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Recommended
Steven D.
Pastor
Religious Institutions, 1-10 employees
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Steven: I'm Steven, I'm a Pastor in the religious services industry. And I give Shotcut a four out of...
Patrick O.
Computer Software, self-employed
Used daily for 2+ years
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Its been really great, I've got no regrets using it
I like that shotcut is open source, meaning that it is free of charge. It is very beginner friendly and the user interface is quite simple and clean. I love that I can easily extract audios from videos using it
Shotcut is cool but It lacks the color correction feature.
Gerald Q.
Entertainment, self-employed
Used weekly for 6-12 months
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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.
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.
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.
Cristhian Josue J.
Design, 1-10 employees
Used daily for 1-2 years
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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.
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.
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.
Ayesha A.
Fine Art, 10,001+ employees
Used weekly for 1-2 years
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I have some famous app like tiktok and I use this to add more content to my videos. I use a lot of editing apps since I edit my videos by myself and greatly I started using this app like last year and this is huge success m.
I use a lot of editing apps and let’s be honest this one is one of the best.
I love good quality videos and who doesn’t, don’t get me wrong I love this app but I think adding more transitions would be better.
Verified reviewer
Construction, 501-1,000 employees
Used weekly for 1-2 years
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Shotcut worked for my set up without need of any hardware upgrade. It enhanced my knowledge about effects and transitions. I loved it!
The story of my video editing somewhat would not be without Shotcut. Before I could be able to purchase a better computer or even afford a NLE video editing software, Shotcut provided a platform where I could learn and do some simple editing tasks and play around with effects and transitions. The drag and drop feature felt much at home and makes the software very easy to use. This had to be just the best Software to introduce myself to Video editing. Very easy to learn!
It is quite basic but worth it all. However, some features or lack of them can be a bit frustrating such as having to search for the export formats for things like Facebook. Most video software would have this as export options included.
Danielle N.
Design, self-employed
Used other for 6-12 months
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Shotcut was great for starting to teach myself video editing. I was looking for an economical tool but didn't dare to hope for free. Then, a colleague highly recommended Shotcut, and I was very grateful for it.
When I was just starting out in video editing, the best thing about Shotcut was that it was free while still having the capacity to produce the results I was after. You can find plenty of tutorials on the Shotcut site and more on YouTube to help you get started. It has handy keyboard shortcuts for the handful of basic functions that I used most often. Once you get into the habit of using them, they make editing quicker. If you take the time to watch some tutorials, practice, and explore the features you realize that Shotcut is quite robust and full of possibilities for amazing results. I have even used it to make clips from a podcast which I could export a MP3 audio files.
The text feature always seemed clunky and not intuitive to me. The interface does not have an option for organizing your media into folders - it's just one long Playlist. But you can drag files around in the Playlist and group them by by file type or some other way that makes sense to you.
Craige Hardel -.
Marketing and Advertising, 1-10 employees
Used weekly for 1-2 years
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I used it for a couple of course videos and it handled well especially on linux. Surprised at what we were able to get and actually completely most of our workload on time
It's functional and does most of what you'd want from an editor. Cross platform as well
lack greenscreen functionality. Struggled with slightly more advanced edits
Mehdi E.
Graphic Design, self-employed
Used weekly for 1-2 years
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I have been using it for over a year now for my youtube videos and I just love it.
First of all, it is free, second, it has a lot of video and audio editing tools that I love.
They only thing I don't like is that, when adding more than 1 video tracks it slows down the whole software and sometimes crushes.
Ismaël D.
Design, 1-10 employees
Used weekly for 1-2 years
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Very good video editing software for beginners
Simplicity for a beginner, transitions, interface customization, all in a nutshell
Exporting some large projects takes too long
Steve L.
Consumer Services, 1-10 employees
Used monthly for less than 6 months
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Was completely free, no strings attached, the functionality was very similar to other editing apps.
A bit of an ugly interface and is a bit scary at first, so not so easy to use.
Alain Jove R.
Telecommunications, 501-1,000 employees
Used weekly for 1-2 years
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Overall, this is something that editors should consider before jumping into other options. Maximizing this software's features and learning it down to the letter is really worth it. And you'll be surprised with what this baby can do. I myself have underestimated this first and found loving it later on.
I find Shotcut very useful although it takes a little while to learn it by heart as it is a bit complicated. It's relatively simple, though looking at its interface if you're used to navigating video and even audio editors. Ironically it is complex as you have to select certain dropdowns to get to what you want to achieve, but I won't tag it as a con as we need to learn the software before saying that...
I can only point two cons but I guess the crashy and laggy part sometimes when a lot of elements are stacked is due to my RAM and processor. I need to test it on a higher specs computer to be able to have a fair assessment. The second one is for some reason the text/ subtitle elements have a hard time lining up when you're doing adjustments on the timeline. I always make it a habit not to use undo because for some reason it executes two undo commands instead of one, and that's when I notice the text are messed up. Even if it's just one undo command or if you add other elements on the video fragment with the current text, it affects it.
Roshen D.
Computer Games, 1-10 employees
Used monthly for 6-12 months
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Overall, I think Shotcut is a great free video editor that anyone can use after a little bit of practice and through some of my testing I found out that it can even process some raw 8K footage from a camera we rented.
What I liked most about the software was that it had the features of a professional video editor such as Adobe Premiere Pro. It could also process 4K HDR 10 video at 120FPS which other video editors struggled to render these types of video formats. My favorite part about it is that it doesn't have an ANNOYING WATERMARK. Basically some of the other editors I tried showed a giant watermark across the screen that said the company name or it said Free Version but Shotcut has no watermark.
Originally when my team picked this software for free I thought it was going to be easy to use but I thought wrong. But after a few days of learning I was using Shotcut in no time. I just think people should know that because it isn't easy to learn at the start doesn't mean you can't learn it.
Michael C.
E-Learning, 11-50 employees
Used other for 1-2 years
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A true delight if I have to be honest. It made the work so much better.
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...
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.
Heather B.
Music, 201-500 employees
Used other for 6-12 months
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Wonderful! At times a bit frustrating with the lag and sometimes overwhelming with the amount of options, especially when you have no idea what you're doing. BUT! There are a ton of free videos and tutorials both on Shotcut's website, as well as YouTube tutorials from users, and they're fantastic. You can use them as a tutorial to learn the software and the feature you want to use, and keep them bookmarked for references. But I admit, the 4K export option (while it can take a LONG time, depending on the length of your video) makes it incredibly worthwhile, especially if your exporting in a format to upload to YouTube. Definitely recommend for the beginning video editor!
1) This software is free to use with no watermarks or weird annoying ads. 2) It's fantastic for the beginning video editor. 3) Works perfectly on a PC where as I think most of the better video editors have been designed for Macs (personal opinion) 4) Allows you export in a large number of different formats, including YouTube in 4K resolution 5) So many options and features, it's almost overwhelming! 6) Fantastic interface!
If you're running other programs or working on a very big project, this can eat up your computer memory, causing lagging and freezing. Highly recommended to close all other programs before opening up Shotcut and using a computer or laptop with a fast processor. You can make due without it, but once you add any transitions or layers, it'll start freezing. The preview feature so you can see what you've already done can also be a bit slow and glitchy... Imagine skipping one frame out of every three frames. However, it does NOT export this way. I have no experience with other video editors, so I'm not sure if that's a common theme among them.
Arturo L.
Marketing and Advertising, 1-10 employees
Used monthly for 1-2 years
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Honestly to be free, this video editor makes you fulfill that dream of being a video editor for a major company or for some famous influencer, as it fully meets your expectations and can be somewhat confusing at first, but the truth is enough just to look at some video for beginners for this software, and you get used to the editor quickly, very satisfied and I see very few disadvantages to this software.
The advantages that this software has, are quite a few, since the more you go searching among the tools, the more you can get the most out of your video, I could consider it quite professional, since it has a very comfortable interface and you feel that you are doing a very good job for your personal projects and convert them even in studio quality videos, since when you finish your video, you can choose with any format for the type of social network to which you want to upload it. And all this for being free, I really highly recommend this video editor meets almost all your expectations, with settings to switch between the different layers you go making, your audio, video and photos. So you can give it an even more professional look.
It could be that there are many tools, which can get confusing and thus take you some time to get used to the software format, another could be that, as we are talking about a professional video editor, obviously, this application will consume a lot of your computer, so I do recommend having about 8 GB of RAM, a good processor and maybe a good graphic card, to be able to support this application, because if you don't have space in the RAM or you don't have a good processor, the application becomes somewhat slow and it could even stop and quit, so take into account to be able to save your work before.
Michael A.
Religious Institutions, 1-10 employees
Used weekly for less than 6 months
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We have been used to doing "once and done" v instructional videos for a while now and that has worked well. When we decided we wanted to add more (graphics, multiple cameras, etc.) we began looking for a good yet inexpensive video editing software. Shotcut kept coming in near the top. It is not as user friendly as some yet it has enough features to do exactly what we need! I have had to do quite a bit of research on how to make Shotcut do what we need it to because the tutorials in the software are not user friendly. Overall it has been the best basic yet feature rich video editing software we have come across!
Shotcut is a great basic video editing software. For a basic user it is useful yet powerful. Using the basic setup I have been able to do all of the video editing of YouTube instructional videos without a hitch. It does not have an overabundance of features which is the best feature! It is not trying to do more than advertised.
There is a steep learning curve as tutorials are not as helpful as they could be. I found myself searching YouTube for tutorials and How-To videos every time I wanted to do something new.
Nadeem L.
Professional Training & Coaching, self-employed
Used daily for 6-12 months
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I have tried several other programs for my YouTube video editing, but I am now stuck onto Shotcut for all my stuff as it saves me precious time, compared to editing on other editing platforms.
For beginners-mid level pros, this program is super easy to get hands on experience of multiple video editing formats. The most prominent feature of Shotcut is the simplicity of use and a range of options available within the program to produce some real great end results. Highly recommended for YouTube video creators.
The main issue that I face during editing is with the video transitions. There seem to be plenty of options available to set the transitions, but I find them quite ineffective. Other comparable video editing programs have better transition features that show prominently in the edited videos.
Olivia B.
Market Research, 11-50 employees
Used other for 6-12 months
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Simple to use, free video editing software which gives you great quality outputs, but may take a while to fully understand and learn the features available.
Shotcut has some great features and is quite simple to use, best of all you get all of this for free. I use it to create video montages from recordings of respondent interviews. It allows me to cut long videos, and group together multiple clips. It also has the option to add in many fade out / fade in options and effects. the options to export from he playlist or the timeline are very useful and the video outputs are high quality
I had to search online for a while to work out how to export individual clips rather than the whole timeline, it would have been preferable if this was clearer as when i first started using this software I wasted a lot of time. the software can also freeze occasionally, but this is somewhat to be expected with the sizes of the files used.
Chandra C.
Education Management, 501-1,000 employees
Used weekly for 1-2 years
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I use Shotcut several times a week. it is my go to editing software for Youtube videos and tutorials
Multitrack editing and the dashboard is easy to navigate
Sometimes it gets a bit clunky/slow when there are lots of edits , high powered internet is citical to its performance
Gregg B.
Religious Institutions, 1-10 employees
Used weekly for less than 6 months
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I was looking for a lightweight cross-platform video editing system for my laptop that could export easily to my more robust desktop editing platform and for basic edits and output for preview, and Shotcut will work well for this. I'm still undecided if it'll be a long term solution, but it is a surprisingly well thought out open source program that will fit many video editors' needs.
I'd like to start by saying Shotcut is a very good, multi-platform video editing solution. Even video editors with little to no experience will find the layout and usability of Shotcut to be appealing and usable. Import and organization of video files is straightforward and an array of basic editing tools will enable many users to complete high-quality video projects with little investment. Color grading and clip correction tools are surprisingly good for a free program. Another big plus is that it is lightweight, meaning it delivers a lot of power for a small program size and doesn't slow down real-time rendering trying to do too many other things.
Again, Shotcut is a very good video editing solution - up to a point. Once your project gets more complex, the clip organization, preview speed and ability to integrate pre-set transitions and titles falls a little short. It'll get the job done, but other tools offer a more robust option.
Sashana B.
Cosmetics, self-employed
Used other for less than 6 months
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Shotcut is a great video editor for anyone, especially persons who don't want to spend an arm and a leg on an editor. I would definitely recommend it.
This is a great video editor and it's free! I am a freelance makeup artist and I occasionally do tutorials on Instagram to promote my business. A friend of mine recommended I use Shotcut to edit my videos and I have not regretted taking her advice. Shotcut is a great video editor. It has all the basics for a video editor (cut, delete, overlay, text, zoom, etc.) and more. It has great features, a unique interface and definitely gets the job done to my satisfaction. I have not found myself spending any extra time editing than would normally be expected and only had a few hiccups. So, I would say it's pretty efficient.
Shotcut isn't the most user friendly video editor out there. While there are labels, I still found myself having to search thoroughly for the things I wanted to find and, at some points, I have had to consult Youtube videos for assistance. Also, the interface is really simple; simple to the point of looking bland, but this software definitely gets the job done. I would really love if there was a workable green screen option on Shotcut. This is a feature that I look for in video editors and while editing, I really missed it.
Syed R.
Marketing and Advertising, 51-200 employees
Used weekly for 1-2 years
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My overall experience with Shotcut is very good. You can be a dynamic creator with Shotcut. I would say I like to use this tool.
I am using Shotcut to edit videos and I absolutely enjoy it when I work with it. Video editing became very interesting because shotcut because the stock is full of lots of features. I like the fact that Shocut is an easy application to create stunning videos for various purposes. This tool allows the beginners to create the amazing design free and the resolution is very good. As much as you use it you can discover more about the tool.
I think to create a perfect video you need to go through the tutorials which is time-consuming. I also observed too much functionality sometimes confusing for beginners.
Kenneth B.
Graphic Design, 10,001+ employees
Used weekly for 2+ years
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The software is free and open source meaning there's a community always improving this software.The interface is professional looking and provides high quality videos upon exporting.it has a lot of features such as chroma key that make green screen editing accesible and more convenient.it simple and has a sleek design and is a very easy to use software.
I have never experienced any issues using this software whatsoever it runs smoothly on my pc and laptop and have never experience any inconvenience when using this software
Tabish P.
Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing, self-employed
Used daily for 2+ years
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-The Free and easy to use Ui helps a lot if you are student. Or any one which is just entering the digital video editing career.
- the ablitiy to edit 8k footage is still not available
Joshua D.
Religious Institutions, 1-10 employees
Used monthly for 1-2 years
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In the beginning of the pandemic, my job started involving a lot more video production. I was, and still am, hesitant to pay for an expensive editing product given the fact that I am a beginner. As I have gotten more familiar with Shotcut, I've discovered that it has all the tools I need. Very grateful for this product!
Obviously the fact that it's free goes a long way! As a novice in video editing, this tool allows me to do what I need to do without a financial investment. The wealth of online resources on how to use Shotcut means that an absolute beginner can learn enough to create a nice-looking finished product.
Open source is a (wonderful) double-edged sword. As with most open source products, Shotcut is less polished than a comparable product from the company that starts with "A" and rhymes with "shmadobe." Shotcut is occasionally buggy and crashy, but I (almost) never lose more than an edit or two. The reality is that the extensibility and flexibility of an open source video editing tool comes with those caveats, and that's something I can live with.