My needs are probably very simple compared to what Shotcut can do. After a vacation I used Movie Maker to create a video using the photos I took. Movie Maker allowed me to add music, special effects, etc. I could fade the photos and/or music in and out, add titles and so forth. Creating the video was actually fun. I’m not sure Shotcut can do what I want, at least at first glimpse. Am I wrong?
- pictures - yes (1st video below)
- music - yes (1st video below)
- transitions/fades and volume control - yes (1st and 2nd video below)
- titles - yes but one might have to get used to it - not sure how it works in movie maker. (3nd video below)
- special effects - you mean decorative effects like lens flare animations? I’m not aware of any such things in shotcut.
…and don’t forget you can always create certain elements in other tools and then import them into Shotcut later. I made a Ken Burns effect slideshow in a dedicated Linux slideshow app and then dragged the MP4 into Shotcut for further editing… seeing as Shotcut doesn’t incorporate that feature. I do most of the audio editing in something else too and then just touch it up as part of the final project.