Shotcut

Open-source video editing tool for creative professionals

About Shotcut

Shotcut is an open-source video editing software designed to help creative professionals edit audio and video files using various built-in tools and functionalities across macOS, Windows, and Linux operating systems. Organizations can cut, copy and paste elements, detach audio from video clips, sort playlists by name or creation date, and manage files using a drag-and-drop interface.

Shotcut supports multiple audio, video, and file formats such as BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG, SVG, TGA, TIFF, and WebP, among others. Users can capture videos via webcams, mix audio across various tracks, control volume, and use the eye dropper tool to manage white balance. Creative professionals can also configure user interface (UI) themes and utilize the search functionality to retrieve recent files.

Shotcut enables designers to undo or redo edits on audio and video playlists, switch between UI layouts, view media properties on a panel, and measure video quality on a centralized platform. The software also provides a speed effect for video or audio clips, several wipe transition techniques, 360° video filters, and other tools for designers to edit media according to requirements.

Pricing starting from:

Not provided by vendor

  • Free Version
  • Free Trial
  • Subscription

Top 5 alternatives to Shotcut

Typical Customers

  • Freelancers
  • Small Businesses (2-50)
  • Mid-size Companies (51-500)
  • Large enterprises (500 and more)

Deployment

  • Cloud-based
  • On-premise

Markets

India, United States

Supported Languages

English

Pricing starting from:

Not provided by vendor

  • Free Version
  • Free Trial
  • Subscription

Top 5 alternatives to Shotcut

Images

Shotcut Software - Shotcut video playlist
Shotcut Software - Shotcut filters
Shotcut Software - Shotcut new project
View 4 more
Shotcut video
Shotcut Software - Shotcut video playlist
Shotcut Software - Shotcut filters
Shotcut Software - Shotcut new project

Features

Total features of Shotcut: 10

  • Drag & Drop
  • File Management
  • Media Library
  • Multiple Format Support
  • Search/Filter
  • Supports HD Resolution
  • Text Overlay
  • Video Editing
  • Video Management
  • Video Support

Alternatives

VideoPad

4.3
#1 Alternative to Shotcut
VideoPad is a video-making and editing software that helps businesses utilize audio tools and transition effects to...

iMovie

4.5
#2 Alternative to Shotcut
iMovie is a video-making software that helps businesses of all sizes browse clips and create videos. Administrators can...

Adobe Premiere Pro

4.7
#3 Alternative to Shotcut
Adobe Premiere Pro is a cloud-based video editing software designed to help businesses create and edit professional...

Blender

4.7
#4 Alternative to Shotcut
Blender is an on-premise game development platform, which helps small to large businesses in technology, motion...

Reviews

Overall rating

4.5 /5
(70)
Value for Money
4.8/5
Features
4.4/5
Ease of Use
4.1/5
Customer Support
4.1/5

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Software buyers need your help! Product reviews help the rest of us make great decisions.

Showing 5 reviews of 70
Michael
Overall rating
  • Industry: E-Learning
  • Company size: 11–50 Employees
  • Used for 1+ year
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Likelihood to recommend 10.0 /10

A Must Have For Amateur Video Editors

Reviewed on 19/05/2021

A true delight if I have to be honest. It made the work so much better.

A true delight if I have to be honest. It made the work so much better.

Pros

If the fact that Shoctut is open source (free) isn't enough for you to use it allow me to go deeper. Shotcut is a very simple and easy to use video editor. Before using more sophisticated software for video editing it was what helped me get familiar with a lot of concepts that were completely alien to me and it taught me how to use channels and separate audio from the video files and other useful things that looked too complicated to do in similar software. Usually when you open video editing software you're met with so many buttons and so much information that it gets scary to even try. Shotcut was what allowed me to start with its simple and minimalistic interface. You have all the necessary information and buttons to work with and if and only if you want to go deeper you'll have to face the more complex functions of the software.

I think that my favorite thing about Shotcut is how easy it is to create proxies for heavy videos. Similar software requires an additional encoder when with Shotcut it's a simple 3-5 step process. It's a must for who is starting out and feels like the popular software is either too expensive or too overwhelming.

Cons

As you could probably expect Shotcut doesn't have some of the features of the higher end video editing software such as powerful color correction. Other than that I have no complaints. The software is really good and lightweight and even has a portable version.

Gerald
Overall rating
  • Industry: Entertainment
  • Company size: Self Employed
  • Used Weekly for 6-12 months
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Likelihood to recommend 8.0 /10

Fantastic Free Open Source Video Editor

Reviewed on 22/09/2019

So far I've had no problems with Shotcut. Since the amount of scene transitions is limited I find...

So far I've had no problems with Shotcut. Since the amount of scene transitions is limited I find myself concentrating more on the quality of the scenes themselves instead of the transitions, which is a good thing. This program is perfect for those on a budget or for a beginner. If you can master Shotcut, you'll be in perfect shape to advance to a more expensive program later on. This will definitely teach you the basics for free before you decide to lay out your cash. All in all I'm very pleased with Shotcut, I highly recommend it.

Pros

You can't beat the price (Free!). This program gets the job done. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles as expensive programs but it does plenty enough to do most basic projects. I've done numerous music videos and little comedy skits that I've uploaded to YouTube and they come out great. They look totally professional and the feedback I've gotten has been very positive. My action camera records in .mov format which is hard to edit with. I convert my raw files to .mp4 which makes editing much easier and I'm unable to discern any loss of video quality. All in all, Shotcut has been a great choice for me.

Cons

Some of the functions aren't intuitive. It takes a little while to figure out how everything works. Also it's slow while it publishes your final work but if you're patient it's well worth the wait to save money. It lacks a variety of scene transitions that more expensive programs have but it does have the basics.

Alternatives Considered

Filmora

Switched From

Filmora

Reasons for Switching to Shotcut

I was looking at Filmora because I had used it in the past on someone else's computer. At the time I didn't have enough to buy Filmora and the free version wasn't going to allow me to finish the project I was working on. I came across Shotcut and decided to give it a try. I finished my project and many more. I keep telling myself that I'll upgrade when Shotcut can't do the job for me. Well that time hasn't come yet.
Matt
Overall rating
  • Industry: Media Production
  • Company size: 2–10 Employees
  • Used Weekly for 6-12 months
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support
  • Likelihood to recommend 10.0 /10

Seasoned Editors will LOVE it

Reviewed on 03/03/2023

I personally like it, although some of my team members beg to differ. The reason I like it is that...

I personally like it, although some of my team members beg to differ. The reason I like it is that I can use ShotCut to work on some quick project that require less editing effects.

Pros

First of all, it is FREE. There are many free video editor out there. But this is more or less the trimmed down version of Davinci Resolve 18, which is also free. Shotcut is of course much easier to handle than Davinci Resolve. If you have been working with other video editor, you can easily get use to their interface, which I think is designed for speed editing.

Cons

Definitely not easy for beginners. I have an intern trying to use ShotCut and it took her quite some times to figure out what is what. But with a colleague helping her, she can then work with it.

Alternatives Considered

OpenShot Video Editor

Reasons for Choosing Shotcut

DaVinci Resolve is absolutely a tank as compare to ShotCut which is a beach buggy. However, I don't need a tank for some simple and small projects. All I need is just a buggy to get the job done.

Switched From

DaVinci Resolve

Reasons for Switching to Shotcut

ShotCut is really good for speed editing. OpenShot is good, too. But a little bit too much functions that I simply do not need (yet).
Cristhian Josue
Overall rating
  • Industry: Design
  • Company size: 2–10 Employees
  • Used Daily for 1+ year
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Likelihood to recommend 7.0 /10

Shotcut, a lightweight and useful cross-platform video editor

Reviewed on 05/09/2021

Sometime I got to produce a visual series for an LP using this video editor, I was able to produce...

Sometime I got to produce a visual series for an LP using this video editor, I was able to produce something visually appealing, but on occasions, I was limited by the features and tools of this software, Shotcut saved me when my PC couldn't handle powerful video editors and allowed me to design something that my clients ended up loving.

Sometimes we don't need to invest much money to captivate our clients.

Pros

What I like about Shotcut is that it is free and very light, few video editors bet on a multiplatform network that permits us to continue our project on any operating system, and this is the most looking thing about this software.

If what you're looking for is a video editor that leaves you to work on any PC, this is the right one, because just as you can work on a low-specs Windows, you can work on a Mac of previous generations.

Cons

This video editor looks and works like an early version of any top video editor, if you miss windows movie maker, Shotcut is that limited and basic software that for some reason you're looking for.

The possibilities of making professional projects with this video editor are impossible, aspects like colorization or effects are so basic if not almost non-existent.

If you have the possibility to install a heavier video editor there are free alternatives that would be more useful.

Géovanny
Overall rating
  • Industry: Graphic Design
  • Company size: 2–10 Employees
  • Used Daily for 2+ years
  • Review Source

Overall rating

  • Value for Money
  • Ease of Use
  • Customer Support
  • Likelihood to recommend 9.0 /10

Shotcut: a free and easy to use video editing software

Reviewed on 15/02/2023

Pros

Shotcut is a free, open source video editing software that I use often. It has a user-friendly and customizable user interface that makes it easy to perform simple to advanced editing tasks. It offers many advanced features such as support for multiple file formats, the ability to add effects and transitions, as well as the ability to adjust playback speed and create slow motion or fast motion. In addition, it is cross-platform, which means that it can be used on Windows, Mac and Linux, and does not require powerful hardware configuration to work properly.

Cons

Despite its advantages, I have found that Shotcut can sometimes lack stability and crash when processing large files or long videos. It can also be difficult to use for beginners due to a fairly complex user interface and some advanced features that may require technical knowledge

Showing 5 reviews of 70 Read all reviews

Shotcut FAQs

Below are some frequently asked questions for Shotcut.

Shotcut offers the following pricing plans:

  • Pricing model: Free Version
  • Free Trial: Not Available

Shotcut is available for free.

Shotcut has the following typical customers:

Self Employed, 2–10, 11–50, 51–200, 201–500, 501–1,000, 1,001–5,000

Shotcut supports the following languages:

English

Shotcut supports the following devices:

We do not have any information about what integrations Shotcut has

Shotcut offers the following support options:

Email/Help Desk, FAQs/Forum, Knowledge Base, Chat

Related categories

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