OK, I get that Shotcut is free and probably has many fans, however the truth needs to be told.
I have used it for many hours now and I want to do very simple things. Such as crop the video to a new sized frame, cut a bit of video from the beginning of the clip, and cut a bit of video from the end of the clip.
Not only are there no controls to do this, and nothing in the help manual, but after scrolling through tons of supposed help videos and watching hours of videos I ‘thought’ may help, these simplest of tasks simply do not appear.
So I am not going to ask for help to do them, because such very simple and straightforward things should be easy to find and use. The fact they are not tells me they are hidden away and I can’t understand the thinking of doing that.
The best tools are the easiest to use, Shotcut is one of the hardest to use simply because you cannot see any tools to use and cannot find them in the help files.
This is not a rant, or a troll, it’s feedback from someone who wants to support a free tool, I want to give you my feedback that you need to change the GUI and simplify it otherwise people simply can’t use it.
I don’t know what tutorials you have watched but all of this is easily achievable. It’s especially strange you say that you " have used it for many hours now and I want to do very simple things" when the last time you posted which was 2 years ago you asked how to do other simple tasks of which I linked you to some tutorials and you said you got it done. In any case:
I don’t know what you mean with “new sized frame” but assuming that it’s of a different aspect ratio than the original video then all you would have to do is set the aspect ratio at the very start of your project by going to Video Mode and either selecting one of the presets or creating your own custom one. Then bring in your video and use the Crop: Source filter.
That’s what the I and O keys are for which can be used both for clips in the Source tab and for clips on the timeline.
None of this is hidden. Everyone who has used Shotcut or any other editor for a while knows how to do this. The I and O keys for example are pretty much standard on any editor and for cropping all you would have to do is look at the filters list and find the Crop filters available. You were aware of this program for 2 years. Why you only bring this up now is an interesting question.
I have tried to do video cuts for a long time and never found any software that can do it easily. If I managed it once before I was handheld through it and have now forgotten and can’t find a way of doing it.
I keep downloading programs to try them out and this one comes highly recommended yet remains almost impossible to use as there are no controls I can see.
I assume when you talk about I and O keys you are talking about keyboard keys?
OK to be fair to you I tried and yes, they cut the video. So then what? I dragged the video that I’d just cut to the timeline and the entire original clip played.
This is my point, you claim that “Everyone who has used Shotcut or any other editor for a while knows how to do this.” What about those who don’t know how to do it?
I have followed help files and in fact they don’t even match what I see in the latest version of the program.
You’re seeing something dark and suspicious in my post, but I am trying to make it clear, your program is almost impossible to use for someone who is not an experienced video editor. But it does claim anyone can use it and I’m simply informing you that no…anyone can’t. It’s very difficult and arcane to use.
I’ve just found that bit where it says hit S key to cut. That works for the first part of videos but what if you want to cut the end off a video?
Anyway, I made my point, difficult to use program and help files that don’t relate to what I see when I load the program and don’t really offer any basic help.
Press O instead of S.
You made the point that you have a difficult time with Shotcut.
If you want help just ask, many here are willing to help you with anything. If you read the forum you would see this.
Shotcut is not for everyone. Nor do we aspire for it to be. If it does not meet your needs, you should use a tool that does. Unfortunately, your feedback is not actionable because it does not offer suggestions for ways to make improvements.
I am going to close this topic because:
- It does not offer a suggestion
and - It does not request help
You are welcome to create new topics with specific help questions or specific suggestions for improvements.
I think what he means by this is to open a clip, change its resolution by cropping, and export at this new resolution. This is well known as not being easy in Shotcut unless you are a power user as it requires creating a custom video mode. This does not fit well within the current Shotcut operational model, and no developer has chosen to address it out of priority and motivation.
cut a bit of video from the beginning of the clip, and cut a bit of video from the end of the clip.
Not only are there no controls to do this
Here is where I disagree unless by controls you mean a traditional looking button with an icon and label. In the Source player, there are draggable controls that look like >| and |<.
These are fairly obvious to most people. If not, they do look different enough to make the curious try to touch them and experience an “ah-hah” moment. When the clip is in the Timeline, this is as simple as changing the size of a rectangle, which is obvious and easy to most people. You do not need a dedicated control or tool for this. The mouse cursor changes and something under it highlights to indicate interactivity.
you need to change the GUI and simplify it otherwise people simply can’t use it
Judging from the download numbers, there is no shortage of people who can use it. However, I admit Shotcut is not super easy to use. Auto-generated movies by Apple, Google, or Facebook are easy to use. TikTok is easy to use. But these lack control. That is simply not what I chose to make and share with others. There are many people who are simply too impatient or incompetent to handle full control video editing. As the saying goes: you cannot please all the people all the time.