New Version 20.02.17: Low Resolution Preview
Version 20.02.17 is now available for DOWNLOAD!
New
Low Resolution Preview Scaling
Most people’s video preview area only occupies a fraction of their screen.
Meanwhile, the app is struggling to process effects in realtime while editing a 1080p or higher video. So, it makes sense to change the processing resolution while editing to roughly the same as the preview window. For example, for many people, the video preview typically only occupies 1/9 of their 1080p screen. Thus, you can edit at 640x360 instead of 1920x1080 to give the app and computer less work.
This is now available in the Settings under Preview Scaling. If you are using a larger or high DPI screen or editing higher resolution, you might want to edit at a higher resolution, and Shotcut also offers options for 540p and 720p in addition to 360p for the preview vertical resolution.
Please remember that today there is still a processing cost to scale down the source video to the preview resolution. So, this is still not a silver-bullet, magical cure-all for performance issues. This feature will be more beneficial when low resolution proxies are used, which is planned for version 20.04 in April.
Also, please understand that preview scaling is a step further away from WYSIWYG and does not provide perfect fidelity and full precision. Some differences are unavoidable especially where blur, softness, and noise are concerned.
In addition, some filters do not support preview scaling and will process at full project resolution:
- Choppy
- Rutt-Etra-Izer
- Stabilize
- Text: HTML > Blank with Web Animations
- Text: HTML > Simple Scroll
- Text: HTML > Two Column Scroll
Lastly, a Use preview scaling checkbox has been added to Export > Advanced > Video. This is intended to provide a faster export for draft review. You should leave the export resolution set to the project resolution unless your preset or video codec dictates a resolution.
Audio Pitch Filter
Ever since we made it possible to change the speed of a clip, people have wanted a way to keep the audio at roughly the same pitch instead of going lower or higher. Also, sometimes people want to use a pitch effect for comical reasons or to disguise a voice. We are happy to announce a new Pitch audio filter. This has a speed compensation parameter so that you can copy the speed value from Properties into the filter. In the next version, we will directly integrate a pitch compensation option in the Properties panel. Please consider that this really only works with decent quality in the 4.0x - 0.25x speed range.
More Transitions
Frequently, people ask for more transitions. Well, how about 150+!? After you create a transition by overlapping clips on the same track, select the transition and look in Properties > Video. There has always been a Custom… option where you can upload a gray scale still image, and our Resources page provides a list of resources where to get them. In this version you can now use a grayscale video clip, which some call a “matte transition.” Forum user @jonray has put together a nice collection of these, also on the Resource page.
Please be aware that these transitions do not automatically adjust their duration. If you do not make the transition long enough, it will likely be abrupt at the end. If you make it longer, however, there is no problem. You can also use these to make multi-track transitions by adding the Mask: From File video filter to the clip on a higher video track.
Other Enhancements
- Added Views > Scopes > Video Vector.
Note that the graticule on this is non-traditional, inspired by Alexis Van Hurkman. - Added the ability to rename clips in Properties by clicking into the header where the name is displayed.
- Added a few more export presets:
- audio/ALAC
- audio/FLAC
- intermediate/DNxHR HQ
- intermediate/ProRes HQ
- intermediate/ProRes was changed to ProRes 422
- Added Arabic translation.
Fixes
- Fixed dropping multiple files to Playlist in a new project (broken in v19.12.31).
- Fixed some broken keyboard shortcuts in the Turkish translation.
- Fixed Properties > Speed not working after a project file repair.
- Fixed clip selection after Insert Track or Remove Track.
- Fixed Playlist > Add Selected to Timeline creates corrupt clips (broken in v19.12.31).
- Fixed Settings > Display Method > Software (Mesa) on Windows (broken in v19.12.31).
- Fixed creating a Project folder with leading or trailing spaces.
- Fixed saving the
lengthproperty in MLT XML as a time value independent of frame rate. - Fixed starting Text: Simple video filter with “@” shows “0”.
- Fixed seeking previous & next on the first track in Keyframes where you trim a filter or use simple keyframes.
- Fixed an unexpected transition is created when moving a clip rightward adjacent to the next clip in Timeline (regression in v19.12.16).
- Fixed drag-n-drop from Source player to Timeline left player in an inconsistent state (broken in v19.09.14).
- Fixed an inconsistent colorspace conversion when accessing a cached image.
- Fixed Playlist > Copy followed by a change in Properties incorrectly changes the playlist item.
- Fixed clicking on the rectangle control may change its size.
- Fixed using the LUT (3D) filter with file with extended characters in its file path on Windows.
- Fixed a crash when using a transition on every track at the same time.
Changes
- Improved the reliability of Timeline > Select None.
- Changed Timeline > Master > Properties > Frame rate to show 6 decimal digits.
- Reduced the latency of scrubbing (regression in v19.12.31).
- Changed the video-overlay rectangle control used in some filters to allow
changing the position by dragging from anywhere inside the rectangle.
To enable this, one must first double-click the center circle to change the mode. Otherwise, you would be prevented from dragging the clip out of the Source player. - Changed the Filters panel on macOS to prevent floating to avoid a frequently reported problem of the Filters window appearing blank/black.
- Changed Timeline > clip context menu > Detach Audio to not seek afterwards.
- Improved mouse wheel and trackpad behavior in Timeline.
Now, you do not need to ensure the mouse pointer is over a clip, speed is reduced, and zoom keeps focal point in view. The new zoom behavior does not apply when using the option Center the Playhead in the timeline menu. - Upgraded MLT to version 6.20.0 and WebVfx to version 1.2.0.
New Version 19.12.31: Move Multiple
Version 19.12.31 (aka 19.13) is now available for DOWNLOAD!
Unfortunately, version 19.12.16 introduced a major new bug when moving clips on the Timeline with Ripple on. This version not only fixes that but also includes a highly requested feature that was a year end goal: moving multiple clips on the Timeline! In addition, two more video scopes were added: RGB Parade and RGB Waveform.
Other Changes and Fixes
- Allow reducing track height to very short in Timeline and Keyframes.
- Fixed crackly audio playback for some Windows users.
- Fixed loading project files made before v19.06 when not using a period for a decimal point.
- Fixed Lift and Ripple Delete on Timeline not reliably removing all selected.
- Fixed checking Properties > Image sequence may not update duration in Playlist.
- Fixed the intra-VLC and non-linear-quantizer options in the XDCAM-422 and D10 export presets.
New Version 19.12: Move Freely
Version 19.12 is now available for DOWNLOAD!
This version makes the Timeline much more flexible. Previously, you could only move a clip to a blank spot on the timeline, or the move operation would be rejected and the clip would snap back to its original location. This is no longer restricted, and you can move anywhere as if you were inserting or overwriting with a new clip. Of course, you need to be more careful now! Also, when using drag-n-drop to make a transition, previously you could not have a gap in the timeline between the two clips. Now, you can drag over a gap and overlap the clips to make the transition (but still only for neighboring clips on the same track, by design.) These two improvements were needed to support the ability to move multiple clips at once. We expect to include that in the first version of 2020. Meanwhile, there were some important fixes to get out and changes for people to adjust to.
New
- Added 3 new filters:
- Gradient video filter
- Scan Lines video filter
- Noise Gate audio filter
- Added a new color gradient control to the following filters:
- Audio Light Visualization
- Audio Spectrum Visualization
- Audio Waveform Visualization
- Added View > Scopes > Video Zoom.
- Added Reverse checkbox to the Mask: From File filter.
- Added Remove Finished to the Jobs menu.
- Added Playlist > Update Thumbnails.
- Added Update Thumbnails to the timeline video clip menu.
- Added keyboard shortcut Shift+Escape to give the player focus (take focus away from certain widgets).
- Added a Two Column Scroll template to the Text: HTML filter (convenient for film-style credits).
Fixes
- Fixed Scale animation not linear in the Rotate & Scale filter.
- Fixed audio crackles in first couple of seconds of export.
- Fixed Ctrl+A selects all in Playlist as well as Timeline.
- Fixed the size and position of the Text: HTML editor with Settings > External Monitor enabled.
- Fixed drag-n-drop from Playlist to Timeline sometimes reorders the Playlist.
- Fixed Color Grading and Contrast creates a weird color after deleting a keyframe.
- Fixed updating
x265-paramsin Export > Other after making changes in Codec. - Fixed opening another project in the same session breaks master track filters.
- Fixed saving a preset with a slash in the name.
- Fixed export fails if the system temporary directory is not writable.
- Fixed removing some temporary files on exit.
- Fixed the timeline Ripple All Tracks option was not saved with history (before the current setting used during undo and redo).
- Fixed an image sequence in Export > From > Playlist may show “INVALID” on export.
- Fixed changing Properties (for example, image duration) not updating the Playlist.
- Fixed snapping to horizontal grid lines.
- Fixed Timeline clip context menu > Properties broken in v19.09.
- Fixed bad transitions created by trimming beyond media beginning or end.
- Fixed audio does not follow default device changes on Windows.
- Fixed changing the speed of the clip on the right side of a transition creates INVALID transition.
- Fixed track filters were not restored when undoing a Remove Track.
Changes
- Changed the minimum of the Gain/Volume filter to -70 dB.
- Removed Settings > Deinterlacer > YADIF. (This was causing crashes, and this option only affects preview, not export.)
- Changed the Timeline and Keyframes toolbars to respond to View > Small Icons.
- Added a limit to undo History configurable to new configuration key
undoLimitthat defaults to 1000. - Upgraded Mesa software OpenGL in Windows build to version 19.2.7.
- Upgraded SDL audio output library in Windows build to version 2.0.10.
New Version 19.10: New Time-based Filters
Version 19.10 is now available for DOWNLOAD!
New Features
- Added new video Filters:
- Choppy
- Nervous (a random selection of previous and current frame)
- No Sync
- Trails
-
Vertigo
- Added Keyframes toolbar buttons and keyboard shortcuts for filter-trimming
and simple keyframes:
- [ = set the filter start
- ] = set the filter end
- { = set the first simple keyframe
- } = set the second simple keyframe
- Alt+[ = seek previous simple keyframe
- Alt+] = seek next simple keyframe
- Added keyboard shortcuts for Filters:
- F = open the Filters panel and filter chooser. (At this point search has focus and the first filter is selected…)
- Up/Down - select the previous or next filter in the list
- Enter = add the selected filter to the list
- Shift+F = remove the selected filter from the list
- Added Thai translation.
Fixes
- Fixed Open Other > Audio/Video Device capture (broken in v19.09).
- Fixed a crash in Timeline when you Lift the first clip in a track (broken in v19.09).
- Fixed automatic configuration of VA-API for Export > Use hardware encoder (broken in v19.09).
- Fixed Blend Mode filter affects other clips on the track (if the track Properties > Blend mode was not changed).
- Fixed adding keyframes to some video filters into area after extending the clip:
- Text: Simple
- Rotate and Scale
- Size and Position
- Fixed color picker not automatically changing alpha from 0 to 255.
- Fixed a restarted job reports stopped when completed successfully.
- Fixed HTML file names with extended UTF-8 chars on Linux.
- Fixed Timeline audio waveform after changing Properties > Audio > Track.
- Fixed a crash opening a project that includes itself by making a self-repair on open.
- Fixed saving the length property in MLT XML as a time value independent of frame rate.
- Fixed changing Video Mode of an opened project breaks timing of edits.
- Fixed Timeline ruler not synchronized with the tracks’ scroll after resizing panel or window.
- Fixed Timeline > Undo after splitting the second clip of a transition corrupts the timeline.
Changes
- Use the main video stream by default when there is an embedded album/poster/thumbnail.
- Minor improvements to the ProRes Export preset.
- Improved performance of some video filters when using parallel processing:
- Blur: Exponential, Gaussian, Low Pass
- Glow
- Mask: Simple Shape
- Reduce Noise: HQDN3D
- Sharpen
- Improved performance of track blending in areas with transparency.
- Reduced the free disk space check to 25 GB.
- Opening Matroska files containing HuffYUV or Ut Video is much faster.
- Timeline waveforms are dimmed instead of hidden when track is muted.
- Changed RGB video clip Properties > Color range to Full and disabled.
- Changed Properties > Reverse and Convert to Edit-friendly best option (MKV) to use PCM for audio.
- Changed the Export > lossless > Ut Video preset to the matroska format.
- The signed macOS app is now notarized.
New Version 19.09: Multiselect and More Filters
Version 19.09 is now available for DOWNLOAD!
New Features
- Added multi-select to Playlist as welll as Select All (Ctrl+Shift+A) and Select None (Ctrl+Shift+D) to its menu.
- Added multi-select to Timeline, which is currently limited to the remove/delete and lift operations.
- Added Select All (Ctrl+A) and Select None (Ctrl+D) to the Timeline menu.
- Added new video filters:
- Dither
- Halftone
- Posterize
- Threshold
- Elastic Scale (non-linear horizontal scaling)
- Blend Mode (overrides the track Properties > Blend mode for that clip)
- Added the option Play After Open (default on) to the playlist menu.
- Added keyboard shortcuts for some existing Timeline menu actions:
- Insert Track (Ctrl+Alt+I)
- Remove Track (Ctrl+Alt+U)
- Copy Timeline to Source (Ctrl+Alt+C)
- Added a Galician translation.
Fixes
- Fixed a crash in some audio filters when using 1 or 6 channels.
- Fixed showing language English (Great Britain) when English (United States) is chosen.
- Fixed a crash bug in v19.06 when changing image sequence Repeat in Properties.
- Fixed a bug in v19.08 where dropping a video into Playlist on a new project does not update the Automatic Video Mode.
- Fixed a bug in v19.08 in the on-screen rectangle control (as used in Text: Simple and Size and Position filters among a few others).
- Fixed changing speed of a clip with a colon in the file name.
- Fixed reading MLT XML with a colon in the file name of a relative path.
- Fixed the playlist menu button disabled after removing all clips.
- Fixed reloading Fade In Video or Fade Out Video using opacity may alter the colors.
- Fixed Convert to Edit-friendly failing on GoPro videos.
- Fixed filters during a transition are truncated after a Split on the timeline.
- Fixed a bug in v19.08 where Keyframes becomes broken after trimming on the timeline.
Changes and Improvements
- Reduced the size of the installation by 255 MiB!
- Upgraded FFmpeg to v4.2.
- Increased export process priority on Windows from Low (idle) to Below Normal.
- Changed default HEVC quality to 45% so the x265 crf matches its default of 28.
- Added the clip’s name to the end of a clip in Timeline if its block is wide enough.
- No longer seek after dropping a clip from the player to the Timeline.
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