Shotcut

Shotcut

Price: $

Shotcut is a free and open-source video editor available across multiple platforms, including Windows. It is suitable for both beginner and intermediate editors while keeping it without cost. With a modular and fully customizable user interface, users can adjust the editor according to their preferences and requirements to create high-quality content with reliability.

Just like any video editor, there is a learning curve that editors will have to go through to understand, learn, and know the ins and outs of the software. But beyond that, if you are looking for a free video editor that has no watermark forced on your videos, Shotcut seems to be an excellent choice for beginners and amateur content creators.

Features and functionality

Wide format support

Shotcut supports hundreds of audio and video formats via FFmpeg. FFmpeg is a powerful, open-source multimedia framework used for processing video, audio, and other multimedia files and streams. It handles 4K resolutions, high frame rates, and multiple audio tracks with ease.

Modular interface

The editor has a highly customizable user interface, allowing users to feel at ease right away. You can drag and dock panels according to your workflows and requirements.

Video and audio filters

It offers a rich set of filters for both video and audio. From color grading and transitions to noise reduction and audio normalization, there’s plenty you can use to enhance your content.

Timeline editing

Similar to other popular video editing software out there, Shotcut also supports multi-track timeline editing with drag-and-drop functionality. It includes ripple editing, snapping, and other essential editing tools.

Proxy editing

Shotcut supports proxy editing, which is notable because it’s a feature more commonly found in paid software. You can enable proxy editing in the settings, and it will automatically generate and switch between proxy and source files behind the scenes.

Keyframing and Animation

Shotcut supports simple keyframe-based animations for filters, which allows you to animate properties like opacity, scale, and position over time. For anybody who has used any video editing software before, they will know how important this is for any editor. This is especially useful for creating custom transitions or motion effects, giving you more control over how elements behave in your video.

You can animate parameters with keyframes, set zoom levels, and create basic motion graphics. 

Worth using?

Shotcut is a free yet quite capable video editor. If you are budget-conscious and looking for something that does not cost you anything yet gives you a robust feature set and more than enough capability, then Shotcut may be the one for you. It is ideal for content creators, hobbyists, YouTubers, and people who cannot afford to pay for expensive software.

Best use case: Perfect for indie creators, students, or anyone needing a capable editor without breaking the bank.