When you edit videos in Shotcut what features, shortcuts, or techniques help you work more efficiently and get better results? Do you focus on timeline tools, filters, workflows, or something else? I’m curious what approaches other editors find most useful.
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For me, the biggest thing is “Align to reference track”, which lets me (often) align better-quality audio with the audio from the camera.
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Keyboard shortcuts:
Shift + I and Shift + O, alt + arrows and Ctrl+X / Ctrl+V, these made the biggets improvement in my editing time.
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Filter sets! After I discovered filter sets, I made a few of my own for specific situations that I commonly encounter, and that has really helped streamline my workflow.
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Hi Roger,
I’ve been using Shotcut to edit videos for my YouTube channel since 2018, I love it. Because of my editing style, it would easily take me 5x longer to edit the video than it did to shoot it. Then, a few months ago, I found something that’s almost like magic. Using an Android tablet (I’m sure an iPad would work too), a free open-source program called AutoHotKey (allows you to make your own custom keyboard shortcuts) and an app called Touch Portal (no affiliation), I was able to save a significant amount of time editing. The great thing about this combo is that it would work with any editing software. Here’s how it works:
1.) Install AutoHotKey on your computer and create a script that contains all of your most commonly used edits.
2.) Install Touch Portal on your computer and tablet, link them, then create buttons that coincide with the shortcuts you created in AutoHotKey.
3.) With Shotcut open, when you press a button on the screen of the tablet, it instantly sends that custom shortcut to your computer.
For example, my first 9 buttons are all different speed settings. I press the 2x button and my clip is instantly 1/2 the length and twice the speed. If that isn’t fast enough, I can hit the 4x button and the clip instantly goes from 2x to 4x. Now, to do that without the shortcut, it’s a few click and typing a number, but it saves a bunch of time if you’d be doing that dozens of times during your edit.
I have other buttons that reduce the volume of a clip, fade the video in or out, fade the audio in or out, rotate a clip if it was accidentally recorded in portrait, etc. They can be as complex as you want though. I have one button that removes the background fan noise in my garage. It’s a combination of 3 filters, all with specific settings, done in a second with a single button press.
Touch Portal gives you 2 pages with 8 buttons each (or something like that) for free. I ended up wanting to have 26 buttons and I didn’t want to have to change pages to see all of the buttons. For a one-time cost of just under $15 (after tax), I was able to buy the full version that allows as many buttons as you want. I was able to resize them so all 26 fit on a single screen. It’s refreshing to buy an app in this day and age that is a flat fee instead of a subscription. If this ends up helping you as much as it did me, please consider supporting the developers of all 3 pieces of fantastic software so we continue to have access to these free and inexpensive options.
-Mike
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Easy to learn, simple to use.
I don’t need fancy features yet. Right now overall user experience of UI is valuable for me.
Less operation, less wasting time. Gets the job done.
Cut [S] and Ripple remove [X] (The reason I like Shotcut)
It’s super fast!!!
I tried Kdenlive but by default, Cut [SHIFT+R] and Ripple remove[SHIFT+DEL] and it’s PAIN.
I don’t want to hassle on customizing keyboard shortcuts when I still don’t know what features it can offer yet.
Better looking Audio wave form (My wish)
For Vlog editing, clips tend to get so long and boring.
I just simply want to cut the parts that don’t have voice without listening to them one by one. - “Jump Cut”.
Kdenlive’s waveform is superior on this.
Changing duration on Multiple Clip (My wish)
Right now, trying to align each clip to 3sec to match the music tempo gives me headache.
Many editing tools allows us to set them by typing numbers with keyboard.
Slip tools(I think it’s on the roadmap)
Well it’s easier and faster.
Reader beware: Cut and Split are completely different!
Instead of split try Ripple Trim In (Shift+I) and Ripple Trim Out (Shift+O). Less steps
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My apologies!
OMG. SHIFT+I and SHIFT+ O saves me so much time.
This is sooo good thanks.
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Hello, thank you all for improving this program. I am not an IT specialist, so I will contribute purely from a user’s perspective. I am right-handed and use a classic keyboard and mouse combination. Personally, I like to keep my right hand on the mouse and my left hand on the keyboard. That’s why I’ve customized my keyboard shortcuts as follows (during long editing sessions, I appreciate having my left hand resting on the table next to the keyboard, so I use the outer keys) F1 - open file, F2 - insert file, F3 - open another, F4 - open MLT file as a shot, I - cut before, O - cut after.
The filter sets (drone, camera, GoPro, phone, etc.) also speed up my work considerably. I can no longer imagine post-production without 3D LUT. I often use “MLT files as shots” in my projects, whether it’s various animations, logos, trailers for my YouTube channel, etc. Once again, thank you to the authors of this program.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
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