I am very impressed with what Shotcut can do, especially for a free program. On a lark, I found you can export and .edl file and load it into Adobe Premiere Pro. The only problem is the lack of timecode. In Premiere Pro, the clips are in the correct order but they all start from the first frame of the clip, not the in and out you set in Shotcut. If you can fix that issue, it would be huge for the industry. We could do rough cuts in Shotcut and finishing in Premiere Pro, or other editing programs. I am a journalist that writes for a major industry publication that talks production and Post production. If you can make this work, I have been approved to do an article about Shotcut. Iâm ready when you are!
While you are at it - In addition to .EDL files, if you could export as Final Cut .XML files, I think Premiere Pro reads the transitions better. However, reading clip timecode is an absolute priority, and will get you more users.
ShotCut starts every clip I import from 0:00:00:00. So when I imort the EDL into Premiere Pro it starts every clip from the first frame, and cuts it at what ever the duration is in ShotCut, making the in and out points way off. The only way to make it acceptable for any pro needs would be to have the timecode read. Is that a big deal?
Shotcut does not use embedded time codes or embedded reel names in source files. However I guess you can import the edl in Resolve with the suggested settings and then save the edl with embedded time codes from there, if pp has no edl import settings?
Iâm not a coder of Shotcut, so I canât tell you how much effort it would take to implement it.
Iâm not sure how to attract more attention here but I am having the same issue. I am a professional video editor and I really like the idea of using shot cut on different projects or as a front end to my MLT workflow automation. Is there anyway to insist on using source based timecode? Itâs really the main thing keeping me from using this otherwise great application for my work.
No. However Resolve can import using framecount instead of embedded timecodes(but doesnât import audio clips from EDL). Or you can use Eyeframe Converter to quickly zero the embedded timecodes of the source lips like this:
Thanks for the reply. I visited the thread you mentioned and am aware of zeroing the embedded timecode. Iâm new to this software and itâs preferred workflow but Iâm wondering why there isnât a way to reference the starting timecode from the metadata. Even in Shotcutâs own clip metadata panel it displays the embedded start timecode. Whatâs the reasoning behind not using source TC? Unfortunately the work I do involves referencing the embedded TC so zeroing out is not an option. Is there some limitation in MLT or Ffmpeg that is causing this or is it a choice by the developers? I appreciate your insight.
Iâve done a simple test both into Premiere and Resolve using the âexport EDLâ feature in Shotcut. Both as expected do not import the correct clip segments that were selected in Shotcut. This does not seem correct to me. Using melt I can generate an xml of the clip data that clearly references the embedded timecode; <property name="meta.attr.0.stream.timecode.markup">00:00:49:03</property>
If there were a way to reference this attribute when creating the EDL, Shotcut would rapidly become a contender for post production pipelines. Otherwise, I will need to create a âcorrectedâ EDL using melt and some scripting. Is there some way to make an official request to Shotcut developers?
What do you mean by official? There are thousands of requests in the forums but only a little more than one developer. Most users are not interested in working with embedded timecode and want more stability and performance. Your request is heard but barely over the crowd. Generally, feature requests are not accepted, and I work against my road map and inspiration, which comes at times from the forum.
Iâve done a simple test both into Premiere and Resolve using the âexport EDLâ feature in Shotcut. Both as expected do not import the correct clip segments that were selected in Shotcut.
In Resolve, did you use the âUse Timecode > From source clip frame countâ mentioned here: Lost timecode XavcS - That should give you the correct timings.
If youâre able to code, maybe you can make a commit adding this feature to the Shotcut project(if Dan agrees?). The EDL generating code is written in node js as far as I know?
Thanks for the reply and insight. I was not aware of the development on shotcut until now but I am impressed with itâs capabilities. Most NLE workflows utilize the embedded timcode so imho an exchange format should do the same. It could simply be an option of âExport EDL.â the times used in the shotcut mlt xml playlist would stay as is but the EDL would reference the metadata timecode property. I am familiar with Python and somewhat with JavaScript so if I can contribute in any way that could potentially solve my problems at least.
If Resolve does not work out for you, and you need a quick here-and-now code fix, maybe my very old mlt2edl python script only needs a few changes to fit your purpose: https://eyeframeconverter.wordpress.com/mlt2edl/ Though contributing to Shotcut or OTIO would help other people out too.
Basically, take the âmeta.attr.0.stream.timecode.markupâ mentioned before and add it to all timecode values for that clip?
This cannot be done simply in the export JavaScript code. That code simply converts the MLT XML with no access to Shotcut or MLT APIs. Some C++ code before it needs to make a copy of the project and compute the new time values that will appear in the XML.
I donât think it would need to be applied to all timecode values of the clip. Just to the in and out on the EDL if that option is specified. Either way I think I understand the limitation. It seems the only way to have it work would be to have the metadata timecode value as an attribute in the original mlt XML. Is it possible to have the embedded timecode element in the xml in a way that doesnât affect Shotcutâs functions but can be referenced by the EDL exporter? Or would that be considered too much of a complication?
https://mediaarea.net/en/MediaInfo can also be used as a command line tool to extract time codes and reel names. Actually you may also need the embedded reel names inserted into the EDL files for fail-safe EDL import in ex. Lwks(which doesnât read the commented lines in th EDL files).
Yes, quite easily with a small modification. The export script uses this timecode library that also makes it possible to add timecodes. The XML would also contain the source clipâs framerate that could parsed out for interpreting that timecode as time.
This seems like a perfect solution in that case. Would someone need to submit that or could it be implemented easily in a subsequent update? TBH Iâm not entirely familiar with the development process.
I have yet to test the Resolve setting but will do so today and share my experience.
For Premiereâs EDL, the file name is referenced but not the full path. Using Premiereâs relinking tools makes quick work of rebuilding the timeline. I think using the file name makes the most sense since most exchange situations will reference the file name and path for importing clips. Ideally, the option to specify an EDL based on either clip TC or embedded TC means that a user can better target their specific pipeline.