When I come across a recommended open-source editor, I have to try it. Not too dissimilar from testing proprietary software, it can be a hit or miss, so I’ve learned not to expect too much. A lot of them sound promising, but either the interface feels dated or the feature set doesn’t quite cover what I need. Shotcut wasn’t one of them. At first, I went in expecting something basic, similar to OpenShot’s simplicity, but Shotcut turned out to be a far more capable editor.

It has all the basics of video editing covered, plus some advanced features that are fun to play around with. It also has dedicated edit, audio, and color tabs (reminds me a bit of DaVinci Resolve’s architecture). The more I explored, the more it held up against the tools I already use. I didn’t abandon my other editors, but I do regret not adding this one to my kit sooner — here’s why.

Shotcut is highly customizable

I completely control the layout

If you come from the likes of Adobe software like me, you’ll probably also appreciate the customizability that Shotcut offers. The first thing I noticed when opening the editor is that every single panel is dockable. Not only can you detach a panel, drag it around, and dock it back into the software, but you can also simply click on the panel names in the top toolbar to display whatever you need at a given time. I can create any custom layout I want or make it as minimalistic as I need — nothing beats the convenience of features and menus not getting in your way.

The core video editing functions

It covers everything, and then some

Shotcut handles the basics of editing with the kind of control you’d normally expect from professional editing software. The multi-track timeline lets you stack video, audio, and overlay tracks so you can easily build projects with layers. It also supports ripple, roll, and slide editing, which makes fine-tuning cuts a lot smoother. Trimming and splitting clips is straightforward; no need to dig through menus (I’ll never understand why some editors hide these basic functions in their menus).

There are also practical touches that make everyday editing smoother. You can mute or lock individual tracks to stay organized, create markers to keep track of important points, and snap clips into place so nothing drifts out of sync. Proxy editing is also built in, which is a lifesaver when working with heavy 4K clips or using a slow machine. Transitions can be created by simply overlapping clips, and the editor automatically creates crossfades that can later be customized. All of these small but essential tools add up to a workflow that’s reliable and flexible.

The effects and filters

It feels like a mini editing studio

Shotcut’s effects library is where the software really starts to show off. It has, what I would call, a mini color grading suite via the Filters tool. There, you can add the Color Grading filter to change the look of your clips with color wheels. There’s also the HSL control and LUT support, among over a dozen other color-related features. If you’re used to professional tools, these options will feel familiar, and if you’re new to color grading, they are approachable enough.

Beyond color, there’s a massive range of visual effects you can drop straight onto your clips. Blurs, glows, and distortions are all there. And, of course, there’s also a text tool. Furthermore, you can save a filter as a preset for future use.

The advanced features

It has basic animation, which I didn't expect

I was hoping to find keyframing in Shotcut, and it didn’t disappoint. Every effect you add comes with a keyframe option, meaning you can animate anything. Once you’ve added a keyframe, you can open the keyframe editor at the bottom and adjust the animation. Unfortunately, Shotcut doesn’t have a custom keyframe graph, but there are ten interpolation types to choose from (which is much better than most free editors offer).

Shotcut has Transform controls, which aren’t exactly advanced, but pairing them with keyframes does make for an advanced workflow since that’s the basis of animation. This is how you’ll move your frames, layers, and other elements around on the screen. It also has a Chroma Key for editing with green screens, making it super easy to create composites.

A feature I did not expect to find was Time Remap. This allows you to continuously change the playback speed of a clip - for example, fast-slow-fast-slow. It’s one of my favorite editing techniques, so I’m more than pleased to find it here. Another feature that surprised me was Motion Tracking, which allows you to track the movement of an object and attach an element to it. Shotcut is really pulling through with the animation features!

It also has audio editing

It's like a mini audio editor built in

Shotcut gives you solid control of the sound without overcomplicating things. In the Audio section of the Filters library, you’ll find things like Pan, Pitch, Gain, Delay, Equalizer, and Reverb. And all of these audio effects can be keyframed. The visual waveform makes it easy to see where beats and cuts line up. It’s not quite on par with Resolve’s Fairlight audio editing suite, but it’s certainly impressive for a lightweight and free app.

Shotcut proves it belongs

Shotcut handles the final step of editing just as well as the creative work. It supports a wide range of formats and codecs, offers presets for social media, and uses hardware-accelerated encoding. After using Shotcut for some edits, it’s clear this open-source app is more than capable, flexible, and reliable, making it a tool worth adding to my video editing workflow.