereo mixing. The pitch compensation feature keeps audio natural when you adjust playback speed.

Audio scopes: loudness, peak meter, waveform, spectrum analyzer, surround, vector will also provide pro level monitoring tools. Actually, these monitoring tools can be found at some dedicated audio software, not the basic meters that most video editors include.

Free Effects

To continue the list of free features:

Shotcut also comes with professional effects such as the 3-way colour wheels, advanced chroma key, and 360° video filters.

You get proper chroma key for green screen work, not limited to the basic colour removal that some free editors will offer. The keyframe system allows you to you animate any effect parameter over time. Track compositing modes include overlay, multiply, and screen options. You can build complex visual compositions using multiple video tracks with different blend modes.

As another bonus (not sure how to call it), the 360° video filters can handle virtual reality content - again, usually a paid feature at other similar software.

Timeline Editing

The multitrack timeline shows thumbnails and waveforms, which means it is easier for you to spot specific moments. You get append, insert, overwrite, lift, and (In Shotcut, “ripple” is a mode for the timeline) ripple delete functions. Group editing allows you to select multiple clips and adjust them together.

The 3-point editing is also at professional standards. Just make sure to mark your in point, out point, and either source or timeline position - then, Shotcut handles the rest. I would dare to say that this workflow matches what you would learn in a film school.

Export Options (Probably those that you will use)

Export presets will cover most common scenarios.

The H.264 High Profile preset it will produce reliable output for most uses. YouTube presets are optimized specifically for the YouTube platform.

Note that you can queue multiple exports and let them process overnight through the batch encoding system.

A powerful video card is obviously better The hardware encoding via AMD, Intel, and NVIDIA video cards will speed up the export process.

For older video cards (please check the Performance and Requirements section). If you have an older video card or just a slower machine the proxy editing will create lower resolution copies for smooth editing, then it will be exported at full quality.

Shotcut Alternatives

Name	Free or Paid	The main difference
DaVinci Resolve	Free with paid Pro version	You get professional colour grading tools and Fairlight audio
Kdenlive	Free open source	You get maybe a more organised interface and better project management
OpenShot	Free open source	You get maybe a simple interface but fewer advanced features
Adobe Premiere Pro	Paid subscription	You get industry standard tools and Creative Cloud integration
Final Cut Pro	Paid one-time purchase	You get optimised performance on Mac with magnetic timeline

Final Conclusion

Long story short, Shotcut is giving you professional video editing features for free - there are no monthly fees and there are no feature restrictions.

There is a learning curve, of course but it depends on what you want to achieve.

Shotcut is without a doubt one of the best free professional video editing tools. I usually encourage people to donate but since I was not able to find a donation link I would encourage everyone to read this post: https://forum.shotcut.org/t/question-about-donations/11547 and also this one if you're looking for a way to contribute: https://www.shotcut.org/howtos/contribute/

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