âConvert to Edit-friendlyââ is an option that Shotcut offers to you automatically when it detects that you import a video clip with variable frame rate instead of constant frame rate. Variable frame rate means that the frames per second are changing throughout the whole clip whereas constant frame rate means that the frames per second are consistent throughout. Variable frame rate can make editing a problem because the edits wonât be so precise since the frame rate is always changing. So with the âConvert to Edit-friendlyâ Shotcut will take your video clip and convert it with constant frame rate instead at high quality video (there are 3 different degrees of quality options offered to you) so as to not go down in a generation of picture quality. You then take that new file created with âConvert to Edit-friendlyâ and use that in Shotcut.
Proxy clips are lower quality substitute clips that are meant as stand-ins for the original clips so that the playback in the editor runs faster than the original clips. So letâs say you want to edit some 4K video files but either your computer or the editor cannot fully handle it as it lags a lot. So you create proxy clips that are the same clips just in much lower quality in order to avoid any slowdown. Then when you are done with editing and right before you render and export your project you swap the lower quality proxy clips with the original files and the project will be come out exactly the same as if you were working with the original files the entire time.
A Proxy feature is being worked on for Shotcut but I donât know when it will be finished.